Bucephalandra Red Mini fits nano tanks and tight crevices, where its small leaves keep the scale right. It is easy, but slow.
Did you know
Red Mini is probably the plant Aquasabi sells as 'Mini Red'. Aquasabi tells it apart from the similar 'Lamandau Mini Red' by rounder, more ruffled leaves and a stronger blue-gray sheen.
Caring for Bucephalandra Red Mini
For tissue-culture cups, rinse off all the gel and attach the plantlets separately. Keep each rhizome above the substrate, since a buried rhizome rots.
Give Bucephalandra Red Mini low to medium light, with CO2 as an option to speed growth. Brighter light than that tends to grow algae on leaves this slow. Its red shows best under RGB or full-spectrum LEDs, and warm white light can make it look muddy brown. Liquid fertilizer reaches it better than root tabs, because it feeds through its roots and from the water column.
A single cup can take close to six months to fill in. Once the clumps grow, divide the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each. Keep the water at 72 to 82°F (22 to 28°C).
Good to know
Red Mini is an Araceae trade clone with no species attached, like most Buce in the trade. Its obovate leaf blades run about 1 to 2.5 cm long, on stalks about 1 cm long. New leaves open red-brown and age to olive-brown or near black, with a blue-gray metallic sheen. Tropica's Bucephalandra 'Red' carries leaves 4 to 6 cm long, and Grappa Red Mini has slimmer teardrop leaves.
In the wild
Red Mini is a farmed trade clone with no known wild locality. Wild Bucephalandra are rheophytes, rooted to rocks along Bornean streams that flood them for part of the year. US shops sell Red Mini as tissue culture from UNS, Aquatic Farmer and APF's Vitro Culture line, and as farmed pots.
Common questions
Does Bucephalandra Red Mini need to be planted in the substrate?
No. Bucephalandra Red Mini grows attached to rock or wood, so tie or glue the rhizome in place. If you plant its roots, keep the rhizome above the substrate, since a buried rhizome rots.
Does Bucephalandra Red Mini need CO2?
No, but it helps. Bucephalandra Red Mini can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.
How much light does Bucephalandra Red Mini need?
Bucephalandra Red Mini is a low-light plant, and the light that comes with a standard tank kit is enough for it.
Does Bucephalandra Red Mini need root tabs?
No. Bucephalandra Red Mini feeds from the water, so a liquid fertilizer suits it better. Root tabs only help if its roots reach into the substrate.
How do you propagate Bucephalandra Red Mini?
Bucephalandra Red Mini propagates by rhizome division. Cut the rhizome into pieces with several leaves each, then tie or plant each piece.
How tall does Bucephalandra Red Mini grow?
Bucephalandra Red Mini grows to about 3.1 in (8 cm) tall. It grows slowly and rarely needs trimming.
Low lightEpiphyte3.9 in (10 cm)
Low lightEpiphyte2.4 in (6 cm)
Low lightEpiphyte2.4 in (6 cm)