Rotala is a tropical plant that is rarely found in aquariums, but in vain. It will smooth out beautifully. However, with a high growth rate, this alga is quite capricious.
The plant lives in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia. This is a semi-aquatic inhabitant. It grows better in the paludarium. In the aquarium composition, you need to plant a group of stems so that they form an elegant bush.
Rotala lives in Southeast Asia
On an erect or creeping stem of the grass, opposite or whorled leaves are located. The shape of the leaves is varied, as is their color. If you look at different species, it is difficult to assume that this is the same plant, they are so different.
The plant requires special attention to itself. The temperature in the aquarium should be at least 24 ° C. Water needs soft water with a hardness less than 6 ° C and slightly acidic or neutral. It is necessary to regularly, once a week, change 1/5 of the water in the aquarium.
With lighting, everything is not so simple, you need to select it carefully:
- The alga is light-requiring, it needs to be illuminated 12 hours a day. Lack of light makes the plant stretch.
- Excessive lighting encourages the appearance of blue-green algae, a little shading can be beneficial to the bush.
An indicator of good lighting is the pinking leaves of the algae.
It is better to grow such a capricious bush in a greenhouse with humid air and high temperatures – 25-30 ° C. The lighting should be bright. The stalk must be placed in a soil covered with water. There he will give good roots, and the upper part will get stronger. A strong plant can be transplanted into an aquarium.
The Indian variety of water grass is the most unpretentious of its 70 congeners, although it is not highly decorative. In the air, the leaves are round and graceful, and in the aquarium they stretch and become thin. Another drawback is stem baldness. Under overhead lighting, the lower leaves do not receive enough light and die off.
These drawbacks can be easily remedied, and the benefits of this herb outweigh the drawbacks:
- A dense planting can improve the appearance of the indica. Fast growing bushes will create dense thickets.
- Side lighting will help the algae get enough light so the stems won’t go bald. You can combine the light from incandescent lamps with fluorescent lamps.
- The plant is very patient, the rigid range of water composition for other types of algae can be extended for indica.
Regular, non-hassle cutting of the bushes will allow you to form different tiers. In this case, the plant can be planted not only near the wall, but also closer to the middle of the aquarium.
A beautiful plant is undeservedly deprived of attention due to the complexity of its care. Although it can be used to create a fabulous scenery on the “seabed”.