Riccia as A Gravel Substrate  - 05/29/06
Sorry 'bout all these questions lately, but I have just become so excited with the hobby in recent times! I was wondering if any of you would know how to cover an entire patch of substrate with Riccia Fluitans without using an anchor other than the gravel? I thought it might be a good idea to use a layer of hairnet for the Riccia to anchor onto, but if any of you have and better answers, keep me posted! I have seen this done by Takashi Amano, however I was not even sure it was Riccia. If you have any other suggestions of grass-like plants that take well to covering substrate, please let me know. Eddy
< Amano loves Riccia. Use nets or go to the hardware store and get some aluminium grates. Cut them to size with tin snipes. In a shallow bowl you can fill it with Riccia and then set the fine mesh grate over it. Set it in some strong light and the Riccia will grow through the mesh and fill the voids in the mesh over time. Then you can lay thee on the gravel to get the effect you want.-Chuck>

Re: Plant ID - 05/31/2006
I got a zoom on the picture, turns out it wasn't Riccia at all. I should have no trouble getting it to anchor into the gravel. This is the link:  http://www.adaeuro.com/gallery.asp?g_id=1# . It is the second picture, on the top right. Some kind of small plant is used (help ID-ing please?)
<Glossostigma or Micranthemum>
and lots of Microsorium on the driftwood. A close-up of two Discus and some Rummynose Tetras. It would be great if you could also help me ID the plant used in the back left corner, grass like in appearance, and surrounding the driftwood.
<Eleocharis....  probably E. acicularis.>
Thanks again! (Hope the link works!)  Eddy
<Wishing you well,  -Sabrina>

Freshwater Bryophyte- aquatic liverwort
Here's a link to a photo http://cvjoint2.tripod.com/id5.html  of an aquatic liverwort that popped up in my tank. It's nothing that I've seen anywhere else so I was hoping that someone might help me identify it.
Many thanks,
Peter
<Neat... these non-flowering plants do just "pop up" from time to time (perhaps spores borne on the wind)... I would direct your query to the fine folks at "the krib" for identification et al. information re these. Bob Fenner>