Want texture nothing else in the hobby can give you? Mini Pellia grows in finely branched, deep green fronds that look like miniature coral — dense compact cushions rather than the loose strands of a true moss. It is a liverwort, and it is the detail plant serious aquascapers reach for.
What You’ll Receive
- Loose Portion: Approximately 2" × 2"
- Ready to Attach: Suitable for rocks, driftwood, mesh, or other aquarium décor
Portion size and density may vary slightly because this is a natural live plant.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Mini Pellia, Mini Coral Moss, Mini Liverwort
- Scientific name — Riccardia chamedryfolia
- Plant type — Liverwort, not a true moss
- Placement — Foreground to midground, on wood, stone or mesh
- Mature height — 1–2 in
- Growth rate — Slow
Care
- Difficulty — Intermediate. Not hard, but slow and unforgiving of neglect
- Light — Low to medium
- CO₂ — Not required, but it rewards CO₂ more than most mosses do
- Water — Cooler is better; it thrives below about 75°F and struggles in warm tanks
- Feeding — Water column
- Propagation — Fragmentation; reattach healthy clippings
Grower’s Notes
- Temperature is the deciding factor. Riccardia is a cool-water plant — in a tank running above 78°F it thins, browns and slowly gives up no matter how good the light and CO₂ are.
- Flow matters more than light. The dense fronds trap detritus in still water and rot from the inside, so give it gentle, steady circulation.
- Tie it on thin and flat. A thick clump smothers itself long before the surface fills in, and this plant is far too slow to recover from that.
- It attaches slowly. Expect a couple of months before it grips hardscape properly — keep the thread or mesh on until it does.
- Not to be confused with plain Pellia (Monosolenium tenerum), which is thicker, faster, more brittle and far more heat tolerant.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Aquarium Moss Care Guide.
Notes
- Photos are for reference. Portion size, density and color vary naturally. Live plants may carry algae or small hitchhikers — rinsing before adding to your aquarium is recommended.
- Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
-
Weather conditions
-
Livestock health
-
Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
-
Alaska
-
Hawaii
-
Puerto Rico
-
Guam
-
U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
-
Weather conditions
-
Carrier delays
-
High shipping volumes
-
Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
-
Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
-
The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
-
Credit / Debit Card
-
PayPal
-
Apple Pay
-
Google Pay
-
Amazon Pay
-
Shopify Pay
-
AliPay
Orders returned due to:
-
Incorrect address
-
Refused delivery
-
Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
-
Live plants
-
Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised the vibrant green moss that "acclimated well" and showed "new growth" quickly. Many received plants in "perfect condition" with "fantastic shipping." However, some reported receiving brown or dead portions (25-30% unusable), contamination with different moss species, and occasional product misidentification. Shipping costs were noted as high.
- Beautiful vibrant green, quickly installed, can already see new growth!
- Plants came in perfect condition. About to place another order now!
- Fantastic shipping and plant quality. Would buy again.
Y
This was one of the most misleading plant purchases I’ve ever made.
I ordered Mini Pellia (Riccardia), but what I received was almost entirely Christmas moss. These are completely different plants, and this was not a “mix” — it was a substitution.
There was virtually no usable Mini Pellia in the portion. Only a few tiny, scattered fragments that were not viable for planting or aquascaping. The rest was loose, stringy moss that clearly did not match the product description.
Nothing from this order could be used. The entire portion had to be discarded.
If you are expecting actual Riccardia, do not order this. What you receive may not resemble the product at all.
Extremely disappointing and not acceptable for a plant sold under this name.
Thank you for your feedback. After reviewing the photos, the plant received appears to be the correct Mini Pellia / Mini Coral Moss
We do not substitute this plant with Christmas Moss. Since this is a delicate moss/liverwort-type plant, some pieces may separate during transit, but with stable aquarium conditions, the healthy portions can attach and continue growing over time. We’re sorry this did not meet your expectations, and we appreciate you sharing your experience.
G
Shipped quickly, packaged great and healthy looking plants.
J
Loved the tc selection. They showed up in good shape and acclimated well. The pantanal tc was very generous and pretty much every stem took and started to color up in a few days. I wish the shipping was less, but I’ll definitely be ordering again the next time I need plants.
A
The plants came in perfect condition. About to
Place another order now!
C
So, so happy with my purchase! My mini pellia came well packaged, a beautiful vibrant green, and was quickly installed on the hard scape in my tank. I can already see new growth and can't wait for it to take off.
C
Fantastic shipping and plant quality. Would buy again.
R
Mini Pellia / Mini Coral Moss
A
Came mostly brown. The little that lived is growing back, but my portion was contaminiated with java moss and it is growing faster than the mini coral moss can recover so it will likely get smothered.
B
My plant came green and healthy, it is grown as a floating plant and requires some skill to glue it properly to add to your aquascape
A
A lot of brown in the bag, so I have about maybe 25% that survived. Hopefully, it will grow bigger overtime...
A
About 30% arrived brown and unusable, but the remainder was healthy.
S
I live in Ohio and the weather is freezing so maybe that is why when this Moss turned up it wasn't looking very good. Still after 3-4 days it's looking a lot better.
H
The mini pellia came in great condition even though the weather was some of the coldest and nastiest this year where I am located!
S
Great plant fast delivery
R
The texture is unique and pretty.
D
Hi, I’m looking to get some mini pellia and am wondering how your stock is looking? I understand it grows slow and there can be some variation but I hear it’s quite sensitive.
Hi Dawn, thanks for asking! Mini Pellia (Riccardia chamedryfolia) is currently in stock and available on our site. You're right that it's a slow grower and can be a bit more finicky than other mosses - it does best with lower to moderate light and good water flow, and can struggle if conditions swing too much. Since stock levels change with each harvest, we'd recommend checking the product page for the most current availability before ordering. Let us know if you have any other questions!
Recommended for You
Frequently Asked Questions
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
!
