Here are all the details about Red Root Floater, a beautiful floating plant loved by aquascapers and shrimp keepers:

🌿 Red Root Floater (Phyllanthus fluitans)

✅ Common Names:

• Red Root Floater

• Floating Spurge

• Phyllanthus Fluitans

🧬 Scientific Classification:

• Kingdom: Plantae

• Family: Phyllanthaceae

• Genus: Phyllanthus

• Species: Phyllanthus fluitans

🌱 Plant Description:

• Leaf Shape: Round to oval, flat leaves that float on the water surface.

• Leaf Color: Light green in low light, turns red or reddish-pink under high light and proper nutrients.

• Root Color: Deep red, feathery roots hang beneath the surface.

• Size: Leaves grow around 1–2 cm wide; root length can extend up to 5–10 cm.

☀️ Care Requirements:

⚡ Growth Characteristics:

• Fast-growing under optimal conditions.

• Covers surface quickly, reducing light penetration.

• Roots provide cover for fish and shrimp.

• Helps absorb excess nutrients — useful in controlling algae.

✂️ Maintenance Tips:

• Thin out regularly to prevent complete surface coverage.

• Trim dead or browning leaves to maintain health.

• Keep away from high surface agitation to prevent plant stress.

🐟 Aquarium Compatibility:

• Excellent for betta tanks, shrimp tanks, and low-tech planted tanks.

• Roots offer shelter and feeding surfaces for shrimp.

• Ideal for soft water fish like tetras, rasboras, and gouramis.

• Reduces stress in fish by dimming light naturally.

🌸 Propagation:

• Very easy — propagates via offshoots.

• New plantlets grow beside mature leaves and can be separated.

⚠️ Special Notes:

• Needs stable conditions — sensitive to drastic changes.

• Doesn’t tolerate salt or high flow environments.

• May melt or die off in newly cycled tanks or with nutrient deficiency.

• Too much coverage can block light to submerged plants.

🛒 Availability:

• Widely sold in bunches or portions at aquarium stores and online.

• Often available from hobbyists due to fast propagation.

🌊 Best Uses:

• Natural-looking surface coverage

• Enhancing red tones in aquascapes

• Shading and nitrate control

• Breeding tanks and shrimp colonies