Aquarists in Thailand, close to the border with Burma, discovered this plant. It is called 'Downoi' (little star) in Thailand, and it is easy to see why (5-10 cm tall and wide). Pogostemon helferi is an unusual and distinctive aquatic plant with a compact habit, curly leaves and a strikingly beautiful green colour.

With good light conditions and a nutrient-rich substrate, Pogostemon helferi forms many side shoots that develop small roots, and the plant rapidly forms an impressive carpet of foreground vegetation.

Vibrant pink leaves with light nerves characterize this vigorous culture form. The plant has a compact form of growth and the stalk does not grow as strong as other Alternanthera. Suitable for planting in the mid-section of the aquarium – and even in the front when cut well. As for all Alternanthera, good light and fertilizer conditions, as well as CO2 additive is material for growth and color development.

Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis 53B' is a variety of Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis'. This Hygrophila 'Siamensis 53B' forms an incredible amount of side shoots and becomes bushy relatively rapidly.

Stems becomes 15-40 cm tall and 7-12 cm wide. Its beautiful bright green leaves are narrower than the regular 'Siamensis' and it can achieve red-brown leaves in good light conditions. An undemanding, fast growing plant that requires frequent pruning to maintain a bushy growth. Replant cut-off shoots; they will soon form new roots and grow.

In nature, Bucephalandra usually grows on rocks or wood in rivers and streams - much like Anubias, which they resemble regarding use and care in the aquarium.

Bucephalandra 'Wavy Green' is an easy, slow-growing plant that prefers lower light levels. A nice, dense appearance is ensured by the willingness to branch, even without trimming.

The green leaves are 2 cm wide and 5 cm long with wavy edges. Tiny white spots will appear on immerse leaves.

The creeping stem, rhizome, must not be covered when planting. This will cause the plant to rot and die.

The pink underside of the leaves of Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink' provides an effective contrast to the many green plants in an aquarium - particularly when planted in groups. Stems becomes 25-50 cm tall. Good light encourages the leaves to turn red. Easy to propagate by nipping off the terminal bud and planting it in the substrate. This also makes the mother plant more bushy, because more side shoots are formed.

Alternanthera reineckii 'Pink' originated in South America.

Anubias Nana is a great beginner plant for any tank. You can't kill this plant unless you really go out of your way to do it. Anubias Nana grows by having a horizontal rhizome and producing vertical leaves. When planting Anubias Nana, do not bury the rhizome in your substrate. Only bury the roots, attach to driftwood, or attach to rocks. You can propagate this plant by cutting the rhizome in half and moving the cutting to another area. This will allow both cuttings to keep growing.

Much like other Anubias, Anubias Nana can be easily attached to driftwood or rocks. You can also plant Anubias Nana, however, make sure the horizontal rhizome or stem is above the substrate. It can also be easily propagated by cutting the rhizome into smaller sections. We recommend leaving 2-3 leaves per section.

Care Level: Easy

Lighting Requirement: Low

Co2: Not Needed

Growth Rate: Slow

Origin: North America

Tank Placement: Foreground - Mid-ground

Tank Size: Any size, because Anubias plants grow slowly they are great for any sized aquarium.

Reni' is a well-known cultivar characterized by being easy to grow and amongst the smallest of the red Echinodorus, 15-40 cm tall and a roset from 15-25 wide.

The new leaves of the plant are reddish-brown to deep beetroot in color. It can be used in small aquariums and is unpretentious. The plant requires a lot of light and nourishment for optimal color development. 

Broadleaf Amazon Sword is a bigger variation of the ever popular Amazon Sword and they are some of the easiest aquatic plants that you can add to your fish tank.

Broadleaf Amazon Sword is a hardy plant that can withstand a wide variety of water parameters and can be used with many different aquarium fish. Amazon swords are also brackish water tolerant plants. Sword plants will benefit greatly from a nutrient rich substrate. I recommend picking up some of our Vital Tabs to provide all the essential nutrients that this and other plants want to grow healthy.

Scientific Name: Echinodorus Bleherae

Care Level: Easy

Lighting Requirement: Low

Co2: Not Needed

Growth Rate: Medium

Origin: South America

Tank Placement: Midground-Background

Tank Size: Sword plants in general can grow between 20"+. You can trim off outer leaves to try and keep it groomed to your preferred size.

Want to learn more, check out this video:

Western Africa is home to several species of Anubias, including this one.

The triangular leaves of 5-10 cm on long leaf-stems make Anubias gracilis one of the most elegant. It is hardy and tolerant, a very good beginner’s plant. The plant can grow on rock or wood or planted on the bottom. If planted in the bottom, the rhizome, from which leaves and roots appear, must not be covered. If it is, the whole plant will rot and die.

Anubias gracilis can be allowed to grow out of the water, but will attain a significant size this way.

Helanthium ‘Quadricostatus’ from South America has characteristic light green leaves 10-15 cm long which offer a great contrast to the darker aquarium plants. It is most beautiful when planted in groups, each rosette becoming 15-20 cm wide. Thrives well even at a rather low light.

In good conditions, it produces runners which spread over the bottom. Very pale leaves are a sign of a shortage of micro-nutrients. There is some confusion about the name of this plant, and it has been sold as Echinodorus bolivianus var. magdalenensis.

Java Fern Lace is a fancy version of the typical Java Fern. Java Fern Lace is a very resilient plant and is great for beginners to try. Java Fern Lace grows by having a horizontal rhizome and producing vertical leaves. When planting the Java Fern Lace, do not bury the rhizome in your substrate. Only bury the roots, attach it to driftwood, or attach to rocks.

The leaves on the Java Fern Lace may turn black and start to disintegrate, but this is normal; leave the plant and within a few days to few weeks you will see little baby plants coming out of the dying leaves. This is how Java Fern Lace adjusts and propagates to new tank conditions.

Care Level: Easy

Lighting Requirement: Low

Co2: Not Needed

Growth Rate: Slow

Origin: Indonesia

Tank Placement: Midground

Tank Size: Any size, because Java Fern plants grow slowly they are great for any sized aquarium.

Anubias Barteri is a great beginner plant for any tank. You can't kill this plant unless you really go out of your way to do it. Anubias Barteri grows by having a horizontal rhizome and producing vertical leaves. It is similar to Anubias Nana, but it gets bigger leaves. When planting the Anubias Barteri, do not bury the rhizome in your substrate. Only bury the roots or attach to driftwood or rocks. You can propagate this plant by cutting the rhizome in half and moving the cutting to another area. This will allow both cuttings to keep growing.

Much like other Anubias, Anubias Barteri can be easily attached to driftwood or rocks. You can also plant the Anubias Barteri, however, make sure the horizontal rhizome or stem is above the substrate. It can also be easily propagated by cutting the rhizome into smaller sections. We recommend leaving 2-3 leaves per section.

Care Level: Easy

Lighting Requirement: Low

Co2: Not Needed

Growth Rate: Slow

Origin: North America

Tank Placement: Foreground - Mid-ground attached to rocks or driftwood.

Tank Size: Any size, because Anubias plants grow slowly they are great for any sized aquarium.