Red root floater
A small floating plant whose leaves and roots flush deep red under strong light — one of the few floaters kept for its appearance.
Requirements
- Scientific name
- Phyllanthus fluitans
- Family
- Phyllanthaceae
- Light
- Medium to high
- CO₂
- Not required
- Nutrients
- moderate
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Placement
- Floating
- Feeding
- water column
- Temperature
- 22–28 °C
- pH
- 5.5–7.5
- Hardness
- 1–12 °dGH
Identity
- Common name
- Red root floater
- Scientific name
- Phyllanthus fluitans
- Family
- Phyllanthaceae
How to plant it
The commonest way to kill an aquarium plant is to install it wrongly. This is the first thing to get right.
Float on the surface
Nutrition reaches this plant mainly through the water column, so liquid fertiliser matters more than substrate nutrition.
Growing conditions
| Input | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Medium to high | Match plants to the light you have rather than raising light to suit the plant — that grows algae. |
| CO₂ | Not required | Not a requirement, though growth is faster with it. |
| Nutrients | moderate | Dose a complete liquid fertiliser. |
| Temperature | 22–28 °C | |
| pH | 5.5–7.5 | |
| Hardness | 1–12 °dGH | |
| Growth rate | Fast |
Propagation
Vegetative division.
Common problems
- green instead of red
- melts under condensation
- dislikes surface agitation
Work from the observation: melting, yellow leaves, holes in leaves and poor growth.
Fish and invertebrate compatibility
- Resists grazing
- poor
- Resists digging
- excellent
Worth knowing
- Needs still surface water. Strong surface agitation sinks and rots it.
Evidence
| Claim | Value | Evidence type | Confidence | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| scientific name | Phyllanthus fluitans | Observed / measured | high confidence | Plants of the World Online |
| temperature | 22–28 °C | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| light requirement | medium-to-high | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| co2 requirement | not-required | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| growth rate | fast | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| placement | floating | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| ph | 5.5–7.5 pH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
| general hardness | 1–12 °dGH | Aquarium-literature consensus | moderate confidence | AquariumHQ husbandry synthesis |
Why we say this
What each figure on this page rests on, and how far that is from being independently established.
Every figure on this page has a provenance. Open any claim to see what AquariumHQ holds for it, which sources say what, and what a claim of that kind actually needs. Different claims need different evidence: an accepted scientific name is settled by one authority, while a legal restriction needs a current primary instrument. A single source is often the right answer rather than a thin one. Light and CO2 categories are aquarium conventions rather than measurements, and are labelled as such — AquariumHQ has taken no PAR readings and does not publish figures it has not taken.
scientific nameOne sourceBased on a verified authoritative source.1 citation, 1 independent origin
Checked against gbif on 2026-08-11 and confirmed accepted.
What this kind of claim needs: accepted botanical name — 1 authoritative source in an appropriate context. Checked against gbif on 2026-08-11. One botanical authority is what this class requires.
What would improve this: Corroborate against a second, independent source.
temperatureAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
light requirementAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
co2 requirementAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
growth rateAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
placementAquariumHQ's judgement — no authority publishes thisAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
No external authority publishes this. The rationale carries the reasoning.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Keep the rationale current. There is no source to find.
phAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.
general hardnessAquariumHQ's own position, externally checkableAquariumHQ's own position, derived from evidenced inputs.
AquariumHQ's own position on a claim an external source could support.
What this kind of claim needs: how to grow the plant — no external source is required, provided AquariumHQ shows its reasoning. No external source is required for this class. AquariumHQ's position stands on its stated reasoning.
What would improve this: Go and read a source. This is reachable and has not been reached.