# Planted Tanks > Beginners' Corner >  How to maintain a nice lawn of riccia?

## bluetbk

Gd evening everyone. 

I am new to planted tank. Currently, i have riccia on wire mesh and i used fishing net to wrap around them. 
However, the riccia had grown and most of them had came loose. So is there anyway of "stopping" them from floating?

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## unclerobin

> Gd evening everyone. 
> 
> I am new to planted tank. Currently, i have riccia on wire mesh and i used fishing net to wrap around them. 
> However, the riccia had grown and most of them had came loose. So is there anyway of "stopping" them from floating?


hi bluetbk.
You need to have a net with tiny hole ( some lfs maybe selling it, i purchase it at tampines, is call *Aquatic Plant Net*) which is black colour to wrap over the wire mesh and tie it up using very fine fishing line to prevent the riccia from floating ( the fishing net that you are refering i believe should be those with very big hole)

wonder if i am allow to post the shop name and address here, pm me if you want the address and contact.

regards
robin

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## bluetbk

hmmmm i think i make a mistake of just using the net. 

Now i am having headache of clearing the floating riccia and put them in "breeding tank" LOL 

Should i tied the riccia to the wire mesh and after which i use the net to wrap it ? Or should i wrap the riccia first and use a fine fishing line to tie them ?

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## ongtw

i did the same thing like what you did which is tying the riccia using fishing line to my wire mesh and i have no problems so far. probably you might want to ensure gaps in between the lines are small?

also, you will have to trim it once in a while to maintain it. else if it grows too huge, the part where doesn't get enough light will eventually melt and those at the top will start floating which i suspect is the case for you right now.

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## blue33

You mean this? This are dwarf/mini riccia.


 :Grin:  You can get the net at Plaza Singapura, the "Spotlight" shop, they call it mosquito net. LFS selling too expensive. Spotlight selling 1m for $7, you can ask for half metre each for different colour. They die and reborn. Will took a picture on the grow again, the new grow now almost cover the whole rock.

If you want low maintenance, then go for dwarf/mini riccia. After sometime you still need to trim them.

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## Morgan01

also comes free when you purchase some fruits or lemon (green net!). else hair netting or fish net sockings will also work pretty well.

be prepared for a lot of work...these beautiful grass is heavy maintenance if your tank conditions are good. they really glow and shine and you can sculpture them the way you like.

_"Riccia is the paint, the aquarium the canvas, and you are the artist! ..." http://www.aquabotanic.com/ricciaarticle.html_

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## luncheonMeat

i followed Bro Blue33, bought some from spotlight when i was at PS. Now the riccia growing well!  :Smile:  Thanks Blue33!

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## blue33

> i followed Bro Blue33, bought some from spotlight when i was at PS. Now the riccia growing well!  Thanks Blue33!


You're

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## Morgan01

does anyone have a better and more efficient way of trimming these riccia? I am trimming them almost weekly and making a absolute mess everytime. afterwhich netting out the cut riccia which are floating everywhere on the water surface.

or do you remove and trim outside the tank?

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## luncheonMeat

> You're


Adrian must take care of Adrians...  :Laughing:

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## blue33

> Adrian must take care of Adrians...


???... You mean you also called Adrian?  :Grin:  Nice meeting you. 

Btw this is the riccia growing so much, still growing.

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## bluetbk

WoW. Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. All are noted down. for my current mesh of riccia, a part of the riccia had floated and there is an empty space and my male Asp. is hiding there.

blue33. thanks for putting up a journal of ur 2ft tank. i am learning thru you journal and thru others journal. the only thing difference is that i going do without CO2. Now i am still thinking which type of plants should i be getting for my new 1ft cube tank.

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## blue33

> does anyone have a better and more efficient way of trimming these riccia? I am trimming them almost weekly and making a absolute mess everytime. afterwhich netting out the cut riccia which are floating everywhere on the water surface.
> 
> or do you remove and trim outside the tank?


One way is to switch off the filter or any form of thing that causes current, trim it and use a net to scoop them out, when you on the filter the current will sway the riccia everywhere. Usually when i do any trimming i will switch off everything except the light.

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## blue33

> WoW. Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. All are noted down. for my current mesh of riccia, a part of the riccia had floated and there is an empty space and my male Asp. is hiding there.
> 
> blue33. thanks for putting up a journal of ur 2ft tank. i am learning thru you journal and thru others journal. the only thing difference is that i going do without CO2. Now i am still thinking which type of plants should i be getting for my new 1ft cube tank.


If you are going for non-CO2, then riccia may not be that ideal. They always feel hungry for nutrients and CO2. You can use moss to replace riccia, there are many types of moss you can choose from.  :Smile:

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## luncheonMeat

Yes Bro Blue33, im Adrian too!

Anyways, this are my Riccia Pebbles on the 10th day.  :Grin:  Growing well!

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## Morgan01

riccia also a good hiding area for my uninvited guest - snails!

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## blue33

> Yes Bro Blue33, im Adrian too!
> 
> Anyways, this are my Riccia Pebbles on the 10th day.  Growing well!


Is that also mini riccia? Nice lawn!  :Smile:

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## luncheonMeat

> riccia also a good hiding area for my uninvited guest - snails!


So Far no sight of any snails.  :Smile: 




> Is that also mini riccia? Nice lawn!


It's the regular riccia. Not making lawn out of it because scared of the maintainance. Was trying to grow the Glosso ( 2nd attempt, 1st attempt in a small tank but failed. Lat time Glosso grew taller then my hairgrass. haha), this time round the glosso also not looking very positive. i am in a fix to whether to replace them or just wait. Will discuss this in another post later. Here not my thread.

 :Confused:  Sorry Bro Bluebk

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## blue33

> It's the regular riccia. Not making lawn out of it because scared of the maintainance. Was trying to grow the Glosso ( 2nd attempt, 1st attempt in a small tank but failed. Lat time Glosso grew taller then my hairgrass. haha), this time round the glosso also not looking very positive. i am in a fix to whether to replace them or just wait. Will discuss this in another post later. Here not my thread.


Glosso are pretty easy to grow, to me! They need strong light, if your tank is too shallow then your glosso will not grow well, all grow upwards, slightly more nitrate and they grow crazy!  :Laughing:  One thing i noted is hairgrass dont like strong light, so if you grow glosso in strong light, your hairgrass most likely will be affected.  :Crying:  Below picture shown, on the foreground, right is glosso, on the left is Jap hairgrass(not so vibrant green), you know what i mean?  :Grin:

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## luncheonMeat

> Glosso are pretty easy to grow, to me! They need strong light, if your tank is too shallow then your glosso will not grow well, all grow upwards, slightly more nitrate and they grow crazy!  One thing i noted is hairgrass dont like strong light, so if you grow glosso in strong light, your hairgrass most likely will be affected.  Below picture shown, on the foreground, right is glosso, on the left is Jap hairgrass(not so vibrant green), you know what i mean?


Bro Started a new thread in Plant talk with pictures of my glosso. Can see there and give some opinions. Thanks.

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