# Help identifying a plant: leaves are green on one side, purple on other



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

Sounds like Alternanthera reineckii (an aquatic plant), you can read about it here:
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=58

The plant in the link above is all red because it is 'rosafolia,' the normal A. reineckii has purple undersides and green tops.

The plant you saw probably looked like this:









Or perhaps you saw "dragon tongue" (Hemigraphis repanda) which is not an aquatic plant. It has stiff stems.









Or maybe Ludwigia repens (an aquatic):


----------



## aquariumhobbyist (Feb 18, 2014)

Zapins said:


> Sounds like Alternanthera reineckii (an aquatic plant), you can read about it here:
> http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/details.php?id=58
> 
> The plant in the link above is all red because it is 'rosafolia,' the normal A. reineckii has purple undersides and green tops.
> ...


It might be A. reineckii, it has green tops and purple undersides, but it could also be that dragon tongue if the colors on the undersides are purple. The picture you have provided is quite close and may actually be the plant itself, though I do have a feeling the leaves were thinner (this may be due to the picture itself though).

Definately not ludwigia; I have those and their undersides are more red/burgundy. This plant was a bright/royal purple, no mistake about it. 

If it is A. reineckii (purple one), is it an easy plant for beginners? Can I use it in a betta breeding tank (lots of fry) with a CFL for lighting (6500K) t reduce the nitrates and oxygenate the water? will it thrive?

The seller was insistent that this plant, along with a plant that looks like echinodrous or something similar (oval leaves all green; I don't think I can describe this one well enough, I'll try to post a picture later) was very undemanding and suitable for normal lighting (I'd guess he meant medium lighting).


----------



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

A. reineckii is probably one of the easiest red plants to grow. About as easy to grow as the L. repens is. Be sure it isn't the Hemigraphis though or it will rot. That plant has very stiff stems like a garden plant.

For plants to truly thrive they need 1) good lighting, 2) CO2, then 3) the other ferts. Trying to make plants grow better by adding ferts without first seeing to good lighting and CO2 won't really help much at all since they can only grow as fast as the limiting nutrient/condition.

Plants will also not reduce nitrates very much. Even in a very densely planted 90g high tech/high light/high CO2 tank only about 20 ppm of nitrates are used per week. So don't expect plants to scrub the water clean. They'll help but aren't the nitrate sponge people think.


----------



## aquariumhobbyist (Feb 18, 2014)

Zapins said:


> A. reineckii is probably one of the easiest red plants to grow. About as easy to grow as the L. repens is. Be sure it isn't the Hemigraphis though or it will rot. That plant has very stiff stems like a garden plant.
> 
> For plants to truly thrive they need 1) good lighting, 2) CO2, then 3) the other ferts. Trying to make plants grow better by adding ferts without first seeing to good lighting and CO2 won't really help much at all since they can only grow as fast as the limiting nutrient/condition.
> 
> Plants will also not reduce nitrates very much. Even in a very densely planted 90g high tech/high light/high CO2 tank only about 20 ppm of nitrates are used per week. So don't expect plants to scrub the water clean. They'll help but aren't the nitrate sponge people think.


Thanks for the info. I have a low tech tank, no CO2 or ferts. so far I have grown ludwigia, egeria densa, anubias and some various mosses. Was looking to grow some others now... do you think I can manage? What if I add root tabs to the planting pot that they in currently, would that be enough?

I heard pistia stratiotes are very good nitrate sponges though, but I do not know how much they would use. Thanks for the heads up.


----------



## aquariumhobbyist (Feb 18, 2014)

Zapins said:


> A. reineckii is probably one of the easiest red plants to grow. About as easy to grow as the L. repens is. Be sure it isn't the Hemigraphis though or it will rot. That plant has very stiff stems like a garden plant.
> 
> For plants to truly thrive they need 1) good lighting, 2) CO2, then 3) the other ferts. Trying to make plants grow better by adding ferts without first seeing to good lighting and CO2 won't really help much at all since they can only grow as fast as the limiting nutrient/condition.
> 
> Plants will also not reduce nitrates very much. Even in a very densely planted 90g high tech/high light/high CO2 tank only about 20 ppm of nitrates are used per week. So don't expect plants to scrub the water clean. They'll help but aren't the nitrate sponge people think.


ok so these are the plants...









































































what are they and would they grow in a low tech no co2 tank? any ideas?


----------



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

The red plant in your pictures is Hemigraphis, it is not aquatic and will die if kept underwater for more than a few weeks.

The second and third photo are of a sword plant, not sure what species they all look pretty similar. It is emersed grown so when you put it in your tank expect a lot of leaf loss before it starts to grow new underwater leaves.

The last three are Java fern which is a good plant and will grow well for you.


----------



## aquariumhobbyist (Feb 18, 2014)

Zapins said:


> The red plant in your pictures is Hemigraphis, it is not aquatic and will die if kept underwater for more than a few weeks.
> 
> The second and third photo are of a sword plant, not sure what species they all look pretty similar. It is emersed grown so when you put it in your tank expect a lot of leaf loss before it starts to grow new underwater leaves.
> 
> The last three are Java fern which is a good plant and will grow well for you.


