2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Floating Riccia lives in a huge number of reservoirs in the warm regions of our planet. This unpretentious, but very effective and unusual moss develops well in aquarium conditions. It is very practical and incredibly aesthetic at the same time. Moreover, floating Riccia is an excellent assistant in the embodiment of the most daring design ideas, because you can keep it not only under water, but also on the water surface. And in terrariums, it is capable of developing well as a soil culture, only the soil for this must be very moist
Getting to know the plant
Floating Riccia is a rather colorful openwork moss, painted in bright green tones. Usually this moss floats near the water surface, forming peculiar small islands. Such islets are called thalli or thalli. They consist of a huge number of openwork bright green twigs, closely intertwined with each other. The tips of these branches are forked, and their thickness reaches 1 mm. It is noteworthy that the floating Riccia has no roots, no leaves, no stalks.
In aquarium conditions, swimming Riccia is often used to organize the spawning of all kinds of fish. And this plant also serves as a wonderful shelter for growing fry. In some cases, floating Riccia can also be used as a shade in aquariums. In addition, it has a direct effect on the circulation of substances in the aquarium, thereby improving its microclimate.
How to grow
In both warm and colorful tropical aquariums, Riccia floats grows equally well. The temperature range from twenty-two to twenty-six degrees has a beneficial effect on its development. But if the thermometer drops below, to twenty degrees or less, the growth of the floating riccia is greatly slowed down, and sometimes it even dies.
The reaction of the aqueous medium is best suited neutral or slightly alkaline. Ideally, the water should be soft, as at a hardness of more than eight degrees, the growth of unusual moss will noticeably deteriorate. One fifth of the total water volume should be changed regularly.
Riccia floating lighting prefers high intensity. If its intensity is low, then the unusual moss will begin to disintegrate into separate branches and will cease to form colorful islands. In addition, the lower layers of the thallus can begin to rot. However, the bright sunlight of floating Riccia will not work - if it is available, the plant needs to be slightly shaded. For artificial lighting, mainly fluorescent lamps with a warm white glow are purchased. The use of simple incandescent lamps is highly undesirable - they provoke local overheating of the water. And fluorescent lamps heat up less because they consume less energy.
As for a variety of mineral supplements, they are completely optional - floating Riccia is usually content with regularly replaced fresh water, as well as all kinds of nutrients that fall into the water along with fish food.
Floating Riccia reproduces quickly and easily - as a rule, its local colonies are divided into two or more parts. After some time, new islets grow from small pieces of thalli, which can quickly occupy the entire water surface. Shoots that are too tall can be trimmed with scissors.
The excess of luxurious moss must be systematically removed, since in the summer it can grow so that it will fill the entire water surface, turning into an insurmountable barrier to oxygen coming from the atmosphere into aquariums. This happens especially often with an excess of light. By the way, by delaying the flow of oxygen from the atmosphere, the growing moss creates a special environment that favors the development of ciliates, which serve as a favorite delicacy for fry of spawning fish.
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