Myriophyllum tetrandrum

Also known as Myriophyllum indicum

FreshwaterStemCuttings

Myriophyllum tetrandrum (Myriophyllum tetrandrum) — Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Light: Medium light
CO2: CO₂ beneficial
Temperature: 72–86°F; 22–30°C

Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Background
Type: Stem
pH: 5.0–7.0
Hardness: 0–8 dGH
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed or emersed
Difficulty: Medium
Family: Haloragaceae
Origin: Tropical Asia; aquarium stock traced to southern Thailand

Overview

Myriophyllum tetrandrum is a fine-textured green milfoil for the background of soft-water tanks. It is a plant of medium difficulty.

Did you know

Myriophyllum tetrandrum only reached the hobby around 2008. The plants that entered the hobby were collected from a single small lake south of Krabi city in southern Thailand.

Caring for Myriophyllum tetrandrum

Strip the lower leaves and plant a loose group of stems in a nutrient-rich substrate near the back. Myriophyllum tetrandrum melts if moved between very different water. Acclimate the cuttings rather than replanting the whole stand at once.

It wants medium light and soft, slightly acidic water with a pH of 5 to 7. Keep it warm, at 72 to 86°F (22 to 30°C). CO2 is not strictly required, but it keeps the whorls tight and the growth steady. It feeds through its roots and from the water, so add a liquid fertilizer to the rich substrate.

It grows at a medium pace for a milfoil, so it is easier to keep groomed than the fast species. Trim the healthy tops and replant them, and the stumps left behind grow new shoots.

The feathery leaves trap debris and grow algae if flow dumps waste on them or light runs ahead of nutrients. Keep it in a gentle current.

Good to know

Myriophyllum tetrandrum is a water milfoil in the family Haloragaceae. It is essentially the green counterpart of the red Myriophyllum tuberculatum, which it grows alongside in Asia. The species name tetrandrum refers to the four stamens of its flowers. An older synonym is Myriophyllum indicum, and its finely divided leaves stand in whorls along the stem.

In the wild

Myriophyllum tetrandrum is widely distributed across the Asian tropics, in shallow standing and slow-moving fresh water. Like most milfoils it lives submersed for most of its life and pushes flowering shoots above the surface. It can also be grown emersed on wet substrate.

Common questions

Does Myriophyllum tetrandrum need to be planted in the substrate?

Yes. Strip the leaves from the lower part of each stem, then push the stems into the substrate one at a time, a little apart.

Does Myriophyllum tetrandrum need CO2?

No, but it helps. Myriophyllum tetrandrum can grow without injected CO2, and added CO2 makes it grow faster.

How much light does Myriophyllum tetrandrum need?

Myriophyllum tetrandrum wants medium light. A light sold for planted tanks covers it.

Does Myriophyllum tetrandrum need root tabs?

They help. Myriophyllum tetrandrum takes nutrients through both its roots and its leaves. Root tabs near its roots and a liquid fertilizer cover both.