Riccia fluitans

Riccia fluitans is a liverwort (division Marchantiophyta) in the family Ricciaceae, naturally a free-floating aquatic plant occurring across temperate to tropical water bodies worldwide. Its transformation into a celebrated foreground carpet plant is credited to Takashi Amano, who devised and popularized the technique of pressing it over rocks with fine stainless-steel mesh or wool mat netting to hold it submerged. Under high light and pressurized CO2, photosynthesis adorns the thallus with thousands of sparkling oxygen bubbles simultaneously — the quintessential 'pearling' spectacle that has come to symbolize the Nature Aquarium aesthetic. Growth is rapid but attachment is inherently unstable; the thallus frequently detaches from netting and must be periodically re-tied. Sensitivity to water-parameter fluctuations adds to the maintenance challenge. Stainless mesh is the preferred attachment medium for long-term management.

CO2 injection essential + liquid fertilizer