Who Gives A Fish Forums

I'm looking for info on this specific plant - what kind of growing conditions does it need, and how hardy is it?

I had one of these plants for a bit, got it from Petsmart in a tissue cultured bag. It did alright, grew slow and steady at first. But over time, the stems got all tall and bare at the bottom. I tried cutting the tops off and replanting them in a brighter spot, but that didn't work out either - they just melted away, along with the old stems. I later watched an ADA video and they basically described the same issue I was having, saying it's caused by insufficient light. I'm inclined to agree, since my taller plants were shading it out. What's weird is that even when I gave the cut tops more light, they still melted, which is a shame since I was actually thinking of getting more, Deanasue - that Super Red Rotala was one of the few red plants that did well for me, but it's since faded.

This plant is a marsh dweller, so it's got some pretty specific needs - it wants its roots nice and wet, but its leaves and stems need to stay dry. If you try to submerge it completely, it's just gonna rot away. But if you give it a good balance, like in a pot with the roots in water and the rest above the surface, it'll really thrive - I've seen it grow up to 3 feet tall and even produce these tiny white flowers.

I've found Alternanthera Rosaefolia to be a more resilient choice for aquariums. The centre section of this tank is now densely covered in ground cover, which I've kept in check with a pair of scissors.

In a separate tank, I've allowed it to grow upwards, and it's reached around 4-5 inches with a richer green hue, despite having lower lighting. No special care is required - just the usual root tabs and Flourish Comprehensive that I use in all my tanks.

I've had this plant for about 6 months and it seems to hit a ceiling, height-wise. Lovely colour, though. I think I could trim and replant to spread it out, but otherwise it just seems to plateau. Mine's in the centre, next to the crypts, and it's been looking great.

There's an Alternanthera commonly sold at fish stores, but it's not suitable for underwater growth. It's a real shame, 'cause it's so affordable. I'm mentioning this so you can avoid the mistake and get the true semi-aquatic one instead. The fake one isn't even labeled correctly, just sold as a "bunch plant."

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Be aware when buying Alternanthera, the non-aquatic version has leaves that are more slender compared to the true A. reineckii.

I came across an article about low-tech red plants and I've got to say, it was pretty on point. The author listed A.r. 'mini' as one of the easiest red plants to grow, and I'm actually thinking of giving it a try. I'd love to add just a touch of red-burgundy to my setup, and the fact that it's compact means it could work well up front where the light is strongest.