Leaf colourgreen, red
Native range
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- China South-Central
- China Southeast
stem plant background midground red accent Conservation status: LC
A form of Rotala rotundifolia that turns red already under moderate light, and under strong light gives a rich red colour with orange to pink tones; slightly prone to trailing growth, a trait even more pronounced in the similar 'H'Ra'.
- Light
- medium–high
- Difficulty
- medium
- Height
- 20 – 80 cm
- Temperature
- 4 – 32 °C
Parameters
Plant typestem plant
Growth ratefast
Tolerates lightmedium – high
pH4 – 8
Carbonate hardness0 – 21 °dKH
General hardness2 – 30 °dGH
Placementbackground, midground +1
Propagationcuttings
Grows emersedyes
Appearance
It turns red already under moderate light; under strong light the colour is a rich red with orange to pink tones. Slightly prone to a curved, horizontal to trailing growth habit — in the similar 'H'Ra', under the same conditions, the leaves are a little narrower, the colour paler, and this habit even more pronounced. Height 20–80 cm, plant width 2–5 cm.
Keeping
Difficulty medium: light medium to bright, CO₂ 20–40 mg/l, temperature 22–28 °C.
Placement
Red accent for the background and midground.
Trade names
Introduced as Rotala sp. 'Colorata'. Several forms of the species that turn red underwater are in the trade, and some of them are mistakenly sold as 'Rotala indica'.
Fish and this plant
Water conditions match
The water suits 1008 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