riccia and co2 and glut

[MMantelli]

So I just found out glut will melt riccia. I have a heavily planted 20g with medium lighting, diy co2, pps-pro and glut. Well recently I won a raok and received a bunch of riccia. I was told that the amount of glut I was using will melt the riccia (5ml/day) so I was wandering if I pay more attention to keeping my diy co2 consistant and lower the dose to 2ml/day will it still melt the riccia. Or should I just 86 the glut and if I do will the co2 still melt the riccia? Thanks in advance.

 

[maxwellag]

Why exactly are you dosing glut? Glut is usually used as a alternative to co2. I am not sure if glut melts riccia, but IMO you don't really need to be dosing glut if you have sufficient co2 with the DIY setup. Co2 will not melt riccia.

 

[Rivercats]

Glut actually compliments CO2 but is especially helpful with DIY CO2. As for the riccia, when you had it and was dosing the Glut did it show any signs of melting? If not what I would do is use 1/4 of what you were using for 3-4 weeks and see how it goes. You might be able to slowly raise the amount if needed. Mosses aren't suppose to do well in general with Glut but especially in high amounts yet I've found many mosses love the stuff and actually grow better, like fissidens fontanus moss does.

 

[MMantelli]

It was bright green when I put it in there its been fading and starting to turn tan. I don't know if that's melting or just adjusting to my setup. Like I said I was dosing 5 ml per day since my diy setup doesn't always get turned on in the morning (forgetful wife) anyways I dropped the amount down to 2ml and stressed to her how important checking the co2 regularly during the day is so it should stay fairly consistant now. Should I drop the amount down even more? Also I'm adding a 26w 6500k CFL bulb to the tank this week also and then another one in a week or two to help out the alt reineckii, a.gragillis, myrio and the Fl sunset. So hopefully I don't end up with an algae outbreak.

 

[MMantelli]

Here's a pic of when I first put it in ill get another one of how it looks now if I can get a good one.

 

[Rivercats]

If it was melting it would literally go to mush. Since I don't do riccia I'm not sure if a bit of browning is normal after introduction into a new tank. I definitely would keep Glut low for the first 3-4 weeks and if the plant is still fine then you can very slowly up it but again I don't know how tolerant it might or might not be. So your just going to have to monitor and make some judgement calls. You might end up having to go pressurized if you can't keep the DIY constant.

As for adding another light be careful Mike, that's what I believe has got me in some trouble in the 220g. The tank looks great with the light but I'm having a bit of thread algae and am still trying to find how long I can run it and if it is just the light or if my increased micro dosing is also contributing. I know the light has a lot to do with it so my suggestion is start using the new light for a short limited time, say 3 hours the first couple weeks and see if you start having any algae issues. If not then up it by 30 minutes for a couple weeks. Keep it up till you build up the time to hopefully where you want it. But with that new light you really might need pressurized simply because you can't do a heavy dosing of the liquid carbon with the riccia and the DIY might not be enough.

 

[jetajockey]

It's not normal for riccia to brown like that. It does, however, when it's struggling. It could have had a little bit of trauma in shipping but then again it could be unhappy as is. I've dosed glut in tanks with riccia but have not done so religiously so I can't say if it affects it negatively.

One other thing is that it may be unhappy and adjusting to the new lighting scheme. I know I leave my riccia floating most of the time so it gets a ton of light, so it's bound to have an adjustment period if put under less light intensity.

What is your light setup now? 2 CFLs on a 20H?

 

[MMantelli]

If it was melting it would literally go to mush. Since I don't do riccia I'm not sure if a bit of browning is normal after introduction into a new tank. I definitely would keep Glut low for the first 3-4 weeks and if the plant is still fine then you can very slowly up it but again I don't know how tolerant it might or might not be. So your just going to have to monitor and make some judgement calls. You might end up having to go pressurized if you can't keep the DIY constant.

As for adding another light be careful Mike, that's what I believe has got me in some trouble in the 220g. The tank looks great with the light but I'm having a bit of thread algae and am still trying to find how long I can run it and if it is just the light or if my increased micro dosing is also contributing. I know the light has a lot to do with it so my suggestion is start using the new light for a short limited time, say 3 hours the first couple weeks and see if you start having any algae issues. If not then up it by 30 minutes for a couple weeks. Keep it up till you build up the time to hopefully where you want it. But with that new light you really might need pressurized simply because you can't do a heavy dosing of the liquid carbon with the riccia and the DIY might not be enough.

Ya I'm hinting to my wife about pressurized for a late birthday present thanks for the help I put the 2 lights on there just to see and it looks like I just added a third t5ho bulb.

It's not normal for riccia to brown like that. It does, however, when it's struggling. It could have had a little bit of trauma in shipping but then again it could be unhappy as is. I've dosed glut in tanks with riccia but have not done so religiously so I can't say if it affects it negatively.

