Finding the perfect midground plant filler

[matti]

I've got a bare spot on my plant island after my hygrophila pinnatifida kicked the bucket. I'm on the hunt for something red to fill the gap behind my crypt parva. Anyone know of a bushy, compact red plant that'd do the trick? Most red plants I've found are stem types, but I'm looking for something with a bit more body.

[boomer]

I think the issue might be with your lighting. Red plants require more intense lighting than green ones, since the red coloration is due to the reflection of red light. This also means they need more red light for photosynthesis. However, this doesn't mean you should add more red light - instead, you need to increase the overall intensity of your white lighting, which has a balanced spectrum of red, blue, and green. That being said, increasing the light intensity could harm your fish and other plants. In my experience, some of the "red" leaf crypts can do alright in moderate lighting, but the really bright red ones typically won't.

[matti]

Thanks for the insight. I've got a DIY light setup on this tank, which is probably what did my hygrophila in. I do have a crypt undulatus tucked away on the right, so another one of those could work. But ideally, something with a bit more height would be perfect to fill that space.