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Floating Riccia plant
Riccia is an aquatic plant from the genus of liver mosses. It is found in many calm waters in regions with warm temperate climates.
What Riccia Floating looks like
Outwardly, the plant resembles a beautiful moss of a rich emerald color. Thanks to active photosynthesis, cells contain a lot of oxygen, and the plant floats on the surface of the water, forming small islands. It does not have roots, leaves and stems as such; the plant consists entirely of miniature openwork plates in the form of lush twigs.
Riccia often serves as a hiding place for fish
Using Riccia:
- a quiet and peaceful hiding place for fry;
- cover for aquarium plants that prefer shade;
- material for the construction of nests.
Sometimes this moss is used to decorate the bottom of a home pond. To do this, a green lump of moss is placed on a beautiful snag or stone and fixed with a transparent mesh. The plates grow through the mesh and form a lush decorative bush that resembles a pillow.
Such a hummock must be cut once every 7 days, leaving a layer of 3 cm. If this is not done, the lower part of the plant will begin to rot and the pillow will come off the stone or driftwood and float to the surface. It is advisable to remove the trimmed pieces immediately, otherwise after a short time they will form a real jungle in the wrong places and will interfere with other aquarium plants.
Conditions for keeping Riccia as an aquarium plant
In care, this aquarium gardener is unpretentious and feels good both in moderately warm and in a tropical reservoir. The optimum temperature is 21-25 ° C. The temperature should not be allowed to drop, it is detrimental to plants.
The lighting must be bright. Lack of lighting provokes rotting of the lower layers of the bushes. In summer, moss cushions are overgrown and prevent sufficient oxygen and light from getting in, so they need to be trimmed periodically.
If possible, it is advisable to renew a fifth of the water in the aquarium every 7 days.
No special feeding or additional supply of carbon dioxide is needed. Bushes reproduce very easily and quickly, it is enough to separate a few branches from the mother plant. In a short time, they will grow, and they can be used for landscaping the surface of the reservoir or its bottom.
The plant has an aesthetic and decorative appearance, creates conditions for the inhabitants of the aquarium that are close to natural.