Attitude:
small, bright aquariums – as a background plant
Breed:
cuttings
Size:
30-50cm
Temperature:
22 – 28°C
pH:
6 – 7
GH:
7 – 14°dGH
CH:
6 – 12°dKH
propagation:
Cuttings nttrbx, Rotalaindica, CC BY 2.0
Look
The sparsely branched stems of the Rotala indica can grow up to 50cm long and have reddish-colored shoot tips and petals. The submerged form is densely leafed and grows upright, while the emersed Rotala Indica forms stems that grow close to the ground. Apart from the growth direction of the 1.5 – 3mm thick, rigid stems, the appearance of the plant on land and in water hardly differ.
It has 0.5 – 2 cm long, thick, oval leaves with a cartilaginous edge. Flowers form in the axils of the spatulate leaves and occur either simply or in short, spike-like inflorescences.
distribution
The subtropical and tropical areas of Asia offer perfect conditions for the plant to thrive in the rice fields.
It is native from Afghanistan via Thailand to northern China and Papua New Guinea. It was brought to Europe by contaminated seeds from rice cultivation. While it is considered a weed in the paddy fields of Asia, it is kept as an ornamental plant in aquariums in other regions of the world.
husbandry conditions
Rotala indica probably needs a little more attention than some other plants in the aquarium. It grows slowly and has high demands in terms of nutrients and CO2 content. The water should contain between 20-30mg of CO2 per liter, which could potentially necessitate the use of CO2 fertilizer. The location of the aquarium should be an open and bright place. In addition, intensive lighting is not only necessary for the growth and maintenance of the plant, the duration and intensity of the lighting is also essential for the flowering period.
The natural flowering time, which is from September to October, is simulated by briefly increasing the duration of the lighting during the flowering period and then periodically decreasing it. In order for the plant to bloom and its flowers to develop fully, it is advantageous if the plant can rise above the water. The water level should therefore not exceed a depth of 40 cm.
With its size and the required conditions, the Rotala indica is ideal for small aquariums or aquascapes. This uses either individually scattered stems or smaller groupings with stems of different heights. But even in large tanks, impressive accents can be set in the form of small, area-wide plants. If the moderate growing Rotala indica needs pruning, this can be done between the stem nodes. With the help of the separated plant parts, both head and side shoot cuttings can be grown and thus further reddish shoot tips decorate the aquarium.
particularities
Rotala Indica belongs to the Lythraceae family and is a loosestrife plant – just like the Rotala rotundfiloia. This was exported from Asia to Europe and America in the same way as the Rotala Indica.
Erroneously, however, Rotala rotundfiloia was long referred to as Rotala indica, which in turn was known as Ammania sp. Known as «Bonsai». Even if the naming causes confusion today, the two species are easy to distinguish from each other. While the Indian Rotala grows no different in submerged and emersed form, the leaves of the Rotala rotundfiloia develop differently. Submerged there are narrow and flat leaves, emersed these are rounded or ovate. In addition, they do not have a cartilaginous edge – this is reserved for the Indian Rotala.