The name comes from the plants ability to develop bright red-coloured roots.

You will receive 25 plants, each plant consists between 2-10 pairs of leaves.

Phyllanthus Fluitans originates from the Amazon River Basin. Although coming from a family dominated by desert plants, this plant has adapted to become a floating plant in a very humid environment. 

It sometimes goes by the name red root floater. P. Fluitans is not too difficult to grow given enough light and nutrients. Lighting should be intense (shoot for around 3 watts per gallon or more). CO2 is unnecessary. Nitrate and phosphate should be kept above zero (10 ppm or more and 1 ppm or more respectively), as this plant, like most floating plants, prefers rich conditions. Heavy iron and macro-nutrient dosing is essential for the health of this plant; without enough iron, this plant will fail to thrive. 

When conditions are good, this floating plant will produce slightly reddish leaves with small white flowers. This small floating plant is very easy to prune, as you simply have to skim off any excess from the water's surface. However, due to its fast growth, the aquarist will have to remove excess plants quite frequently to prevent it from overshadowing plants below it. 

The hairy, red root system can add a touch of colour to the upper levels of an aquascape as well. 

I find this plant also grows very well on top of Salvinia Cucullata which can be seen beneath the plants in the pictures, it also grows very well without. 



Hardiness: Easy 
Light Needs: Medium 
Temperature: 21 - 30 C 
pH: 5.0 - 8.0 
Plant Structure: Floating 
Family: Phyllanthaceae 
Genus: Phyllanthus 
Region: Central/South America 
Location: Amazon Basin 
Size: 2cm (1in) 
Growth Rate: Moderate 
Grown Immersed: No