What does Narrowleaf Ludwigia need to show its color?
Strong light and a well-fed tank, and even then it won’t look the same in every tank. Narrowleaf Ludwigia (Ludwigia arcuata), also sold as Needle-leaf Ludwigia, is a fine-leaved stem plant whose reddish-orange tone follows the light, CO2 and nutrients in your aquarium. Propagated by Shrimp Aquatics, it’ll still take on the look your own setup gives it.
If your tank runs a modest light with no added CO2, expect a greener, slower plant. If you’re choosing it for color, you’ll want to plan the lighting first.
Should Narrowleaf Ludwigia go in a Sulawesi shrimp tank?
No, we’d keep it out. Most plants struggle in warm, alkaline Sulawesi water, and decaying leaves add waste where nitrate should stay under 10 ppm. If you want green on the rock of a Sulawesi tank, the plants for a Sulawesi shrimp tank worth trying are a short and different list. Save Narrowleaf Ludwigia for a planted tank with more forgiving water.
Planting Narrowleaf Ludwigia stems without losing the lower leaves
- Rinse the stems in clean, dechlorinated water and check them for snails or eggs.
- Strip the leaves from the part of each stem that will sit in the substrate.
- Plant the stems one at a time in a loose group, leaving room for light to reach the bottom of each stem.
- Once the tops near the surface, trim and replant them, and take out older stems that have gone bare at the base.
If the lower leaves start dropping in a crowded group, thinning the stems out is the usual first step, and it’s easier than replanting the whole group.
Shrimp and snails first
Check the ingredients of any fertilizer, algae treatment or plant dip, including copper, before using it in a tank that holds shrimp or snails.
Want an easier grower beside it for a low-light tank? Compare it with the other aquarium plants for shrimp tanks before you order both.
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