Nesaea Crassicaulis
Ammannia crassicaulis
Survival dashboard
High
Added CO₂ required
22–28 °C
5–7
Aquascaping
Substrate compatibility does not specify planting depth. Follow the care instructions below, especially for exposed rhizomes and crowns.
Trim schedule (hint)
Check growth regularly. Trim or thin when shoots crowd neighbors, reach the surface, or shade lower growth.
Description
The plant long sold as Nesaea crassicaulis is now correctly placed in the genus Ammannia, following a 2013 transfer of several Lythraceae genera; the old name remains common in the aquarium trade. It is a stem plant of African and Madagascan swamps, rice paddies and slow rivulets that can reach 50 cm in the aquarium.
There is a persistent mix-up in the trade worth knowing: most of what is sold as N. crassicaulis is actually the similar Ammannia gracilis, which shows less intense red and a more yellowish-green hue. True A. crassicaulis keeps strong red tones under good light and is the more demanding of the two. It wants bright light, soft water with a pH of 5 to 7 and temperatures of 22 to 28 °C, and CO₂ injection keeps the stems dense and the colour strong.
Propagation is by cuttings, which root readily. It sits best as a red accent in the background or midground of a well-lit tank, where it contrasts with green stems, and it is used as a street plant in Dutch-style aquaria.
Source
Further reading on identification and aquarium care.
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