java moss v riccia

[knowsam]

How much difference does riccia make over java moss in a tank visually? I've seen photos of riccia and intended to use it in a past tank but was unable to find it. Instead I used java moss and pinned it to my rocks using a hair net. It worked well, was easy and looked pretty cool. I'm setting up a new tank now and was wondering if Riccia good enough that I should bother or just stick to the java? Any opinions?
Cheers Sean

 

[czcz]

Nothing looks quite like Riccia pearling. Here's one of Travis's pics. Riccia definitely has its fans, for good reason.

Riccia does not attach, so is much messier and harder to trim than Java moss. It needs CO2 and high light to keep it happy. While I think everyone should try Riccia once, simply because it is cool and a good first challenging plant, it's not surprising hobbyists are using it less and less. At a SCAPE meet, "Mini Riccia" (rare) was offered up and there was awkward silence before someone took it. Someone asked, "Remember when everybody wanted Riccia?"

That said, if you like Java moss there's no reason not to stick with it, or try a denser growing moss like Xmas, or another neat moss. Mosses on rocks also looks cool.

 

[azn_fishy55]

IMO I like mosses better,I had riccia before but it was alot of work keeping it looking nice.But then mosses grow WAY slower but IMO look better.

 

[fish_4_all]

I have tried java moss and won't try it again. If you like moss, I would try to get the christmas moss or some other moss. The underside of java moss is so messy and has to be trimmed to keep it going, IMO. I have HC now and once I get a descent substrate I will be planting it and focussing my parameters to get it to grow really well. I think HC or a clover species would be better than most mosses but that is simply because I can not get it to grow for more than 3-4 weeks. If you can get mosses to perform and grow then go for it.

 

[mr funktastic]

i am a huge fan of javamoss. i tried getting it for sooo long and could never find it. finally i got a little tiny clump of it like the size of a loonie(canadian lol) and put it on a chunk of wood and it just had explosive growth and i have been giving it away ever since. i am redoint my tank tonight and i am going to experiment shaping it on certain things. i also have christmads moss i will be playing with 2