# Rotala species



## fishbguy1 (Feb 29, 2008)

Hello...

i've been getting a variety of different Rotalas for my 29 gallon. But I can't seem to find any info on any of them. So lets see if any of you can help. I'm looking for basically links, common names, other names, etc.

Rotala nanjenshan-Is it a Rotala or a Mayaca, because it seems that it's scientific name is Mayaca sellowiana, not Rotala nanjenshan. 

Rotala verticularis-i can't find ANYTHING about this plant. Anywhere. What's up with that? Does it go by a different name than R. verticularis? I really like it, but can't find anyhting on it.

Rotala indica-I bought this at the lfs I work at, and it comes in as Rotala indica or Teardrop rotala. Is there a difference? What is the difference between R. indica and R. rotundifolia? Are they the same species?

Rotala colorata-Is the scietific name R. rotundifolia 'colorata', R. colorata, or Rotala sp. colorata? What is the best way to get it to keep it's pink color? Besides lots of light. I have some, and it's growing pretty well, but the new shoots are greenish pink. 

I fertalize with excel every other day 1/4 teaspoon. I can dose up to 1/2 teaspoon every other day, right? It's a 29 gallon. I have 72 watts over it. 2 dual lamp T-5's.

Thanks for all the help! I'm trying to map out all of the different species in the tank so I can ID them later on because I have alot of similar plants...lol

Thanks!

Andrew!!!


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## kotoeloncat (Apr 12, 2006)

Rotala Sp. Nanjenshan - this is a true Rotala and not a Mayaca, though they look very similar at a glimpse. the leaves of the Rotala Sp. Nanjenshan are much thinner (needle) and longer than that of the Mayaca.

Rotala verticularis - not sure if this even exists, where did you find the name ?

Rotala Indica - this is different from Rotala Rotundifolia, but extremely similar in outlook until they flower. I am not sure how to differentiate the 2 when they arent flowering, maybe someone else knows ?

Rotala colorata - I think the right one is Rotala Sp. 'Colorata', as with most pink/red plant, lights, iron and maintained nitrate levels (debatable)

you look like you have enough lights, 

iron supplement brings out the red coloration in plants (how are you dosing iron right now ?), 

keep nitrate between 5-10 ppm and it will also bring out more red in the plant. this is debatable, but it worked for me check my sig to see the L. Glandulosa


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

I think the OP meant Rotala verticillaris, not vertic*u*laris.


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## chase127 (Jun 8, 2008)

plantgeek.net bro :thumbsup: a vital resource


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## fishbguy1 (Feb 29, 2008)

church-That's prolly why I can't find anything. I can't spell it right...lol

I'm not dosing iron. Should I go buy a bottle of flourish iron? 

What would be the best way to dose macro(or is it micro?) nutrients? Does the flourish line contain a macro nutrient bottle?

edit: ninjad...haha

I looked at plant geek. However, they say that the indica is the same thing as rotundifolia. And that the nanjanshan's scientific name is mayaca sellowiana.


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

fishbguy1 said:


> I'm not dosing iron. Should I go buy a bottle of flourish iron? What would be the best way to dose macro(or is it micro?) nutrients? Does the flourish line contain a macro nutrient bottle?


You'll definitely want to get ferts and dosing figured out very well before trying many of the species you mentioned.

R. indica and R. rotundfolia don't look similar at all.


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## Church (Sep 14, 2004)

Rotala indica and R. rotundifolia _are_ the same thing... but the actual _correct_ name is R. rotundifolia. I dont know about the mayaca thing. For macro nutrients, I'd jsut go with some dry ferts. You can do a search for "dry ferts" or just go visit someone who sells them, like greenleafaquariums.com.

And yes, dosing iron is usually the secret ingredient for keeping bright reds and other colors.


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Most of those are listed here
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/all.php


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## kotoeloncat (Apr 12, 2006)

fishbguy1 said:


> church-That's prolly why I can't find anything. I can't spell it right...lol
> 
> I'm not dosing iron. Should I go buy a bottle of flourish iron?
> 
> ...