Cheers! Thanks for the heads up! I almost bought the purple plants thinking they were the reinecki, glad I posted the pictures! I guess this plant could work if the potted root portion is submerged in water and the leaves out of the water? Or would the roots rot off?

As for the amazon, you said expect leaf loss but what about the overall care difficulty? easy/medium? Would it live with a single 23W 6500K CFL, no CO2 and no additional ferts (except maybe the occasional root tabs).

I wasn't aware those were Java Ferns! I thought they were "swords" which I was told is difficult to grow so I was not really expecting them to recommended! Thanks!


----------



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

No problem.

The Hemigraphis is a bog plant, so it can live in moist conditions, roots in the water, but don't keep the plant too wet or it may rot. It can be grown in fairly dry conditions as well, like a house plant.

The sword plant is fairly easy to keep, but it will probably need more light than 23 watts especially if you have a deeper tank. They also like a good amount of potassium, nitrogen, and iron.


----------



## Suthernguy (Aug 13, 2013)

Looks similar to a plant I ordered once, except for the ruffled leaves.
But the shape, structure & colors are strikingly similar. :icon_neut
Ludwigia Peruensis (Ludwigia glandulosa)
I was able to grow it in a lowtech tank, but the color started to fade and it was slow to start. It shot out roots from the nodes very quickly, but new stem/leaf growth took some time. 
Also, Had to be careful with it. To much messing with it and the top of the stem would melt. 
Nice plant otherwise.
You can get more info here: http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=768+1631+2959&pcatid=2959
(Sorry, Not sure if I can post links yet)


----------



## Suthernguy (Aug 13, 2013)

Sorry, I should have read through all the replies before posting. The plant in the picture looked so familiar that I got text happy!:icon_bigg
Just to add my $.01.... I have had good success with many plants in my 72gal lowtech/ mid light tank that are normally claimed as difficult or require hi-output lighting. 
I use No Co2, micro or macro ferts. (I had an algae problem till I stopped dosing micro nutrients). I do add flourish root tabs occasionally, but the fish provide the rest. The plants seem to be doing even better without the algae and ferts. Some even require trimming every other week. So, don't be afraid to try anything!
Wish you lots of luck with your new plants and again, Sorry about the late, possibly incorrect info.


----------



## aquariumhobbyist (Feb 18, 2014)

Suthernguy said:


> Sorry, I should have read through all the replies before posting. The plant in the picture looked so familiar that I got text happy!:icon_bigg
> Just to add my $.01.... I have had good success with many plants in my 72gal lowtech/ mid light tank that are normally claimed as difficult or require hi-output lighting.
> I use No Co2, micro or macro ferts. (I had an algae problem till I stopped dosing micro nutrients). I do add flourish root tabs occasionally, but the fish provide the rest. The plants seem to be doing even better without the algae and ferts. Some even require trimming every other week. So, don't be afraid to try anything!
> Wish you lots of luck with your new plants and again, Sorry about the late, possibly incorrect info.


Not at all and I had hoped it was an aquatic plant because of its lovely colors but alas, it was not and I am not even sure that I can keep it semi-immersed in water without the roots rotting as you can tell from the above comment by Zapins.

I am going to try and find A. reineckii but I doubt that it is available locally. 

I do appreciate your thoughts and experience though. I do not know if you were referring to swords or plants in general but it is appreciated nonetheless. 

TBH what I am looking for is a nitrate soaking plant that will help me while raising albino BN fry; they are really sensitive to water changes and I have lost lots of fry (90%) in the past as a result, even when changing about 5-10%. Hence I need a way to keep the nitrates really low for a month or so.


----------



## Zapins (Jan 7, 2006)

Your best bet for keeping nitrates really low is constant water changes, maybe do smaller more frequent water changes so you don't shock them. Plants use nitrates but not huge amounts and so none of them will really purge high amounts from the water like you want. 

Duckweed, wisteria, and water lettuce are pretty good at absorbing nutrients though and are easy to grow, maybe those would work?


----------



## aquariumhobbyist (Feb 18, 2014)

Zapins said:


> Your best bet for keeping nitrates really low is constant water changes, maybe do smaller more frequent water changes so you don't shock them. Plants use nitrates but not huge amounts and so none of them will really purge high amounts from the water like you want.
> 
> Duckweed, wisteria, and water lettuce are pretty good at absorbing nutrients though and are easy to grow, maybe those would work?


Indeed! I just found a seller for water letuce; 30 for $5. I guess it is an ok price since it is what suits my purpose the most.


----------



## Planted-tnk-guy (Dec 23, 2013)

Order every cryptocoryne you can get your hands on that we cant get in the states lol . No but really you shoud order yourself some cryptocoryne of some kind wendtii is the most common but beautiful with all the different looking variations she comes in. Cryptocoryne undulata would be right up your alley with the red undersides of the leaves.


----------



## Planted-tnk-guy (Dec 23, 2013)

Oh well i missed that one post lol. Any fast growing floater will remove toxins in a hurry, duck weed and frogbit are easier in terms of the lighting needs. Water lettuce will want a lot more light to grow well. Sometimes cheap is best =)


----------

