Ludwigia Repens

How red will Ludwigia repens grow in your tank?

That depends on your tank more than on the plant. Ludwigia repens is a stem plant, and like other red-stem plants its color and growth rate follow the light, CO2 and nutrients you give it. A photo of a deep red stem shows what the plant can do, not what it will do under a weak light. Ours are propagated by Shrimp Aquatics.

If you run a low-light tank without added CO2, plan for a greener plant. If you already grow stem plants well, you’ll have a better idea of how far it will color up for you.

Is Ludwigia repens a good plant for a Sulawesi shrimp tank?

We wouldn’t plan one. Warm, alkaline Sulawesi water is hard on most aquatic plants in a Sulawesi shrimp tank, and a stem plant that melts adds waste to a system where you’re trying to keep nitrate under 10 ppm. Save it for a planted tank whose fish or shrimp live in more forgiving water.

How to plant Ludwigia repens stems in a shrimp tank

1. Rinse the stems in clean, dechlorinated water and look them over for snails or eggs before they go in.
2. Remove any leaves that would sit below the substrate.
3. Push each stem into the substrate on its own, with a little space between stems so light reaches the lower leaves.
4. When the stems reach the surface, trim the tops and replant them, and pull any lower stem that has lost its leaves.

If you’re planting a new tank, order your aquatic plants together so every stem goes in on the same day and settles under the same light.