Riccia Fluitans (Riccia fluitans) Care Guide

A unique liverwort that can float on the surface or be tied to hardscape to form a bright-green carpet of tiny branching fronds.

Overview

Riccia fluitans is an aquatic plant in the family Ricciaceae. A unique liverwort that can float on the surface or be tied to hardscape to form a bright-green carpet of tiny branching fronds. Made famous by Takashi Amano, it produces beautiful pearl-like oxygen bubbles under high light.

Taxonomy

Family: Ricciaceae
Genus: Riccia
Scientific name: Riccia fluitans
Other names: Crystalwort

Habitat

A liverwort in the family Ricciaceae distributed worldwide on still freshwater. Naturally floats and forms thick mats; in modern aquascaping it is commonly tied or netted onto stone to grow submerged as a pearling carpet.

Growth requirements

Light: high (≥80 PAR at substrate)
CO2: pressurised CO2 recommended
Temperature: 20-28 °C
pH: 6-7.5
GH: 2-12 °dGH
Substrate: any (rootless or floating)
Nutrient demand: medium
Growth rate: fast
Difficulty: intermediate

Placement

Maximum height: 5 cm
Trim every: 7 days

Propagation

In cultivation the plant is propagated by vegetative division or fragmentation.