Leaf colourgreen, red +1
Native range
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- Guatemala
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Gulf
- Mexico Northeast
- Mexico Southeast
- Mexico Southwest
- Nicaragua
- Panamá
stem plant background midground
A fan-leaved cabomba from Central America, grown in a green and a red-brown form. Unlike its relatives it puts up with hard water and with warmth.
- Light
- medium–high
- Difficulty
- medium
- Temperature
- 20 – 33 °C
Parameters
Plant typestem plant
Growth ratefast
Tolerates lightmedium – high
Carbonate hardness7 – 21 °dKH
Placementbackground, midground
Propagationcuttings, division +1
Grows emersedno
Appearance
Leaves cut into fine threads and spread into flat fans along the stem. The green form looks much like the common cabomba; the red-brown form is darker and warmer in tone.
Keeping
Moderate demands, and easier than most cabombas on two counts: it does well in medium-hard and hard water, and it tolerates temperatures above 25 °C better than the common species. Good light keeps the fans dense; growth is fast, so trimming is regular. It remains a rarity in shops.
Placement
The middle or back of the tank, in a group of stems.
Propagation
By cuttings: cut the top and plant it.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1014 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.
Swordtail GuppiesCobra GuppyBlood Red MollyButterflyfishRed Zebra CichlidJulii CorydorasRed-finned ParotocinclusGastromyzon monticolaEgg-shaped GoldfishFlame TetraGardner's KillifishAfrican TetraKenyi CichlidCuckoo CatfishGolden SwordtailHypsolebias picturatusCommon ZaccoLabeo BicolorGambusiaFlying barbGastromyzon scitulusAlbino Zebra DanioGeophagus BrokopondoZebra Mbuna
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 CatfishMolly sphenopsBalloon MollyLyretail MollyMarble MollyHi-Fin PlatyHawaii PlatyBlue PlatyPintail PlatyBlack PlatyChocolate MollyMoonlight 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 AcaraAulonocara maylandiAulonocara multicolorAulonocara OrchidGeophagus altifronsGeophagus winemilleriPearlscale CichlidPearl CichlidRedbelly CichlidRed-spotted CichlidChuco godmanniHaplochromis philanderRed ChromideJack Dempsey cichlid
Cultivars
The same plant with a different look: light, water and care are shared with the species.
Other varieties: Cabomba palaeformis 'Grün', Cabomba palaeformis 'Rotbraun', Cabomba palaeformis Rio Dulce, Cabomba palaeformis Rio Dulce Bund