Leaf colourgreen, white markings
Native range
- Argentina Northeast
- Argentina Northwest
- Bolivia
- Brazil Northeast
- Brazil Southeast
- Brazil South
- Paraguay
- Uruguay
stem plant background midground
Narrow pointed leaves spreading from the stem like little stars. It branches by itself into a bushy thicket and grows in dim light, which few fast plants do.
- Light
- low
- Difficulty
- easy
- Height
- 20 – 30 cm
- Temperature
- 10 – 30 °C
Parameters
Plant typestem plant
Growth ratefast
CO₂ demandmedium
Tolerates lightmedium – high
pH5 – 8
Carbonate hardness0 – 21 °dKH
Placementbackground, midground
Propagationcuttings
Grows emersedyes
Appearance
Light green leaves 3–5 cm long, set at sharp angles along a soft stem 20–30 cm tall; the underside often darkens almost to black. Fine white roots appear along the stem in mid-water.
Keeping
Easy and fast. Dim light is enough, carbon dioxide speeds it up; the more light, the denser it grows. That density is also the one thing to watch: an untrimmed clump shades its own lower leaves and they die off, so cut it back before it closes up. In an open tank, shoots that reach the surface produce small blue flowers.
Placement
The middle or back of the tank, in a group. It grows into a soft bushy screen rather than a wall, and it takes hard pruning without complaint.
Propagation
By cuttings: cut a top with a few roots already on the stem and push it into the substrate — it carries on without pausing.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1009 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 BotiaSpined LoachMarbled 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: Heteranthera zosterifolia 1 2 GROW, Heteranthera zosterifolia in Vitro XL, Heteranthera zosterifolia Topf