Leaf colourgreen, red, pink or purple
Native range
- Burkina
- Central African Republic
- Gabon
- Guinea-Bissau
- Guinea
- Mali
- Niger
- Senegal
stem plant red accent background midground Dutch street
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
- Temperature
- 12 – 32 °C
Parameters
Plant typestem plant
Growth ratefast
Tolerates lightmedium – high
pH5 – 7
Carbonate hardness0 – 14 °dKH
General hardness0 – 30 °dGH
Placementred accent, background +2
Propagationcuttings
Grows emersedyes
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.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 841 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
ButterflyfishJulii CorydorasRed-finned ParotocinclusGastromyzon monticolaEgg-shaped GoldfishFlame TetraGardner's KillifishAfrican TetraHypsolebias picturatusCommon ZaccoLabeo BicolorGambusiaFlying barbGastromyzon scitulusAlbino Zebra DanioGeophagus BrokopondoHomaloptera bilineataRed-tailed RasboraBoraras naevusLampeye KillifishSpotted Raphael CatfishCorydoras melanotaeniaFestivum cichlidPseudomugil paskai
Will eat this plant
These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.
Bengal LoachZebra LoachBurmese Border LoachEmperor BotiaMarbled HeadstanderPellegrin's LeporinusLeporinus striatusFalse Black TetraCommon MetynnisMylossoma duriventreRed Whiptail CatfishMoonlight GouramiMelanotaenia parva
Will uproot it
These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.
Marble LoachPeacock EelForktail LoachGuntea LoachLong-nosed LoachHorseface LoachPearlscaleBlack Moor GoldfishShubunkinPainted PlecoFeatherfin SynodontisReddish Mystus CatfishBlue AcaraGeophagus altifronsGeophagus winemilleriPearl CichlidRed-spotted CichlidHaplochromis philanderRed ChromideJack Dempsey cichlid
Cultivars
The same plant with a different look: light, water and care are shared with the species.
Other varieties: Ammannia gracilis Topf, Ammannia Gracillis