Step By Step Guide - Riccia And Java Moss

[jimbooo]

thats what happens when you keep a big sailfin plec in a planted tank with riccia. lol

i think an algae wafer slipped down the edge of the front glass and he wasn't giving up until he got it.

i didn't mind as it needed redoing anyway so i let him do his worst. thats what will inevitably happen anyway he just hurried the process along a bit lol. cheeky bugger

 

[craynerd]

my pieces of riccia are much smaller than that!!

Anyway, ill get the stuff on the way home from work...pics probably online tonight!

Thanks jimbooo.

Great help

 

[jimbooo]

not a problem, good luck with it

 

[ey2006]

Jimbooo, this is one fantastic thread! Thanks for sharing!

I tried attaching some java moss to a plastic mesh today, but the problem was I couldn't get it to stay at the bottom of the substrate, hence I had to put some gravel on it to make it stay.

What can I attach to the plastic mesh to make the piece of plastic (with moss attached) stay and sink at the bottom?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jimbooo]

you can either pop a piece of slate under it and strap it on with cotton thread or wind some lead strip weights to it. anything you can think of really as long as it's fish friendly. just make sure you attach it to the underside so you dont see it.

i'm glad you found the thread usefull, have fun.

 

[craynerd]

Just wanted to update you on the riccia after all the help you gave me on this thread...its certainly growing!!

At the start:

And now:

Thanks again guys!

Chris

 

[jimbooo]

nice to see an update chris. looks like all's going to plan. you have some great growth there in the whole tank.

next mission - pruning lol

 

[ezrock]

Hey. speaking of pruning...

I didn't prune my riccia fast enough. It managed to get away and is now floating ALL over the top, and killing off some of my frogbit. I tried scooping up the clumps with my hands, and using a net to get any stragglers. But, there's still a decent amount that's able to avoid my net! Is there an easier way to trap it all so it doesn't fun rampant? I've dediced not to continue with riccia, but I LOVE the look of the java moss carpet

Thanks,

-Ian

 

[jimbooo]

er in a word NO. lol now you understand why riccia is one of those "must try it once" things. long term it's a pain in the butt.

there is no way to avoid the situation you have found yourself in. pruning it doesn't really work. i was refering to the rest of the plants in the above post not the riccia.

after a year of redoing my carpets every other month i got fed up with it as well. it was worth the effort to see the pearl carpet with my own eyes though. something that no other aquatic plant will do to my knowledge.

 

[craynerd]

i dont understand? why would anyone get fed up with it. It looks beautiful and surely when it blows up can u not just scope it out and redo?

Chris

 

[ezrock]

thanks jimboo

I'll just have to keep plugging away at it and scooping any i see. I don't use CO2 or HIGH amounts of light, so my riccia won't pearl for me. But, I did like the carpet while it lasted. I just don't think I want to deal with the stragglers since they're killing (somehow) my frogbit.

Cheers,

-Ian

 

[jimbooo]

i dont understand? why would anyone get fed up with it. It looks beautiful and surely when it blows up can u not just scope it out and redo?

Chris

after 2 years of redoing riccia carpets. you'll understand.

yes it looks awesome but after the 15th time you get a little fed up with it. i managed for a long time but now favour glosso or HC. but as with all planted layouts they too have their drawbacks and need redoing after a while.

 

[phlawed]

i dont understand? why would anyone get fed up with it. It looks beautiful and surely when it blows up can u not just scope it out and redo?

Chris

after 2 years of redoing riccia carpets. you'll understand.

yes it looks awesome but after the 15th time you get a little fed up with it. i managed for a long time but now favour glosso or HC. but as with all planted layouts they too have their drawbacks and need redoing after a while.

i can definately understand this after experimenting with dwarf riccia. i think it has to be twice as hard to maintain as normal riccia. Something that might need to be noted in how-to. I have moved my experiment to a 10g tank and resumed larger tank with larger plants. Im affraid my larger plants will over shadow the riccia blocking too much light for it on bottom in a large tank. But once 10g is up and going, i have enough riccia now for a complete carpet on the 10g, or as much as i need. Just making sure all the lighting is correct and what not.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

that looks really cool, I've an Oscar tank which I can't plant as he digs everything up, but I wanted some greenery in there, got a slate cave, might try n do a carpet on top of that (or more than likely get Ian to do it for me )

 

[craynerd]

Well my riccia burst! What a bloody mess and pain in the bum lol

QUOTE(craynerd @ Apr 8 2006, 11:42 AM)

i dont understand? why would anyone get fed up with it. It looks beautiful and surely when it blows up can u not just scope it out and redo?

Chris



after 2 years of redoing riccia carpets. you'll understand.

yes it looks awesome but after the 15th time you get a little fed up with it. i managed for a long time but now favour glosso or HC. but as with all planted layouts they too have their drawbacks and need redoing after a while.

lol. Only joking. I realise know, i put too much on the slate and the bottom area died which is why it got away from the net! It didnt actually burst the net,

Just to say again then what Jimboo has already instructed. Don`t put too much on when you first do it!

Chris