Staurogyne repens (pot)
This plant grows best under strong light. It can also be attached to driftwood or rocks.
Staurogyne repens is a green stemmed plant that resembles Hygrophila. It is an excellent foreground plant that is suitable for a nano aquarium due to its creeping growth and hardy nature. Unlike the Hygrophila, it sends stems out laterally to form a carpet similar to dwarf baby tears. It is a beautiful bright green, compact plant with a low, bushy stature and stiff brownish stems. It can grow to a height of 3 cm – 10 cm and a width of 5 cm – 10 cm. It has small green leaves and the leaf is ovate, oval or lanceolate which can grow to a length of up to 4.5 cm and to a width of 1 cm. It produces white flowers with densely hirsute bracts. In aquarium, this plant provides oxygen to the water and helps to reduce nitrates in balancing your water. This plant provides natural environment in your aquarium compared to plastic plants. It is effective for setting accents in crevices and gaps in the hardscape. It can propagate easily in captive condition with proper care. Propagate can be done by cutting the shoots.
Background
Staurogyne repens is a beautiful carpet and foreground plant. It enjoys a rich substrate and bright light. It belongs to family Acanthaceae under order Lamiales of class Mangoliopsida. Dr. Dieter C. Wasshausen of Smithsonian Institution, Washington identified it as flowering plants in 2010. It was herbarised by Christel Kasselmann as Staurogyne repens (Nees) Kuntze. Staurogyne repens was first traded worldwide commercially as aquarium plants in 2006.
Housing and care
Staurogyne repens is an excellent plant which is suitable for the foreground and central part of the aquarium. It grows best with moderate to strong light and the addition of CO2. For optimum growth organic rich substrate and good fertilizer should be added regularly in the aquarium which helps to produce lots of bright green leaves. The tank bottom should have a layer of aqua soil powder because it has the smaller granule size which allows the plant portions to be placed into it safely and securely. For perfect growth, the tank should have good water quality with pH of 6.0-8.0, hardness of 2-3 dGH and temperature of 68-820F. Individual shoots should be trimmed regularly in order to keep it confined to its spot without necessitating more drastic measures. It can grow slowly with strong roots which allow it to attach to driftwood or rock in your aquarium.