Large Ammannia

Ammannia gracilis

A big stem plant with wavy leaves that turn from pale green to pink and red as the light gets stronger. Hardier than most red plants and forgiving of an ordinary tank.

Light: medium–high
Difficulty: medium
Height: 20 – 50 cm (7.9 – 20 in)
Temperature: 12 – 32 °C (54 – 90 °F)

Leaf colour: green, red, pink or purple
Plant type: stem plant
Growth rate: fast
Tolerates light: medium – high
pH: 5 – 7
Carbonate hardness: 0 – 14 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: red accent, background +2 red accent, background, midground, Dutch street
Propagation: cuttings
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

Long wavy leaves in pairs along an upright stem, 20–50 cm tall. The colour depends on conditions: bright light and iron in the water give blush red, dim light leaves it green.

Keeping

Moderate demands. It wants good light, and answers well to carbon dioxide and to iron and trace feeding — that is what the colour comes from, not just the lamp. It puts up with a wide range of water, though soft and slightly acidic suits it best. It grows quickly and needs regular trimming.

Placement

The middle or back of the tank, in a group. Against green neighbours the pink stands out; alone in a corner it reads as one odd stem.

Propagation

By cuttings: cut the top and plant it. The old stem branches from the cut, so the group thickens with every trim.

Water conditions match

The water suits 841 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Butterflyfish Julii Corydoras Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Geophagus Brokopondo Homaloptera bilineata Red-tailed Rasbora Boraras naevus Lampeye Killifish Spotted Raphael Catfish Corydoras melanotaenia Festivum cichlid Pseudomugil paskai

Will eat this plant

These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.

Bengal Loach Zebra Loach Burmese Border Loach Emperor Botia Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish Moonlight Gourami Melanotaenia parva

Will uproot it

These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.

Marble Loach Peacock Eel Forktail Loach Guntea Loach Long-nosed Loach Horseface Loach Pearlscale Black Moor Goldfish Shubunkin Painted Pleco Featherfin Synodontis Reddish Mystus Catfish Blue Acara Geophagus altifrons Geophagus winemilleri Pearl Cichlid Red-spotted Cichlid Haplochromis philander Red Chromide Jack Dempsey cichlid

Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.

The same plant with a different look: light, water and care are shared with the species.

Other varieties: Ammannia gracilis Topf, Ammannia Gracillis

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Ammannia gracilis: Guill. & Perr.
Family: Lythraceae

Large Ammannia

Tank conditions

Care and keeping