One other thing is that it may be unhappy and adjusting to the new lighting scheme. I know I leave my riccia floating most of the time so it gets a ton of light, so it's bound to have an adjustment period if put under less light intensity.

What is your light setup now? 2 CFLs on a 20H?

It is a t5ho 2x24 current USA nova extreme with true lumen bulbs 10000k and a freshwater bulb about 3" from the water line. I'm adding some CFL's cause I don't seem to be getting the color I want out of some of the plants. There NOT SHOCFL just G.E. 26w daylight CFL bulbs 1610 lumens and a color temp of 6500k there ii n 8.5" clamp lamps I'm gonna mount them 6" from the water line. And yes Its a 20H.

Here's a whole tank shot with the 2 new bulbs added I just had to see how much brighter it was the first is just the t5 with oldish bulbs and the second is with the t5 and the 2 cfls also here's a shot of what the riccia is looking like.

 

[aqua_chem]

Excel is a pretty well known riccia killer. It might not work out even if you try to acclimate it. Most wort-type plants react very poorly to excel, riccia included. Remember that riccia is a different type of plant altogether than vals or crypts or what-have-you, so they are much more distantly related and might have different enough cellular machinery that they won't adapt as well.

 

[MMantelli]

Excel is a pretty well known riccia killer. It might not work out even if you try to acclimate it. Most wort-type plants react very poorly to excel, riccia included. Remember that riccia is a different type of plant altogether than vals or crypts or what-have-you, so they are much more distantly related and might have different enough cellular machinery that they won't adapt as well.

Oh thanks. Well I hope it all works out so far I've been pretty blessed we will see what happens next.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Yup I can attest to aqua_chem's statement, I dosed excel a little heavy after a large PWC to get rid of some thread algae... I totally melted my riccia and subwassertang -- both of which were doing phenomenally with co2 prior. My flame moss was unfazed by the treatment BTW.

Edit: the excel dose was the initial larger dose as directed on the bottle recommended after large water changes.. that's all it took to kiss my riccia goodbye.

 

[MMantelli]

Hmmm so mabey I should move it and my diy co2 to the 10g for the time being and just stick with glut only in the 20 untill I become luckey enough to upgrade to pressurized. Or should I keep it in the 20 with only diy co2. Oh and Lydia said hello.

 

[Rivercats]

Honestly your 20 is doing so good with your dosing, etc., I would move the riccia. I would hate to see you upset the balance you have achieved. Plus your plants are doing and looking so good!

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Why not experiment and split it... keep one safe w/out glut (just co2) and the other with reduced glut + co2 combo to test its limits?

And...who's Lydia? Tell her hi! Or was that to someone else? Lol

 

[MMantelli]

Honestly your 20 is doing so good with your dosing, etc., I would move the riccia. I would hate to see you upset the balance you have achieved. Plus your plants are doing and looking so good!

That's what I was thinking. I hope I don't loose the riccia I really like the brightness and shape of it. Since tomorrow is my water change day ill move it and the co2 over to the 10 it wasn't really doing much for the 20 anyways. I'm sure the shrimp and the fry in the 10 will enjoy it. Thanks everyone for the solid advice!

 

[MMantelli]

Why not experiment and keep one safe w/out glut (just co2) and the other with reduced glut + co2 combo to test its limits?

And...who's Lydia? Tell her hi! Or was that to someone else? Lol

That's an idea when I get them both bounced back and make the conversion from diy to pressurized on the 20 ill take the smaller one and put it in the 20 with pressurized co2 and low dose of glut and see what happens thanks for the idea.

Oh and lydia's the wife I did this tank for and she was sayin hi to everyone.

 

[MMantelli]

Well I got the riccia and the diy co2 moved over to the 10. Man I hope this stuff makes it its not looking so good. It's like 80% tan and mabey only 20% green. Any tips?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Lots of co2, lights, and macros... if there's a bit of green, it should bounce back.

 

[MMantelli]

Lots of co2, lights, and macros... if there's a bit of green, it should bounce back.

I'm dosing pps-pro 1ml of the csm and 1ml of the nitrates I don't dose the phosphates in this tank cause something is causing them to stay kin of high and diy co2. They started melting from being in the tank I dose glut in for 3 days. the light is a G.E. 26w CFL 6500k 1610 lumens about 2 inches above the water line in a 8.5" clamp lamp. It is a 10g fry/shrimp tank. The filter is a sponge filter is that gonna be a problem with keeping the co2 high enough?

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Are you using a drop checker? I would imagine the extra o2 being pumped in there to run a sponge filter might keep co2 levels down. I've never used a sponge filter let alone with co2 to tell you for sure.