Step By Step Guide - Riccia And Java Moss

[lljdma06]

mate, if thats what you want to do then yes, as said it shouldn't be a problem at all.

I'd be careful with the plate. Lots of stoneware and china contain lead or other heavy metals in the finish or within the plate itself and this could leach into the water. A better bet, if you must use a plate-like object are the terra-cotta bottoms of flower pots. The part that catches the excess water. I've seen people over at bettas and cichlids use the pots themselves as caves. Just a thought.

llj

 

[jimbooo]

fair point llj, i didn't think of that. thanks for the input.

James

 

[arif_93]

hi i purchased soem riccia of ebay ( the biggest clump was 2inch x 2 inches) and i want to double in a week to make a carpet for my aquaqube.
im going to follow the steps on page one to double it up but it doesnt say what i need:
1) will i need to light the plastic tub i grow the riccia in
2) will i need a heater in the tub
3) will i need filtration
4) will i need to add plant food
pls can someone answer the questions for me plz.
many thanks

 

[iSnail]

Jimbooo did a step by step guide in the very first post of this thread. Have a read

 

[arif_93]

ye but he dont say if u need lighting heating etc when u want to grow ur riccia in a plasti tub

 

[jimbooo]

lol... i see what you mean.

point 3 on page one is assuming the tank is set up for plants. ie lights are on, tank is heated etc...

to be honest riccia will grow as long as it is in water and has bright light. you can grow it in a tub on the windowsill but will be much much faster floating in a tank with decent lighting.

it actually says in the guide to float it in the tank within a loop of floating airline tubing. the tub is what it comes in from the LFS. in practice you can just put the tub in the tank with the lid on as long as it is transparent, fill almost full with tank water and leave it bobbing on the surface. this is how i do it nowadays. just refresh the tank water in the tub every day for optimum growth.

 

[john starkey]

Hi all have any of you people thought of using flourocarbon fishing line its a bit more expensive than normal line but its invisible when under water, i used this line during winter when the water is clearer when i was team fishing as a match angler.regards john.

 

[Dave Pauls]

I just did this whole procedure outlined in the first post here. It worked ok I guess.... well I kinda have some riccia floating all over my tank now because the holes in the hair net were bigger than the riccia chunks, so a bunch floated away. what is left looks good, and now I just have to give it some time to fill out. k now for my question.... after I covered my rock with the riccia, I realized that i only had enough to cover one, and I had one more rock left... so I went out to my little pond and grabbed some of this stuff. (see attatched photo)
It is ivy duckweed, Lemna Trisulca.... I think. well it looks exactly like the stuff in the picture I found on wickipedia. I did it the same way as the riccia. it was WAY easier to work with. I was just wondering if this will actually work. this stuff came with a bunch of elodia I got for my pond, and has been living submerged for a month now stuck to the filter inlet. the goldfish eat it like crazy, and it is still taking over the pond. unlike the other kinds of duckweed, it doesn't separate into little pieces, it just stays one big chain, and it doesn't float on the surface, it stays below it. I was just wondering if anyone else has tried this stuff. I guess time will tell if it works... or one of you guys will. ha ha. thanks
DAVE

 

[MoonstruckMuse]

Heh, erm, I don't believe duckweed can grow submerged, but then again, I've never tried. Best of luck, Dave.

I'm using the same technique to attach java moss to driftwood. However, what I was wondering is... can I use cotton thread, so that it'll disintegrate eventually? I'd like the moss directly on the wood. In this sort of situation, would the moss be able to attach itself firmly enough to the driftwood? Or would it fall off the second a fish swam by?

 

[Dave Pauls]

the duckweed is working.... i just don't know how atractive it is....

maybe with a bit more time it will improve?
DAVE

 

[Musho3210]

just want to mention you truly do have very very nice tanks.

 

[Dave Pauls]

here is an update on my lemna carpet. I think it looks kinda messy... especially beside the riccia carpet, but it is kinda interesting, and it worked great. It needs a trim, so maybe after that it will fill in more. I duno. I would have to say it was a successfull experiment.

 

[GazinSussex]

Hi chaps and chapesses, thought I would add my attempt at Jimboo's technique!

I wanted little mounds so used parts of a broken unglazed teracotta pot. I bought the riccia off ebay and heres the result - two weeks from first to last pic - also put what I had left in a tub on the windowsill and now have enough for another mound - Mrs is at the shops now buying me some more hairnets (2 for 99p in Boots the chemist!!)

Next - I sooo badly want a moss wall but with a 48 x 24 inch back to the tank I'm going to need about a gallon of the stuff just to get going!!

 

[jimbooo]

looks perfect mate, well done.

 

[Ian H]

brilliant write up and good to see that your still helping people with it!

I have an idea but im not sure if it's going to work i want to create a cave from half a flower pot or something similar and have this stuff growing on the outside, but would that work? sorry im new to this! most i've done with plants is bond java fern to bog wood