Crystalwort

 Crystalwort

Crystalwort

Riccia fluitans, also known as crystalwort, is a very popular aquatic floating bryophyte among the aquarists. It is known for its ability to grow quickly on the surface. It was made popular as an aquarium plant by Takashi Amano, a well-known Japanese aquarist.

Riccia fluitans looks stunning as the sole plant in a planted aquarium, or it can be easily paired with other aquatic plants. As it has a tendency to take a shape of the object to which it is attached, they can be given various forms by the aquarist for the beautification of the aquarium. They can also serve as a refuge for young fry in their natural environment. The only disadvantage of Riccia fluitans is that they grow too quickly to maintain and as there is no root structure, the overgrown plants get detached from the original mass to float around and get tangled with other plants or the filter’s intake of the aquarium.