Red Plants

[Ayman Roshdy]

I have a couple of low tech tanks with a lot of green or light orange plants but I really want to add some red plants, I don't have a problem in the light nor the fertilizers but I don't induce CO2 so what are my options here? And would using something like the Walstad method enable me to add some red plants or CO2 is a must here?

 

Thanks

[Biotope Biologist]

Red tiger lotus are by far the easiest red plant to grow. They are really not all that fussy although if I remember correctly they do like their iron. You can trim the surface leaves if you want it to stay short and bushy

[anewbie]

Red Tiger Lotus and dwarf lilies ( Nymphaea stellata ) but they have the disadvantage of flooding the top with leaves. Two lower growing plants are melon swords and red crypt wenditti - both of these will grow easy enough though slowly without co2. A third option is red flame sword but i tend to prefer the look of melon swords. You can try prinz kleiner sword (not to be confused with prinz bar sword) but i have found it doesn't produce rich dark red leaves without co2 but your luck might differ.

[Ayman Roshdy]

21 minutes ago, Biotope Biologist said:

Red tiger lotus are by far the easiest red plant to grow. They are really not all that fussy although if I remember correctly they do like their iron. You can trim the surface leaves if you want it to stay short and bushy

Thanks

[Ayman Roshdy]

12 minutes ago, anewbie said:

Red Tiger Lotus and dwarf lilies ( Nymphaea stellata ) but they have the disadvantage of flooding the top with leaves. Two lower growing plants are melon swords and red crypt wenditti - both of these will grow easy enough though slowly without co2. A third option is red flame sword but i tend to prefer the look of melon swords. You can try prinz kleiner sword (not to be confused with prinz bar sword) but i have found it doesn't produce rich dark red leaves without co2 but your luck might differ.

Thanks

[DaveSamsell]

33 minutes ago, Ayman Roshdy said:

I have a couple of low tech tanks with a lot of green or light orange plants but I really want to add some red plants, I don't have a problem in the light nor the fertilizers but I don't induce CO2 so what are my options here? And would using something like the Walstad method enable me to add some red plants or CO2 is a must here?

 

Thanks

You may have some good luck with Scarlet Temple plants, too.  

[Ayman Roshdy]

8 minutes ago, DaveSamsell said:

You may have some good luck with Scarlet Temple plants, too.  

Thanks

[PlaneFishGuy]

If your not opposed to stem plants I've had good luck with Ludwigia Natans Super Red and Ludwigia Palastris. I'm doing my first planted tank and honestly they are doing better than any of the green stuff in my tank.  

[FrozenFins]

Cryptacorne Wendetii Red or Red Melon Swords would be my choice.

They both are very low tech, low light and all they need is root tabs. 

[Jungle Fan]

If you want red with a nice pattern try Red Flame Sword, or for all red Echinodorus 'Rubin'.

[Ayman Roshdy]

10 hours ago, PlaneFishGuy said:

If your not opposed to stem plants I've had good luck with Ludwigia Natans Super Red and Ludwigia Palastris. I'm doing my first planted tank and honestly they are doing better than any of the green stuff in my tank.  

Thanks

[Ayman Roshdy]

10 hours ago, JamesB said:

Cryptacorne Wendetii Red or Red Melon Swords would be my choice.

They both are very low tech, low light and all they need is root tabs. 

Thanks

[Ayman Roshdy]

10 hours ago, Jungle Fan said:

If you want red with a nice pattern try Red Flame Sword, or for all red Echinodorus 'Rubin'.

Thanks

[Ayman Roshdy]

Thank you all 😃

It is really a great community and you were all very helpful

[ChefConfit]

I have crypt undulata red, red flame sword, dwarf lily, some form of AR and a red variety of rotala all doing well in tanks without co2. Some are not fully red in my setups though. My crypts are more bronze and rotala is inly red in my shrimp tank which is much shorter so the plants get stronger lighting.