Pest identification
What's eating my riccia fluitans?
Green hair / filamentous algae
Signs: Threads weave through porous thallus, outcompeting Riccia for light and nutrients
Control: Manual removal; add Amano shrimp; trim and replant clean portions; balance fertilisation
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae)
Signs: Slimy blue-green mat suffocates thallus sections
Control: Improve water circulation, reduce organics, spot-treat with erythromycin only as last resort
Pest snails
Signs: Grazing fragments the thallus, causing pieces to float loose and decompose
Control: Assassin snails; quarantine and rinse all new plant material before introduction
Keep riccia fluitans pest-free
Healthy plants resist pests best. Get the basics right:
Riccia fluitans pests — FAQ
What is eating my riccia fluitans?
Riccia fluitans is a floating or tissue-culture carpeting liverwort used in aquascaping. Its biggest enemies are algae (green hair algae and cyanobacteria) colonising its spongy thallus, and pest snails that graze and fragment it. In outdoor ponds it may also be grazed by waterfowl. Algae is the dominant in-tank threat.
How do I get rid of green hair / filamentous algae on riccia fluitans?
Threads weave through porous thallus, outcompeting Riccia for light and nutrients Manual removal; add Amano shrimp; trim and replant clean portions; balance fertilisation
How do I get rid of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) on riccia fluitans?
Slimy blue-green mat suffocates thallus sections Improve water circulation, reduce organics, spot-treat with erythromycin only as last resort
How do I get rid of pest snails on riccia fluitans?
Grazing fragments the thallus, causing pieces to float loose and decompose Assassin snails; quarantine and rinse all new plant material before introduction