Rotala species
Contents:
Re:Rotala macandra
by krombhol-at-felix.teclink.net (Paul Krombholz) (Sun, 23 Mar 1997)
Red Plant light requirements.
by krandall-at-world.std.com (Sun, 23 Mar 1997)
R. macrandra light levels
by krandall/world.std.
Rotala macrandra
When researching the available literature dealing with aquarium plants, often the plants are categorised by growth patterns.
Rotala indica (rotundifolia)
Rotala indica (rotundifolia)
Family: Lythraceae
Common Name: None
Maximum Height: 18 inches to 24 inches
Leaf Size: ¼ inch
Stem Thickness: ¼ inch
Light: Moderate to High ...
Rotala macrandra
COMMON NAME: Giant Red Rotala
SYN: None
FAMILY: Lythraceae
RANGE: Asia; India
AQUASCAPE: middleground to background bunch plant that provides good contrast.
HEIGHT: To 18" (45 cm)
AH: From 18" (45 cm)
WATER: very bright ...
Rotala macrandra- keep drooling
Rotala macrandra- keep drooling
By: SteveK
Scientific Name: Rotala macrandra ...
This Rotala is generally an easy plant to care for and is a great addition to many aquariums due to its beautiful tint of pink coloring on the leaves!
Dwarf Rotala Contents
Distribution:
Water conditions:
Lighting: ...
Rotala rotundifolia is not picky, unlike some other Rotala species, and doesn't need the high tech setup to grow well. However to get its best growth and color, high light, CO2, and a good fertilizer schedule will help.
Difficulty:
Easy ...
I agree that Rotala wallichii does have a rare and beautiful colour and texture, however I found it relatively easy to keep in a heavily populated community tank with moderate lighting and DIY CO2.
Rotala macrandra was placed close to the center, mainly because they were new and that spot in the tank received the gratest amount of light, so I wanted to ensure they would survive.
Most of the stem plants like Nomaphilla, Limnophylla, Alternanthera, Rotala etc. are propagated this way.
Sexual or seed propagation is when a new plant is grown from a seed or spore that the parent plants have produced.
It was also starting to choke out everything underneath it (note the scraggly Rotala right in front of the driftwood!). It also wasn't even attached to the wood anymore. I just grabbed it and it came right off.
This tank is planted with Rotala indica, Egeria najas, Cryptocoryne wilsii, Anubias nana, Anubias hastifolia, Nymphaea zenkeri 'Green' (Green Tiger Lotus), Microsorium tropica (Java Fern), Ceratophyllum demersum (Hornwort), ...
An example of a plant tank could feature a backdrop of large groupings of faster growing species, such as species of Hygrophila, Limnophila, Rotala, Vallisneria, ...
Favorite spawning sites appear to be at the base of leaves of broad-leaved stem plants such as Rotala spp. or Hygrophila spp. but will also include all manner of objects throughout the tank, both hidden and in plain sight.
Swordtails will nip some of the fine leaf plants, usually restricted to a plant like Rotala Wallichi which is a very fine leaf plant, but will also eat the dreaded black brush algae and string algae.
Examples of cuttings are Cabomba (see photo), Rotala, Bacopa, Nomaphila (Dwarf and Willow-Leaf Hygrophyla), Ceratophyllum (Hornwort), and Limnophila aquatica (Giant Ambulia).
Others (Rotala Macranda, Bacopa, Chain Swords, Sagittaria, most red-colored plants) need at least twice that. The light should be left on for 12 to 14 per day, and no, you can't make up for too dim a light by leaving it on longer.
The same 40-long with rotala, hygro, or similar hungry, fast-growing stem plants would need at least the third tube, or CO2 supplement, or both to maximize nutrient uptake, ...
For tank set-up, start out with many species of fast-growing plants (you want to find the ones that adapt best to your tank's conditions). Examples: Hygrophila corymbosa, Shinnersia riv., Rotala rotundifolia, Ludwigia repens, Limnophila sessiliflora, ...
nana, Bacopa moniera, Blyxa japonica, Cabomba piauhyensis, Didiplis diandra, Egeria densa, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Hygrophila guyanensi + siamensis, Limnophila sesiliflora, Microsorium pteropus var. Windelov, Myriophyllum matogrossense, Rotala ...
Rotala Very delicate leaves, easily damaged. Grows up to 20" tall, so they make excellent background plants. R. indica can grow in medium light, but just will not stay as green. R. macrandra is largest, and hardest to cultivate.
The plants which I grow (Cryptocorynes, Hygrophila polysperma, Bacopa, Rotala, Aponogeton crispus, Saggitaria, Echinodorus, Heteranthera zosterifolia) do not show indications of iron toxicity.
 See also: Plants, Water, Fish, Aquarium, CO2
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