# [Wet Thumb Forum]-Red Plants



## blang (Jan 4, 2006)

Are there any red plants that you can grow in a non-CO2 tank that will do well?


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## littleguy (Jan 6, 2005)

My rotala rotundifolia (aka r. indica) get a bit reddish under higher lighting. Grow well in my low-tech tank.


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## flagg (Nov 29, 2004)

Yeah, mine do too. You can also try C. wendtii which comes in a reddish brown variety.

-ricardo


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## Miss Fishy (May 13, 2006)

I've found that red plants do well in my low-tech tanks but in my tanks they don't stay red all of the time. Since my tanks are coldwater and nearly all get some sunlight, the conditions in them change quite a lot with the seasons. The red plants usually stay green during winter and then turn red once spring arrives with its warmer weather and brighter sunlight. The red plants I'm growing at the moment are _Rotala rotundifolia, Ludwigia arcuata, L. repens, Myriophyllum caput-medusae, M. papillosum,_ and _M. simulans_.

From Alex.


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## blang (Jan 4, 2006)

My Ludwigia is not doing very well. It has quite a bit of algae on it. My LFS said that it really needs CO2 to do well. 

He tells me that my two options are to add CO2 or get a bunch of Amano Shrimp to remove the algae. 

In case you haven't read my other thread, I have a 90 gallon tank with 2.4 wpg with half flourite, half gravel. My algae eaters are 2 plecos, 3 SAE's.


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## imported_yoyo22 (Aug 7, 2005)

Red Ozelot or Red Rubin, while not very red, generally do alright in moderate light in my semi-natural tank (no fertilizers or CO2, flourite only substrate), so I assume they could work in yours.

[sorry about the typo earlier, I meant Rubin not dublin]


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## onemyndseye (May 12, 2006)

Ill be the odd man out:

My L. Repens grows like crazy in my low-tech tank (no co2, soil, 2.5wpg). Nice red coloring atleast on the upper 1/3 of the plant.

I also have Potamogeton Gayii... while not a red plant, its does develope a redish tint around the tips if given enough lighting which its displaying in my tank.... Kinda like Rotalla Indica

now on the flip side - I have a red temple ... that while its gorwing....but slowly - its missing the red color.

Good Luck!
-Justin
One Mynds Eye


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## imported_yoyo22 (Aug 7, 2005)

I have some P. Gayii in my 3.5 wpg tank, and it is doing very well, but I see only a little bit of dark color, but its my favorite plant (plus the lfs will give me an outrageously large store credeit for it!)


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## peter bradley (Oct 12, 2004)

sorry about pressing wrong button 
may I recommend Barclaya longifolia bulbs , they are a real gem the produce avery intense red leaf especialy in the juvinile stage and often reward you with a water lily type flower 
although ment to prefer soft acid water mine are thriving in hard london tap water
have a look at my webcam at www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk 
also read seeing red one of my articles on the subject
peter bradley


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## DLevy (Dec 20, 2005)

In my tank the hygro sunset grows well and has a nice redish colour. The red cabomba is doing well too, but I've heard it doesn't allways...
If you have a plant that doesn't grow well, Some times moving it to a different part of the tank can help.


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## Jane of Upton (Jul 28, 2005)

Hmmmm, my Red Temple plant (Alternanthera) has remarkably good color w/o CO2. 

Also, if you're after red, try the P. fluitans floating plant. Its roots are beet red, and quite pretty hanging down. New leaves are pinkish-red, and fade to olive green as they age. 

I had the Red Cambomba (Cabomba furcata) going well, and keeping a bronzy red, until I neglected to thin my floating salvinia, and the cover got too thick, blotting out the light. The cabomba did not like that, and promptly disappeared within 48 hours of my noticing... gee, I should thin those floaters down this weekend. 

My Rotala indica also has a bit of orangy-red, but definitely not the color (bright golden red) it had when I first got it. 

-Jane


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## blang (Jan 4, 2006)

I just picked up some p. fluitans from aquabid and I do like them. My Red Temple plant is just doing OK. I think I need to move it as it is being blocked slightly by my other plants.

I also ordered a Limnophila Aromatica from Aquabid. It should arrive tomorrow so we'll see how that does. 

If I have the room, maybe I'll try the red cambomba as I do like that plant.


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