I think I have some sort of Alternanthera plant. What exact species I am
thoroughly confused about.
I've seen conflicting pictures on the net that say that this picture
http://www.easyfishkeeping.com/Tropica/23.htm and this picture
http://hebert.phil.free.fr/Aquarium/Vie/page13.html are both the
Alternanthera reineckii "Roseafolia". To me they look different: one has
red/violet undersides on the leaves, the other is all red. Or it might be a
Alternanthera reineckii "Lilacina"
http://www.aquahobby.com/garden/plilacina.html. My picture is at
www.okcomputerworks.com/aquarium.html ... scroll down and have a boo.

Thanx for any help!!!!

Dave.

"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote:

I think I have some sort of Alternanthera plant. What exact species I am
thoroughly confused about.
I've seen conflicting pictures on the net that say that this picture
http://www.easyfishkeeping.com/Tropica/23.htm and this picture
http://hebert.phil.free.fr/Aquarium/Vie/page13.html are both the
Alternanthera reineckii "Roseafolia".

My answer is gonna' make you crazy.

A year ago I received a shipment of "Telenthera Roseafolia (red Temple)" from
www.trueaquariumplants.com. Another club member here ordered from the same
place last month, and received the same plant. Both shipments looked exactlly
like your first photo: light green above, pink below, slightly flexible stems.

After 3 weeks in my tank, it looked like your second photo. Here's an old photo
of my tank for comparison:

http://www.tactics.com/d/fish/right.jpg

The stems are much stiffer stiff now, even the cuttings. Once they're in my
tank for a few weeks, they never show those pale green and pale pink colors
like they did when they arrived. However, this plant is also succeptable to a
very thin coating of green algae on the tops of the leaves, which can give it a
two-tone dark-green, dark-red look. My photo above is during a period without
such algae, which comes and goes.

To my eye, it most resembles what Tropica calls Alternanthera reineckii
''roseafolia'' on their site.

My relevant tank stats a

pH 6.4
KH 2
GH 2
100% Flourite substrate
0.1+ ppm Iron
10 ppm NO3

Very weird I must admit.

I've actually taken a look at the new leaves coming from my plant and they
are pure red, no green on them whatsoever. Could it be that these plants are
bred emerged so that when they are finally submerged the plant adapts to the
different environment? I had a red rubin sword that did that: it had bright
green tear-drop shaped stiff leaves when I bought it (thinking it was a
"green" sword) and then all the new leaves (submerged) were narrow and
reddish.

I guess time will tell if all the new leaves will be strictly red in color.

Dave.

"Dave Millman" wrote in message
...
"Dave M. Picklyk" wrote:

I think I have some sort of Alternanthera plant. What exact species I am
thoroughly confused about.
I've seen conflicting pictures on the net that say that this picture
http://www.easyfishkeeping.com/Tropica/23.htm and this picture
http://hebert.phil.free.fr/Aquarium/Vie/page13.html are both the
Alternanthera reineckii "Roseafolia".

My answer is gonna' make you crazy.

A year ago I received a shipment of "Telenthera Roseafolia (red Temple)"
from
www.trueaquariumplants.com. Another club member here ordered from the same
place last month, and received the same plant. Both shipments looked
exactlly
like your first photo: light green above, pink below, slightly flexible
stems.

After 3 weeks in my tank, it looked like your second photo. Here's an old
photo
of my tank for comparison:

http://www.tactics.com/d/fish/right.jpg

The stems are much stiffer stiff now, even the cuttings. Once they're in
my
tank for a few weeks, they never show those pale green and pale pink
colors
like they did when they arrived. However, this plant is also succeptable
to a
very thin coating of green algae on the tops of the leaves, which can give
it a
two-tone dark-green, dark-red look. My photo above is during a period
without
such algae, which comes and goes.

To my eye, it most resembles what Tropica calls Alternanthera reineckii
''roseafolia'' on their site.

My relevant tank stats a

pH 6.4
KH 2
GH 2
100% Flourite substrate
0.1+ ppm Iron
10 ppm NO3