Rotala rotundifolia
Bushy red/pink background plant under high light. The basis of most 'Dutch street' aquascapes. Stem tops replant readily, pinch and replant for density.
Rotala Rotundifolia (Rotala rotundifolia) is a stem aquatic plant for the midground to background of a planted tank. It reaches 30–60 cm under good conditions and grows at a fast rate. Light: low to high. CO₂: optional to recommended. Target 22–28 °C, pH 5.5–7.5, and 2–12 dGH. Substrate: Nutrient-rich + water column dosing. Propagate via cuttings.
Care at a glance
Bushy red/pink background plant under high light. The basis of most 'Dutch street' aquascapes. Stem tops replant readily, pinch and replant for density.
By Mike ElmiraUpdated 1 min read
Part of our complete guide to the planted aquarium.
The parameters that decide whether rotala rotundifolia fits in your tank.
Lythraceae
Stem
Midground to Background
Nutrient-rich + water column dosing
Cuttings
Wet rice paddies and roadside ditches of South Asia
Southeast Asia
Tank-mate safety and the species this one is documented to thrive (or fail) alongside.
Hard-won lessons from the tank.
For red colour: high light (60+ PAR at substrate), iron-rich fertilizer, CO₂ at 30 ppm, nitrate in the 5–15 ppm range. Stable parameters matter more than absolute values. The 'Dutch style' bushy red wall comes from weekly trimming and replanting for 6+ months.
What can go wrong and how to spot it.
Failure modes, in order of how dramatic the fix is.
Pale top growth: trace mineral or iron deficiency. Stretchy growth: insufficient light. Stunted: CO₂ instability.
Algae rare when growing fast. Slowing growth (often after CO₂ drop) precedes algae attachment.
The practical routine, read top to bottom.
Heavy column feeder. EI dosing or richer commercial fert keeps colour intense. Iron especially for red. CO₂ very strongly recommended for red colour and dense bushy growth.
Trim weekly to encourage branching. Top 5–8 cm cut at the node; the cut stem branches into 2–4 new shoots. Replant top cuttings for density.
Where it comes from, how it behaves, and the variants you'll see at retail.
Where it lived before it came home.
Streams, ponds, and rice paddies across South and Southeast Asia.
Round (rotundifolia = round-leaved) — narrower submerged. Almost all wholesale comes emersed.
Pretty pink flowers emersed; rare submerged.
The named cultivars and the lookalikes worth flagging.
R. rotundifolia (standard, pink under light), 'H'ra' (more orange-red), 'Green' (stays green), 'Colorata' (reddest), 'Mini Butterfly', 'Vietnam H'ra'. Multiple naming conventions exist; same care.
R. rotundifolia is the standard; R. 'H'ra' has narrower leaves and intense orange; R. 'Sunset' is a third common variant. Trade naming is messy.
Direct answers to the questions search engines and AI assistants surface most often about this species.
CO₂ requirement: optional to recommended. Light requirement: low to high. Under low-tech conditions the plant grows at a fast rate.
Rotala Rotundifolia (Rotala rotundifolia) needs low to high light. Run a photoperiod of 6–8 hours; longer photoperiods invite algae unless CO₂ and dosing are dialled in.
Position: midground to background. Substrate: Nutrient-rich + water column dosing It typically reaches 30–60 cm.
Propagation method: Cuttings. Rotala Rotundifolia is a stem plant.
Target 22–28 °C, pH 5.5–7.5, and 2–12 dGH. Flow tolerance: low to medium.
Difficulty: 2/5. Forgiving, beginner-friendly once the tank is cycled.
A planted tank is a system. Pair this plant with one entry from each other pillar to plan the whole scape.
