Scarlet Temple on the Surface:

Scarlet Temple (Alternanthera reineckii) is a stem plant native to the wetlands of South America, from Bolivia and Brazil south to Paraguay, Uruguay, and northern Argentina. Its paired leaves range from pink to deep red with purple undersides, and their color is heavily dictated by the light intensity available to them. In the Botanical Method Aquarium, small groups of A. reineckii provide refuge for betta fish, small tetras, and shrimp, along with surfaces where biofilm can encrust. It grows well submerged or emersed, and can help in building South American biotope aquariums that incorporate a transition zone between habitats.

Essential Details

• Care Level: Intermediate
• Growth Habit: Moderate, upright stem growth
• Light: Medium to High
• CO2: Not Necessary
• Water Parameters: 68 to 80°F, pH 6.0 to 7.5, soft to moderately hard
• Propagation: Trim tops and replant cuttings
• Tint Tolerance: Low to Moderate
• Habitat Location: Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, and northern Argentina
• Optimal For: Betta fish, small tetras, pencilfish, apistogramma, and shrimp
• Use with Caution: Rinse before introducing; may carry beneficial hitchhiking snails, snail eggs, or duckweed from the grow-out ponds
• Shipping Restrictions: Not legal to ship to Oklahoma
• Size Range: 10 to 20 inches
• Quantities: Sold as 3-4 stems per bunch

Scarlet Temple for Planted Aquariums & Blackwater Biotopes

Scarlet Temple absorbs most of its micro- and macronutrients through its roots, so it grows best in a dirted aquarium or an inert sand substrate with root tabs placed beneath each clump of plants. As a stem plant, it also uptakes nutrients through its leaves and aerial roots and benefits from a light dose of liquid fertilizer in the water column. We plant stems in small groups a finger's width apart, which lets light reach the lower leaves. Biofilm encrusts the lower leaves and stems as they age and becomes a grazing resource for shrimp and our fishes, what we call supplemental nutrition.

The darker the tint in your aquarium, the less light reaches your plants. Light intensity influences the growth rate and the color of new leaves. Medium to high light paired with root tabs produces deep red leaves and denser, bushier stems. Under low light, new growth turns greener with wider spacing between leaves, what we call 'leggy growth', and the lower leaves die off from reduced light. CO2 injection is optional and can deepen color and speed growth. Aquasoils absorb tannins from the water column, so an inert sand substrate with root tabs helps to preserve the tint that your botanicals release. Like with most stems, Scarlet Temple is grown emersed, and the emersed leaves will die off as the plant transitions to submerged growth.

To propagate Scarlet Temple, cut the top few inches and push the cutting into the substrate. The remaining stem will send out side shoots below the cut. We place Scarlet Temple in the midground of mid-sized and larger aquariums, where the plant can provide cover for betta fish, pencilfish, small tetras, and apistogramma to use as refuge between open swimming areas. Place excess cuttings in the garbage, and never release aquarium plants into local waterways. This keeps non-native species out of your local environment.

Beneath the Leaves: Alternanthera reineckii in the Wild

Alternanthera reineckii is a member of the amaranth family, a relative of the joyweeds grown in gardens. In the wild it grows as an annual in the seasonally dry tropics, rooting along the margins of marshes and slow rivers. It grows emersed above the waterline and submerged when seasonal floods cover it. Its genus name comes from the Latin for "alternating anthers," since every other anther on its flowers is sterile.

Where a botanical contributes as it breaks down, an aquatic plant is living and contributes as it grows. So let them grow. Mother Nature leads the way.

Sustainability Note:

Please select a heat/cold pack if necessary. Check your local weather before ordering to avoid any shipment holds or cancellations. Alternanthera reineckii cannot legally be shipped to Oklahoma; if included in an order to Oklahoma, it will be removed before shipment. All Plants may contain snails or snail eggs. We keep them in all of our aquariums for the benefits they provide. Our blackwater aquarium plants are provided in cooperation with PNW Bettas in adherence to their Shipping and DOA Policies. Your curated selection will arrive in their packaging separate from your botanical, wood & merch orders.