red nano plants?

3175 Views 17 Replies 9 Participants Last post by jaidexl, Oct 19, 2007

j_m_lizard

Discussion Starter · Oct 17, 2007

Any suggestions of some red/pink plants suitable for a nano without needing excessive trimming?

Thanks,
Jared

1 - 18 of 18 Posts

Church

· #2 · Oct 17, 2007

Red wendtii would be perfect, because they tend not to grow up so much as out.

Also, Rotala rotundifolia looks super nice in my 5g, and under high light the variety I have turns to a beautiful pinkish color... but it requires constant trimming. What I do is just let the tops grow to the surface, then I clip the top few inches off, pull out the roots, and plant the tops where the bottoms used to be. It's an ongoing cycle, though, that I'm sure I'll get tired of soon.

j_m_lizard

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 17, 2007

Church said:
Red wendtii would be perfect, because they tend not to grow up so much as out.

Also, Rotala rotundifolia looks super nice in my 5g, and under high light the variety I have turns to a beautiful pinkish color... but it requires constant trimming. What I do is just let the tops grow to the surface, then I clip the top few inches off, pull out the roots, and plant the tops where the bottoms used to be. It's an ongoing cycle, though, that I'm sure I'll get tired of soon.

Actually, my C. parva seems to have a nice bit of red in the leaves, and the dwarf lili is redish, but I'm looking for something a bit more bold.

As for the Rotala... well, I think I'll avoid it since I already have to trim it like crazy in my 39 gallon.

Someone on APC suggested Telanthera roseafolia (red temple)... I have a feeling I'd be fighting with that just as much though... I'll just keep looking/searching/asking... maybe something will turn up.

Thanks,
Jared

sandiegoryu

· #4 · Oct 17, 2007

C. Parva only has nice red leaves in very high light and CO2.

C. Wendtii would be way too big in a nano. Even for a 10 gallon.

Rotala colorota works well and IME, it doesn't grow as fast as my other plants. Perhaps if you restrict light on it it'll grow slower as it's in a corner that gets less light than my other plants.

If you want red plants and don't want to fight it, I don't think there are red plants that will be suitable in a nano. Perhaps Ludwigia arcuata?

j_m_lizard

Discussion Starter · #5 · Oct 17, 2007

Thanks for the reply Sandiegoru...

My 39 gallon doesn't have that high of light (110 watts CF on a 20" tall tank), and the CO2 has been off for about a month due to a busted solenoid, but my C. parva has some decent red in its leaves. Go figure.

Hmmm, I hadn't seen the L arcuata... it's a possibility.

I am also wondering about Lobelia cardinalis "var. small" If I could find some, the deep purple underside of the leaves could be the "pop" I'm looking for. Of course, the operative part of that statement is: "if I could find some..."

-Jared

dufus

· #6 · Oct 18, 2007

Ludwigia small form would def. work.
In such a small tank, i've got two words- Rotala wallichi.
have fun finding some though.

Dwarf lilly would not work.Gets huge.

sandiegoryu

· #7 · Oct 18, 2007

hmm strange. I've actually never seen red C. parva in that kind of lighting. Or wait, did they even get red? Maybe you have C. lucens?

j_m_lizard

Discussion Starter · #8 · Oct 18, 2007

Dwarf lili baby off the mother bulb, trim any surface shooters and any leaves that get too big, and I think (hope) it'll work fine. If not, I'll move it back to the 37 (oops, I've been saying 39).

As for the Crypt, well, I guess it could be any of the dwarf varieties, I just bought it as parva... here's a pic of the Crypt in question:

I'd call that red... maybe you wouldn't. Or, like you said, maybe it's not parva at all. Survey says...?

Oh, and I picked up a nice little Lobelia cardinalis today at Exotic Aquariums here in Sacramento. Who knows if it'll stay manageable in this tank... only time will tell (I doubt this is the special small variety, but it's still nice). Yeah, I know it's not red, but it does have that cool purple iridescence going on. Here's a top view:

Thanks for looking and all the ideas,
Jared

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waterfaller1

· #9 · Oct 18, 2007

I have ludwigia repens in my nanos and it has a real nice red color to it. Does anyone know how big red tiger lotus gets?

ikuzo

· #10 · Oct 18, 2007

i've seen one as high as 20 inches and have 6 inches diameter leaves

some can keep it low and small though. i don't know how.

waterfaller1

· #11 · Oct 18, 2007

ikuzo said:
i've seen one as high as 20 inches and have 6 inches diameter leaves

some can keep it low and small though. i don't know how.

Not quite a nano plant huh..that's what I was afraid of. Oh well...hmm, that 20L is just sitting there...:icon_mrgr

jaidexl

· #12 · Oct 18, 2007

j_m_lizard said:
Telanthera roseafolia (red temple)... I have a feeling I'd be fighting with that just as much though...

If you're talking about Alternanthera reineckii, that's what I was going to suggest. It doesn't grow that fast, for me I'd say it gains maybe an inch every week or two in tanks where others grow like monster weeds. Once it gets too tall or the lower leaves look ratty, you can either replant the tops or chop it down and let the base branch into a more filled out plant.

spypet

· #13 · Oct 18, 2007

if you look at the 30gal full of nano stuff in my signature,
you'll notice many red highlight small slow growing plants.

Digsy

· #14 · Oct 18, 2007

I second the suggestion for Alternanthera reineckii. I have it in my 12g and I only trim it every 2-3 weeks.

jaidexl

· #15 · Oct 18, 2007

spypet said:
if you look at the 30gal full of nano stuff in my signature,
you'll notice many red highlight small slow growing plants.

Rocks? :hihi:

dufus

· #16 · Oct 18, 2007

Dwarf lilly(and tiger lotus, technically it's a lilly{Nymphea}) is a Huge plant aquarium wise.
In my pond, it's surface leaves spread to about 4 ft. and are 6-8 inches in diameter.

Scolley's SOK has very large lotus in there.

kept trimmed they stay "compact" but not small.

j_m_lizard

Discussion Starter · #17 · Oct 18, 2007

No disrespect, but...

I've had a Nymphea in my 37 (110 watts, CO2) for aboutthree years. None of it's leaves ever get to the surface since I've always kept them trimmed. None of it's leaves have ever gotten more than a few inches across. I think its size varries greatly based on husbandry.

Oh, and I just ordered some Ludwigia sp. "Guinea." We'll see how that works.

-Jared

jaidexl

· #18 · Oct 19, 2007

Guinea is really tiny and grows slow IME. So tiny that it fails to impress in real life like it does in pictures, just my opinion. None the less, should be a great accent for a nano.

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