riccia and other floaters

I took the riccia out. Quick final shot.

It's now in a container by the window, while I continue to fish tiny y-shaped green bits out during every water change. When I think I've gotten them all, I plan to sell it via the forum.

This golf-ball size clump can go for ten dollars, some people really desire this plant for high-tech aquascaping. I toyed with the idea of keeping a bit around to grow out and sell again, but even dealing with this small amount to get a few good photos, irritated how it scatters and clings to everything. I found bits on my clothes later, on the table surface near the bowl, on the bathroom floor across the house. Far worse than duckweed in my opinion.

Shame, because it's such a cool-looking plant. I just don't want to deal with it.

Riccia, also called crystalwort, is such a curious thing. It's a primitive non-vascular plant, one of the liverworts. I kind of want to keep it just because its so different. But I won't. I already swapped some back to the guy I got it from in the first place, for more of these frogbits. Which I really like by the way. Most of the red root floaters I received have melted at this point, and been torn apart by the amanos. I have two left, and one is just starting to grow a new leaf. Frogbit appears to be out-competing the hornwort for nutrients; at least, since I added frogbit my hornwort in the main tank has dwindled to near nothing. I pulled what was left of the hornwort stems and moved them into Perry's tank.

Funny thing, the larger bits of duckweed I picked out from that plant swap (it was mixed in with the other floaters) are quite a bit larger than my spirodela polyrhiza. The leaves look rounder, too. I discarded all the tiny common duckweed I found in that mix, but kept the larger ones and put them in my tenner. Here new among the old:

Pennywort alongside the tank has doubled its length again. It really likes being kept waterlogged, but I don't like how the sogged soil gets crusty mold. Perhaps I will replant in some aquarium gravel, just keep that saturated... I'd like to try some in one of my heated tanks again, if I get enough of it growing to keep some in reserve in case of failure.