Riccia Light Requirements

fishboytoo

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I was wondering what the light requirements for riccia are. I have been searching online and have found recommendations/comments for/about light of all levels. It really is quite silly. One site says only high or extremely high lighting while another will say low light is okay. Tropica's website profile says "low-very high". So which is it?

The tank I'm considering it for has a 14W light and is a 10 gal. Right now the tank has java fern, red ludwigia, rotala sp., echinodorus tenellus, liliaeopsis braziliensis, and some java moss just starting out. My gut is telling me it won't make it in there. What do you think?:unsure:
 
High light is the recomendation for Riccia, but it can still grow with less light. I have it in my 5 gal with 16 watts and co2 and it grows great (according to the minimum light threshold rule I would need much more than that). I'd say upgrade your lights to at least 20 watts and add co2.

edit
hmm, red ludwigia and rotala are fairly demanding with light. You could try it but dont hold me to my word.
 
I neglected to mention, I have a DIY co2 hookup right now. The extra light means extra money and my girlfriend will not like that very much. :angry:

I am also planning to put clown killies in there and I hear they like subdued lighting. I was planning on the riccia to stay floating as the killies like top cover also. I've had hornwort floating in there before but I find it terribly annoying with the bits coming off. Any other ideas for floating plants?

Sounds like you don't think the current setup would be good for riccia, am I right?
 
I have a 10 gallon tank myself, with 2 15 watt incandescent light bulbs (bad for plants). I thought I had to buy a whole new light hood to upgrade my lighting. Very expensive. But I've found that there's actually some compact fluorescent lights that simulates daylight (5000 Kelvin and above) that I could use to replace the bulbs with. It's a cheaper alternative to buying the whole thing.
I have seen those compact fluorescents, made by coralife I think. Those are for an incandescent hood, however mine is a regular fluorescent tube. If I remember correctly they were selling for $18 per bulb. I was going to use them for my moms 10 gal. More expensive for me in the long run, IMHO. If you can get them cheaper, its a good idea.

I was just looking up some prices... it would be in the $100 range for the fixture plus I would need a new glass tank cover at ~$15.

I need a cheaper hobby, like smoking crack or gambling. :/
 
If its floating and not tied down then it has a much better chance. Riccia does get very messy though.

Depending on the price, I'd give it a go.
 
to dispell some myths riccia will grow in anything from 0.5 WPG upwards BUT if submerged it will only pearl at about 2 WPG WITH CO2. that is where the confusion comes into play. i have some floating in my cube (1.3 WPG with CO2) and it's more than healthy. give it a go if you fancy it. does get a bit messy though LOL
 
Thanks for all the input. I think I will give it a try. If it doesn't work in the 10 gallon, I always have my 33 gal with 3 WPG and DIY co2 to put it into.
 

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