Read this first: this is not a true aquatic plant. Alternanthera ficoidea 'Rainbow' is a garden and terrarium plant. Kept underwater it holds its red, yellow and green variegation for several months and then needs a spell of emersed growth to recover. Bought with that in mind, few plants carry this much color.

What You'll Receive

• Sold as loose Fresh-cut Plants, Bunched plants, or Potted plants
• Fresh-cut plants | approx. 5 stems, loose fresh-cut plants without root
• Bunched plants | approx. 5 fresh-cut plants without root bundle with foam, and plant's weight
• Potted plants | approx. 5 fresh-cut plants potted with net pot and rock wool

Plant Profile

• Common name — Rainbow Alternanthera
• Scientific name — Alternanthera ficoidea 'Rainbow'
• Also known as — Rainbow Joseph's Coat
• True aquatic — No
• Best suited to — Terrarium, vivarium, riparium, paludarium or bog planting
• Origin — South America; widely cultivated as a garden plant
• Placement — Midground
• Shipped size — Approx. 5 fresh-cut stems, roughly 3-6 inches
• Mature height — 4-8 inches
• Suits — 10 gallons and up, or any humid terrarium
• Growth rate — Medium

Care

• Difficulty — Intermediate
• Light — Medium to high
• CO₂ — Recommended when submerged
• Water — 72-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
• Substrate — Required. Nutrient-rich soil or root tabs; also feeds from the water column
• Growth habit — Non-aquatic; submerged use is temporary, emersed growth is permanent
• Propagation — Cuttings

Grower's Notes

• This is not a true aquatic plant, and we would rather say so. Submerged it survives and even puts on a few inches over several months, but it does not grow indefinitely underwater. Plan to rotate it out to a humid emersed setup to recover, or treat it as a seasonal accent.
• It is at its best above the waterline. In a riparium, paludarium, vivarium or bog planting with consistently wet soil and high humidity, the red-yellow-green variegation is far stronger and the plant grows without a time limit.
• Light drives the color range. Under moderate light the foliage leans green. Strong light — bright LED or partial sun emersed — is what brings out the reds and yellows that give it the name.
• Take cuttings before it declines. Root fresh tops in wet soil while the parent is still strong. Waiting until the submerged plant fades usually means the cuttings are too weak to take.
• Want permanent color underwater? Alternanthera reineckii is the same genus, fully submersible, and stays red indefinitely.

Want to go deeper? Read our complete Alternanthera Care Guide.

Notes

• Pictures are not the actual plants you will receive, but a sample representation. Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be free of pests, and pesticides, grow emerged, or submerge.
• Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.

Shipping Policy

At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.

Order Processing Time

Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.

Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.

Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.

Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.

Shipping Schedule

Live Plants

Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).

Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.

Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.

UPS Express Shipping

We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:

UPS 2-Day Air®

Estimated delivery: 2 business days

Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.

UPS Next Day Air®

Estimated delivery: 1 business day

This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.

UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.

Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.

To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).

Live Animals Shipping

Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.

This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.

Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:

• Weather conditions

• Livestock health

• Shipping destination

Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.

Free Shipping

We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.

Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.

If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.

Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:

• Alaska

• Hawaii

• Puerto Rico

• Guam

• U.S. Virgin Islands

Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.

Delivery Time Estimates

Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.

While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:

• Weather conditions

• Carrier delays

• High shipping volumes

• Transportation disruptions

Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.

Delayed or Lost Packages

Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.

A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.

If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:

• Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost

• The customer covers 50% plus shipping

Address Accuracy

Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.

Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:

• Credit / Debit Card

• PayPal

• Apple Pay

• Google Pay

• Amazon Pay

• Shopify Pay

• AliPay

Orders returned due to:

• Incorrect address

• Refused delivery

• Failed delivery attempts

may not be eligible for a refund.

Order Cancellations

If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.

Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.

Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.

Returns

Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.

We do not accept returns or exchanges for:

• Live plants

• Live animals

For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.

Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com

What We Guarantee

24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.

How to Submit a Claim

1. Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
2. Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
3. Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.

Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.

Conditions That Void the Guarantee

• Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
• Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
• Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
• Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
• Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services

Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.

Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.

What We Can't Guarantee

1. Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
2. Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
3. Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
4. Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.

Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.

Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.

Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.