Riccia fluitans |
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| Riccia fluitans
is an aquatic liverwort. Its body is formed by the
thallus which is fork-shaped. Its colour is emerald to
deep green - the lighter forms usually grow in bright
light. Riccia fluitans often forms thick mats on
the surface of the water, but in the mud it takes a
terrestrial form with short rhizoids and anchors itself
to the bottom. Riccia was formerly used in
breeding tanks for fish fry or to spawn labyrinth fishes,
which build the bubbles of their foamy nests under the
tufts. Recently, Riccia fluitans has become more popular than ever due the widespread use in the Nature Aquarium together with Glossostigma elatinoides. Here Riccia fluitans is fixed with a nylon mesh to rock or roots where it after less than two weeks forms the most beautiful homogeneously green cover. When the plant is kept totally submerged it is probably necessary to add CO2 to the water and high light is needed to sustain a good growth. After a while it is necessary to neat the tufts because the thallus soon grows upwards toward the water surface. This is easily done by trimming with a pair of scissors or by wrapping the nylon mesh around the stone or root once more. |
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