The Lythraceae family. Southeast Asia is home.
Similar to the river mayaca, this long-stemmed plant has darker leaves that, in the right circumstances, take on a pink hue. Narrow, delicate leaves that reach a length of 1 to 1.5 cm are densely packed on the stem. Rotala can be rooted in the ground or grown floating in the water column. It grows well in aquariums of any size, but the lowest water level—up to 20 cm—is ideal for it. Due to its demanding requirements for aquarium maintenance, aquarists are unlikely to come across this plant very often.
Rotala should be kept in a tropical aquarium with a minimum temperature of 22 °C. The plant may wither and grow more slowly in water that is colder. The reaction is slightly acidic, the water should be soft, and the total hardness should not exceed 4 °. Growth almost stops when the hardness exceeds 6 °. Change the water volume by up to 1/5 on a regular basis.
Rotala needs well-lit areas. Insufficient light causes it to spread out and cause the color of its leaves to fade. Although the plant benefits greatly from natural light, it is best to protect it from direct sunlight to prevent algae from growing on the leaves.
You can use combined lighting fixtures that have both incandescent and LB type fluorescent lamps for artificial lighting. Fluorescent light bulbs should have between 0.4 and 0.5 W of power per liter of volume. Depending on the size and depth of the aquarium, it is best to place an incandescent lamp directly above the plant with a power of 15 to 40 W. There should be a minimum of twelve hours of daylight each day.
The degree of soil siltation has little bearing on rotala because of its poorly developed root system. Sand should be applied as a substrate in two to three centimeter layers.
Stem cuttings are an easy way to propagate rotala.
In a humid greenhouse and a paludarium, rotala grows exceptionally well. A cutting removed from an aquarium is planted in a bed of watered soil with a maximum depth of one to two centimeters. Under these circumstances, rotala readily produces aerial shoots that develop rapidly at 26 to 30 °C, bright lighting, and sufficiently nutrient-rich soil that includes sand, humus, and garden soil.
It is possible to transplant a greenhouse-grown plant into an aquarium, where it will grow after a brief period of acclimatization.
- Post category: Aquarium plants from A to Z / Plants for an aquarium – R
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