TankBud

Rotala wallichii

Also known as Whorly Rotala, Whorled Rotala, Mayaca-like Rotala

FreshwaterStemCuttingsSide shoots

Rotala wallichii (Rotala wallichii)
Aquarium Plants Factory · Used with permission

Care at a glance

Light
High light
CO2
CO₂ required
Temperature
72–81°F
22–27°C
Max height
11.8 in
30 cm
Growth rate
Fast
Placement
Background
Type
Stem
pH
6.0–6.9
Hardness
4–12 dGH
Spread
1.6 in (4 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Difficult
Family
Lythraceae
Origin
Tropical Southeast Asia (slow-moving streams, ponds and ricefields)

Overview

Rotala wallichii is a demanding background stem plant with feathery whorls of fine, pink-tipped needles. It rates difficult and is not a plant for a low-tech tank.

Did you know

The pink tips of Rotala wallichii are a stress signal. Intense light forces the plant to build protective pigments over its chlorophyll, and those pigments color the needle tips red-pink.

Caring for Rotala wallichii

Plant Rotala wallichii stem by stem in the background, with a few millimeters between the stems. It needs high light and pressurized CO2 at around 25 to 30 ppm. Keep the water stable and soft, with a pH of 6 to 6.9 and a temperature of 72 to 81°F (22 to 27°C).

It feeds through both roots and leaves, so use root tabs as well as a liquid fertilizer. Keep nitrate moderate and dose iron and micros steadily for the best color.

Rotala wallichii grows fast, so propagate it from healthy side shoots and tops rather than fighting to save failing old stems. It punishes neglect quickly. Low light, swinging CO2 or poor fertilizing makes the lower stems drop their needles and rot, which leaves bare legs.

Good to know

Rotala wallichii is a stem plant in the family Lythraceae. Its leaves grow in dense whorls around the stem, which gives it a feathery, bottlebrush look unlike most broad-leaved Rotala. Submersed leaves are thread-fine, while emersed growth is coarser and greener. The whorled leaves and needle shape make it look a little like Mayaca, though the two are unrelated.

In the wild

Rotala wallichii is native to tropical Southeast Asia, where it grows in slow-moving streams, ponds and seasonally flooded ricefields. It lives both emersed on wet ground and submersed, and only the submersed form grows the fine, whorled needle leaves prized in the hobby. Its lowland water is warm, soft, slightly acidic and poor in minerals.

Common questions

Does Rotala wallichii 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 Rotala wallichii need CO2?

Yes. Rotala wallichii needs injected CO2 to grow well, and it usually struggles without it.

How much light does Rotala wallichii need?

Rotala wallichii needs high light from a strong planted-tank LED. In weaker light its stems stretch and drop their lower leaves.

Does Rotala wallichii need root tabs?

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

How do you propagate Rotala wallichii?

Rotala wallichii propagates by cuttings and side shoots. Cut off the top of a stem and replant it, and the stump left behind grows new shoots. Cut a side shoot off once it has a few leaves and plant it on its own.

How tall does Rotala wallichii grow?

Rotala wallichii grows to about 11.8 in (30 cm) tall. It grows fast, so expect to trim it often.

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