Syngonanthus Manaus

Syngonanthus sp. 'Manaus'

Also known as Tonina sp. 'Manaus', Syngonanthus 'Manaus'

FreshwaterStemSide shootsCuttings

Care at a glance

Light: High light
CO2: CO₂ required
Temperature: 64–84°F; 18–29°C
Max height: 11.8 in; 30 cm

Growth rate: Medium
Placement: Midground
Type: Stem
pH: 4.5–6.5
Hardness: 0–5 dGH
Spread: 2.4 in (6 cm)
Nutrient uptake: Root + water column
Growth region: Submersed
Difficulty: Difficult
Family: Eriocaulaceae
Origin: Brazil (soft blackwater rivers of the Amazon basin near Manaus)

Overview

A softwater stem plant for high-tech tanks, needing strong light, injected CO2, and low GH and KH (under about 5) over an acidic aquasoil. Steady water-column dosing, iron included, keeps the crowns a vivid green instead of washed out. Trim from the bottom and replant the tops, since the appeal is all in the dense whorled crown. Expect a sulky adjustment period whenever water chemistry shifts.

In the wild

Collected from soft, acidic blackwater rivers in the Amazon basin near Manaus in Brazil. It grows as an upright stem topped with whorls of fine, needle-like leaves that form a slender, lime-green star-shaped crown.

Good to know

This is an undescribed species still traded under its collection locality, Manaus, which is why it carries the informal 'sp.' name rather than a full binomial. It sits in Eriocaulaceae, close to Tonina and the other Syngonanthus, and is the taller, more slender of the popular forms next to S. macrocaulon ('Belem'). Older aquarium literature sometimes shuffled these plants between the Tonina and Syngonanthus genera.

Did you know

Did you know these blackwater pipeworts are so tied to soft acidic water that many aquarists run remineralised RO or rainwater specifically to keep the KH low enough for them to survive.