Riccia Plant

[H20-Cam]

I just purchased a Riccia plant. It came on a rock sort of thing with a lot of grass on it. It was wraped in a net. I took off the net and placed it in the tank and all the grass floated off!!!! Is that whats supposed to happen!?!?! Im so confused! Please help me!!!! Thank you!!
H20-Cam

 

[allnatural]

If you searched the net, for example using Google, you would find that Riccia fluitans is actually a floating plant. The plants should have been tied to the net. If not, it was up to you to tie the plants to the net so they will stay down.

Riccia fluitans is generally used by advanced plant hobbyists with high tech setups. They require a lot of light and possibly CO2 injection systems.

Here is a sight I found that had beautiful pictures of it. It even mentions that it is tied to various objects.

http/www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/2339/gallery2.html

Good luck!

--Tim

 

[H20-Cam]

arg do you have to burry it a little for it to root? i kinda burried it half way into my gravel. *sigh* i dont think i did it right.. i put some gravel over it to keep the grass on the rock but i guess i should strap it down too. im gonna need a lot of luck! tahnks for the info!

 

[allnatural]

I am not sure about the Riccia root system, since I don't have any of it but since it is a floating plant, I would not think that it needs to be actually rooted in the substrate or that it would necessarily like it.

 

[Dubby]

I do not have this plant in my aquarium but here is a clipping from Aquarticles

Riccia fluitans does not develop a root structure, but it is capable of anchoring itself over time to a surface. When a clump is small and thin, it will float just below the surface of the water, barring any current which would push it around, but as the mass thickens and grows, it will tend to sink. When it comes into contact with a surface for an extended time period, (days or weeks), new growth may anchor it there. This particular trait can be used to good advantage by placing a mass of Riccia fluitans against the chosen surface such as driftwood, or rock and then fastening the Riccia to the surface by wrapping repeatedly with thin thread. After a surprisingly short time,(as little as two weeks), the thread will no longer be visible, having been grown over with new growth from the plant. The resulting effect is much like a beautifully cultured lawn or a rich bed of luxuriant moss on a rock. If desired, the thread can then be cut away, leaving the Riccia firmly anchored to the item.

 

[H20-Cam]

cool thank you