Do you have to have CO2 for Riccia? I am looking for a "carpet" type plant for part of my 55. I have two 24" lights with 55w each of 8000K lighting if that helps. Does Riccia need more light than 1 wpg and if so what options would I have for something to form a "carpet" over part of the tank? Thanks in advance.
Riccia
- Thread starter jlink17
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for riccia to be tied down as a carpet (needs to be tied down, its a floating plant) ideal lights would be around 3wpg and co2 injetion. most ground cover plants need higher lighting and co2.
a 55 gallon is sort of deep so the lights from 1wpg wont penetrate to the floor very well. you should definately up your lighting and consider co2
a 55 gallon is sort of deep so the lights from 1wpg wont penetrate to the floor very well. you should definately up your lighting and consider co2
Seconded. I have Riccia under 3.5wpg, with CO2, and it grows well. I should mention that I was previously using about 2.7wpg, and that was fine also, just not as voracious. And yes, you will need to tie it down...
Just give it a shot... You're sitting on 2wpg, so you might go OK. You will likely want to go with the gas, though.
My general experience of riccia so far is that you really do need a lot of light and some extra CO2 to get it to branch out and grow a lot.
How ever, once you get it grown to a point that you're happy with the coverage, you can lay off the CO2, or even have a bit less light and it's pretty stable. It stays alive, but new growth slows appreciably.
You definitely do need to tether it down too. I'm not sure how you'd best manage that to carpet the substrate, but to cover bog wood or river rock, wrap a layer of it under tulle netting. Eventually it will grow through the net so much that you won't even see it.
Right now I'm trying to grow out some riccia on river rock in my bright little quarantine tank with CO2. When they're as big as I want them, I'll move them where I want them and bury the bottom of the rock in the substrate, so all you'll see is the riccia.
How ever, once you get it grown to a point that you're happy with the coverage, you can lay off the CO2, or even have a bit less light and it's pretty stable. It stays alive, but new growth slows appreciably.
You definitely do need to tether it down too. I'm not sure how you'd best manage that to carpet the substrate, but to cover bog wood or river rock, wrap a layer of it under tulle netting. Eventually it will grow through the net so much that you won't even see it.
Right now I'm trying to grow out some riccia on river rock in my bright little quarantine tank with CO2. When they're as big as I want them, I'll move them where I want them and bury the bottom of the rock in the substrate, so all you'll see is the riccia.
I have seen folks use that netting that body scrubbers are made from. You know the ones with the little rope attached? Just make sure you buy new and not one filled with soap already. Also, onion or garlic bags would work. I use fishing line, just place a small amount of Riccia on a rock, hold it with my thumb and wrap the line all round the rock, tying off nice and tight at the end. There are plenty of how-to's all over the web...
As to forming a carpet, I have around 40 small flat rocks, all tied with Riccia (yes, that WAS a mission!). As the Riccia grows, it intertwines and forms the carpet. If you only have a small amount to start with, just use one rock. As the Riccia grows, you trim it and wrap the trimmings to a second rock...trim again and you have four rocks, then eight etc.
i forget what its called but i went to the craft store and bought the stuff that girls wear on their head on their wedding day (a veil or something like that) it was cheap and you get a ton of it.