Amaranth redroot (Alternanthera sp.)

KyleT

A pretty difficult plant to get healthy, yet alone keep alive. It's red coloring is nice though and looks good in contrast to a large bunch of stem plants.

g8wayg8r

This plant is slow growing for stem plant, hence, some leaves are prone to green spot algae. I've grown it well with 2 to 4 watts gallon in soft water. Without CO2 and EI, the leaves are smaller and grow is slowed considerably. In spite of the slow growth, this is a welcome trait by keeping the aquascape more or less stable from week to week. Once the roots are established, it branches readily and gets bushy. One stem is all you need to get started.

HatchetHaven

This is deffinatly an unusual stem, as it grows much slower than other stems. However, that is it's only handicap! I love this plant, as it has a brilliant colour and is a cool centerpiece to my tank.

smackpixi

Will concur with the slow growing observation. Gave it a shot under 1.75 WPG strip tubes with CO2, no special fert regime. Not the right tank for it. Pretty much failed...does grow, about an inch per month which you can compare to the moneywort in the same tank which does almost 2 inches per week. Collects algae on it's leaves much like anubias if you have that problem.

Complexity

Be aware that Amano shrimp like to eat Alternanthera reineckii 'Roseafolia'. While I recognize that this plant page is for Alternanthera sp., I think it's still worth mentioning.