Alternanthera Reineckii Aquarium Plant Guide

Alternanthera Reineckii / Telanthera Rosefolia Aquarium Plant Guide:

Alternanthera Reineckii is a freshwater aquarium plant. It is a beginner’s plant because it needs low care. Red stem aquatic plants need carbon dioxide & nutrition to get bright red color.

Aquarium plants need adaptation before keeping them in tanks either submerged or emerged. It can allow baby fish to hide from the adults & oxygenate water.

It is simple to grow Telanthera Rosefolia. It is classified as a stem plant & can survive in many tanks. It can reach a height of 20 inches & even grow higher in high intensity of lights. Each stem can reach a width of 6 inches.

If you want a healthy plant then use high nutrition substrate & strong aquarium lights. Telanthera Rosefolia is a beautiful background plant.

 

Other Names of Alternanthera Reineckii:

Another name of Alternanthera Reineckii is Telanthera Rosefolia.

 

Origin of Alternanthera Reineckii Aquatic Plant:

Alternanthera Reineckii originates from the rivers & streams of Southern America.

 

Category	Rating
Other Name	Telanthera Rosefolia
Origin	South America
Plant Height	10 to 20 inches
Plant Width	4 to 6 inches, based on leaf growth
Growth Rate	Medium to Fast
Placement	Medium to Background
Light Requirement	Medium to high
Water Temperature	20 to 30 Degree Celsius
pH	6.0 to 8.0
Water Hardness	Can thrive well in soft, little acidic water
Difficulty	Comparatively simple

 

Appearance of Alternanthera Reineckii Aquarium Plant:

Telanthera Rosefolia has wavy leaves which provides a red & purple appearance to your aquarium.

How to change the color of Alternanthera Reineckii to Red:

Bright lights will change the color of Telanthera Rosefolia to red. Other species of Alternanthera are hard to grow but Reineckii is comparatively simple to grow in aquariums. You can easily reproduce this plant by grabbing the terminal bud & planting it.

 

Tips for healthy Alternanthera Reineckii Plant:

In an aquarium you can place this plant in the medium or background. Do not grow it thickly because it is a delicate plant. If it is grown submerged then the stem moves vertically & quickly reaches the surface of water. If you keep Alternanthera Reineckii in small aquariums then it will even grow above the surface of water & form leaves outside.

It is very important to trim the top part of Telanthera Rosefolia to allow water to reach the lower leaves so that leaves can continue photosynthesis.

Trimming Telanthera Rosefolia reduces bushy appearance. Plant can alter its color based on the surrounding conditions. This plant grows fast in the aquarium at a rate of 10 to 15 cm in a month which means that it needs regular trimming.

High lighting will change the color of the leaves & look of the plant. It can grow well in sunlight but do not keep your aquarium in sunlight because it will cause unwanted algae spikes.

It is very important to know that filament bulbs can burn the above part of the plant that grows outside water. Turn on the tank lights for at least 12 hours daily. Or use a timer that will turn on & off the lights automatically.

Telanthera Rosefolia receives nutrients mainly from the aquarium water. Large grained sand is an ideal substrate for this plant because it can help the roots. Otherwise, you can use almost any substrate.

Adding minerals to water is very important when Telanthera Rosefolia grows quickly. During this time, it needs lots of nitrogenous matter & mineral nutrition.

 

Plant Mates for Alternanthera Reineckii Aquatic Plant:

You can keep other compatible aquarium plants in Telanthera Rosefolia aquarium such as:

• Staurogyne Repens
• Downoi
• Pogostemon Erectus
• Rotala species
• Lysimachia Nummularia 'Aurea'
• Hemianthus Glomeratus

 

Tank Mates for Alternanthera Reineckii Aquarium Plant:

Best tank mates for Alternanthera Reineckii are guppies, tetras, mollies, barbs, platies & other fish that like aquatic plants.

 

More Tank Mates include:

• Ember Tetra
• Pea Puffer
• Harlequin Rasbora
• Cherry Barb
• Shrimps
• Bottom Dwelling fish such as loaches & small catfish.

 

Alternanthera Reineckii Aquatic Plant Care Guide & Maintenance:

Frequent trimming will give more little stems. It will reduce the bushy appearance of the plant that can hide other aquatic plants in the aquarium.

Add CO2 supplement & enough iron to provide better colors & improve growth pattern. Good substrate will help the plant, but almost all substrates is fine.

It is difficult to provide a red appearance to your plant without adding carbon dioxide & nutrition. It can retain its red color easily but if nutrition & lighting are reduced, then leaves will change its color to orange blue.

High levels of nitrates & phosphates are required so adding fertilizers like UNS Plant Food will retain its color & assist plants to grow quickly.

