# Nice stem plant but cannot ID



## Killifish15 (Feb 10, 2013)

I received this plant as a small stem with a group of plants unfortunately the plant was included in a bag with a lot of plants of various types, I was able to indentify most however this one has eluded me. I received a small stem that looked dead but had healthy white roots so I planted it. The stem you are looking at has been in my tank for 30 days, and actually I had forgot it until I noticed that it had grown consideribly and was actually a very nice looking stem plant. Any help would be appreciated. Phil


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

I think it's just a scraggly stem of _Rotala rotundifolia_.


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## binbin9 (Dec 22, 2011)

Is this a low light tank?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I agree with Cavan.

Also ewww you have a stem of Utricularia gibba in the background to the right of the rotundifolia. That stuff is so hard to get rid of once you have it in your tank!


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## Killifish15 (Feb 10, 2013)

Cavan Allen said:


> I think it's just a scraggly stem of _Rotala rotundifolia_.


I disagree that the plant is R. rotundifolia, and perhaps this is not a very good photograph of the plant. I have R. rotundifolia in this tank and others I would have hopefully noticed the similarities. I believe you are correct in your assertion that this is a Rotala species. The only thing that prevents me from concluding that you may be correct, and a factor that is not clearly evident in the photograph is that this plant has a magenta stem. My intial thought was that this plant had been grown emersed and would soon convert into a plant I could identify. The plant is still growing so perhaps it will give me more clues as to its identification. I appreciate your insight, and effort.


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## Killifish15 (Feb 10, 2013)

Zapins said:


> I agree with Cavan.
> 
> Also ewww you have a stem of Utricularia gibba in the background to the right of the rotundifolia. That stuff is so hard to get rid of once you have it in your tank!


Thank you for your observation regarding this plant, I knew it was a bladderwort, but could not identify until I went to my copy of Advanced Aquarist guide page 97 by Dr. Feroze Ghadially,circa 1969 (I kept all my aquatic books) and read that it was at some point a prized aquatic plant! The only way I was able to get this plant under control was to physically remove it, and even now strands occasionlly appear. U. gibba came in with a Postemogon plant I ordered, and against my common practice of isolating all new plants I simply added it to my aquarium. Lesson Learned! Thank you for your observation.


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## Killifish15 (Feb 10, 2013)

binbin9 said:


> Is this a low light tank?


I use 2.5 watts per gallon of T5 lighting 7 hours a day. I have used 300 watts of MH on this 75 gallon tank and growth was qicker, but I prefer the slower growth rate since I am setting up a larger Nature Aquarium (100 gallons) in another part of my office. I appreciate your comment.


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

Killifish15 said:


> I disagree that the plant is R. rotundifolia, and perhaps this is not a very good photograph of the plant. I have R. rotundifolia in this tank and others I would have hopefully noticed the similarities. I believe you are correct in your assertion that this is a Rotala species. The only thing that prevents me from concluding that you may be correct, and a factor that is not clearly evident in the photograph is that this plant has a magenta stem. My intial thought was that this plant had been grown emersed and would soon convert into a plant I could identify. The plant is still growing so perhaps it will give me more clues as to its identification. I appreciate your insight, and effort.


I don't think the color of the stem makes much if any difference. Definitely a Rotala and I still think it's most likely what Zapins and I think it is.


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