Iron is a micro

Nitrogen, Phosphates, Pottasium (NPK) are the macros

I would agree with macclellan that you might want to get the dosing down before you try them (nanjeshan is not hard but you need good dosing regiment for them to look good)

IE is a good schedule to follow, I use the seachem dosing chart.


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## fishbguy1 (Feb 29, 2008)

Okay...

I"m gonna try to get ahold of all the different flourish thingies. 

I have flourish, excel, and I can get iron tomorrow. 

Now, do I have to get potassium and phosphorus and nitrogen, on top of iron, trace, excel, and flourish? Or can I get by on the latter?


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## kotoeloncat (Apr 12, 2006)

actually you might want to tell us what you are already currently dosing


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

fishbguy said:


> Rotala nanjenshan-Is it a Rotala or a Mayaca, because it seems that it's scientific name is Mayaca sellowiana, not Rotala nanjenshan.


The correct name is _Rotala sp. _'Nanjenshan'. This is a true _Rotala_ species and is thought to be a naturally occurring hybrid between _Rotala wallichii _and _Rotala rotundifolia. _The "_sp. _'Nanjenshan'" part of the plant name means that it was originally collected in Nanjenshan, Tawain and the species name is unknown. Therefore the collection site was used in the name in place of the species name. 



fishbguy said:


> Rotala verticularis-i can't find ANYTHING about this plant. Anywhere. What's up with that? Does it go by a different name than R. verticularis? I really like it, but can't find anyhting on it.


_Rotala verticillaris_ was only recently introduced into the hobby this past year by two hobbyists in Hawaii. Myself and a few others were fortunate enough to obtain a few stems from them last fall and have been happily spreading it around.  I'm not sure what part of the world this comes from, though it is a true species of _Rotala. _



> Rotala indica-I bought this at the lfs I work at, and it comes in as Rotala indica or Teardrop rotala. Is there a difference? What is the difference between R. indica and R. rotundifolia? Are they the same species?


If you bought it at your LFS you almost certainly purchased _Rotala rotundifolia _as _Rotala indica _is only grown and sold by Oriental Aquariums in Singapore. While they are two distinct species differentiated by their respective flowers when grown emersed, they are almost identical when submersed. It is for this reason that they have become confused and even erroneously become known as the same plant with two different names. 



> Rotala colorata-Is the scietific name R. rotundifolia 'colorata', R. colorata, or Rotala sp. colorata? What is the best way to get it to keep it's pink color? Besides lots of light. I have some, and it's growing pretty well, but the new shoots are greenish pink.


When the specific species of a plant is not known it is often given a nickname. This nickname is usually either somehow a description of its characteristics as in the case of _Rotala sp. _'Colorata', or it denotes where the plant was originally collected as in the case of _Rotala sp. _'Nanjenshan'. The genus name should be italicized and capitalized. The species name should be italicized and lower case. The nickname should be in single quotes, captialized and not italicized. Confused yet? :biggrin:

Many people also call this plant _Rotala rotundifolia _'Colorata' because it is believed by many to be a color varient of the more common _Rotala rotundifolia._



Rotalas do best if you keep the nitrates leaner and the phosphate levels higher. This will also help to bring out the colors of the plants better. Aim for a nitrate target level of 5-10 ppm and a phosphate target level of 2-3 ppm. Dosing trace elements and iron is also essential to bringing out the colors in the plants.

I have to disagree with Plant Geek's entries. If you want a more reliable source look no further than Aquatic Plant Central's Plant Finder. I will be so bold as to say there is no more complete and accurate library of aquatic plants on the internet.


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## fishbguy1 (Feb 29, 2008)

Wow Aaron. Thanks alot!

Right now, I"m already dosing excel every other day. When I get back from vacation, I'm gonna start dosing according to the seachem chart, minus everything I don't have.


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