Indian Rotala
Rotala indica
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)
Trim or thin as the plant fills its space. Let new planting establish, and watch for shaded lower growth.
Description
Few aquarium plants carry more wrong names than Rotala indica. The reddish stems sold under that name since the 1960s are mostly R. rotundifolia, while the genuine species spent years in the trade as 'Ammannia sp. Bonsai' and was only identified correctly in 2009. Its botanical name is Rotala indica (Willd.) Koehne, with Ameletia indica as a synonym.
The diagnostic feature is small and easy to check: a whitish, cartilaginous margin on leaves that are obovate to spatulate with a rounded tip. Submersed it grows strictly upright to about 20 cm on a thick, sparsely branched stem, and the shoot tip reddens where light is strong.
Its working range is 22 to 28 °C and pH 5 to 7, with high light. Growth is only moderate and the light and nutrient demands are real, so it does better as a free-standing midground group than packed into a mass. Because so many plants travel under this name, it is worth buying from a source that knows which one it has.
Source
Further reading on identification and aquarium care.
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