Quick changes to the tank water will melt & rot off Alternanthera Reineckii.

It is important to remove the foam around Telanthera Rosefolia, & plant it in substrate.

In the presence of carbon dioxide & good substrate, your plant will grow well.

Bury roots of Alternanthera Reineckii in substrate. You can use any type of substrate such as gravels, rocks, pebbles, sand or aquarium soil.

Use Aquarium Tongs for planting, handling & pruning plants without putting your hands & arms in the aquarium.

 

Planting Alternanthera Reineckii:

Make a little hole in the substrate. Place Alternanthera Reineckii plant in, & bury the bottom part of your plant. It is very important to bury your plant about 1 or 2 inches deep inside the substrate to save it from uprooting & floating in the tank.

 

Propagation / Reproduction of Alternanthera Reineckii Aquatic Plant:

Cut the top of the plant stem to help it grow healthy, tidy, & you can replant the chopped part. Allow the plant to grow well in the substrate & form roots before pruning it. If you grow a plant stem that has already formed roots then it will grow quickly.

Alternanthera Reineckii is a stem plant which means you can propagate this plant through cutting. Divide the plant stem into pieces, each of the pieces must have 4 to 5 leaves. If stems are placed on the water surface then they will form roots quickly & then you can plant them in the substrate.

 

Benefits of Alternanthera Reineckii in Aquarium:

Aquatic Plants are very beneficial for aquarium inhabitants. Check out pros of growing Alternanthera Reineckii in fish tank:

 

Aerate Water:

Alternanthera Reineckii can help in aerating water. In the presence of lights, plants do photosynthesis which lets them absorb CO2 & release oxygen thus it oxygenates water which is very important for fish. 

 

Natural Appearance:

It can provide a natural appearance to your aquarium by mimicking the wild habitat of fish.

 

Fish Food & Shelter:

Fish eat plants, & plants provide hiding spots for the stressed fish & babies. Live plants can give fish a healthy life.

 

Good for Invertebrates:

Shrimps & other invertebrates feed on plants & use them for hiding.

 

Improve Water Quality:

Live plants can improve water quality by reducing levels of nitrates in aquariums. Plants absorb nitrates as food & in the presence of fish, they do not need additional fertilizers.

 

Balanced Ecosystem:

Fish & live plants balance the ecosystem of aquariums. They help each other.

 

Aquarium Setup & Water Conditions for Alternanthera Reineckii:

Choose a taller aquarium for Alternanthera Reineckii because it can reach over 20 cm.

Test your water regularly to maintain ideal pH levels. Also use a rheostat heater to maintain water temperature. For monitoring the temperature of water, use a thermometer. Use a filter for cleaning of the aquarium. Filter will suck dead leaves of plants & will keep your aquarium clean.

Ideal water temperature for Alternanthera Reineckii is 20 to 30 Degree Celsius. Ideal pH range is between 6.0 to 8.0. This plant needs soft, little acidic water.

 

Placement of Alternanthera Reineckii in Aquarium:

Many aquarists place Alternanthera Reineckii from the middle to the background of the aquarium. It is a fully submerged aquarium plant & if you have a short aquarium then this plant will quickly grow taller than your aquarium height.

 

Lighting for Alternanthera Reineckii Plant:

Alternanthera Reineckii needs medium to high intensity of lights to perform better. In lower intensity of lights, the lower leaves of the plant might fall off. Split every stem of the plant & grow them separately. It can help in the cultivation of the plant & lower leaves will still get light when the plant gains heights.

If your light settings are low then lower leaves will tend to fall off. Make sure you separate every stem. It can help the plant cultivate well & allow the lower leaves to receive light when the plant grows tall.

 

Problems with Alternanthera Reineckii Aquarium Plant:

Alternanthera Reineckii can develop the following problems:

 

Uprooting:

If your plant is uprooting quickly that the reason can be:

• Wrongly planted in the substrate
• Fish uprooting it

Try fixing your plant in a thick layer of substrate or remove problematic fish.

 

Not Growing Well:

If Alternanthera Reineckii is not growing well in aquariums then it might be because there is not sufficient nutrition, carbon dioxide & aquarium lights. Solving these issues can fix this problem.

 

Unstable Water Conditions:

If your water parameters are unstable then your plant can suffer. Keep your plant in ideal temperature, pH & maintain water hardness. Also, your aquarium can have high levels of ammonia so it is important to do regular water changes to keep ammonia levels in control.

 

Growth of Algae on Plant:

Too bright aquarium lights & fertilizers can speed up the growth of algae in aquariums.  Alternanthera Reineckii needs at least 12 hours of light exposure which could boost algae growth. Read this article for controlling algae growth in aquariums.