Bucephalandra Theia
Bucephalandra Theia
Common Name: Buce Theia
Bucephalandra Theia is a slow-growing rhizome plant known for its deep green to bluish-black leaves and subtle maroon undersides. Best planted onto driftwood, stone, or botanicals like Sapucaia Pods or Nypa Palms, this species should never be buried in substrate, as doing so may rot the rhizome.
Theia’s elegant leaf shape and darker tone create a dramatic contrast against brighter green aquatic plants. Like all Bucephalandra, it performs best under stable tank conditions. This species is highly adaptable and well-suited for shrimp tanks, community tanks, and Southeast Asian biotope setups with lightly tinted acidic water.
To propagate, trim the rhizome into sections containing 3–5 leaves, then reattach elsewhere using thread or glue. All Bucephalandra Theia sold by Betta Botanicals are cultivated to avoid wild harvesting from native habitats.
Caring for Bucephalandra Theia in Blackwater Aquariums
Please note: Due to natural variation, each plant may differ slightly in leaf coloration and shape.
Sold As: Individual Plant
Care Level: Easy
Lighting Requirement: Low to Medium
CO2: Not needed, but beneficial
Growth Rate: Slow
Native Habitat: Borneo
Tint Tolerance: Low to High
Tank Placement: Mid-ground – Foreground
All plants may contain snails or snail eggs. We keep them in all of our tanks for the benefits they provide. Our blackwater aquarium plants are provided by H2OPlants in adherence to their Shipping and DOA Policies. Your curated selection will arrive in their packaging separate from your botanical and merch orders.
Bucephalandra Theia
contrast the tint with greenery
While the aesthetic appeal of tinted waters can be quite attractive to us, the recreation of nature—which includes both submerged and emersed plants—is the end goal. Flora helps to improve water conditions, feeding patterns, spawning displays, and territory building.
Aquatic Plant FAQs
DOA Policy
Please ensure that you add a heat pack or cold pack to your orders if temperatures in your area are above 90°F or below 40°F. Click for more info on our DOA Policy.
Are these plants duckweed and snail free?
All Plants may contain snails or snail eggs, small macroinvertebrates, and duckweed. We keep them in all of our tanks for the benefits they provide. We have experienced the presence of small snails, ostracods, daphnia, and beneficial detritus worms.
Are your plants only for tinted water conditions?
Nope! All of our plants will grow perfectly in untinted aquariums that have CO2 and aquasoils, or low-tech planted aquariums. Our selection, though, is optimized for emersed plant growth and low- to medium-tinted water environments.
What is your aquatic plant shipping schedule?
We’re a small company and ship Tuesdays & Thursdays only. Orders placed Wednesday–Sunday → Ship Tuesday. Orders placed Monday–Tuesday → Ship Thursday
Are your plants just for bettas?
Nope. Our aquatic plants are safe for almost all aquariums, terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums. Many of our plants can be grown emersed in filter compartments, vivariums, or incorporated into wabikua.
What are Tannins?
Tannins are natural compounds released by leaves, seed pods, and bark as they decompose in water. They soften water, gently lower pH, and create the characteristic tea-stained tint found in blackwater habitats. But their role goes far beyond color—tannins fuel beneficial bacteria, fungi, and biofilms, which form the foundation of a healthy ecosystem. They also offer mild antifungal benefits and help reduce stress in fish by replicating the natural conditions they’ve evolved in. At their core, tannins are plant-derived antioxidants that connect your aquarium to the same processes at work in wild flooded forests and streams.