A bulb that turns into a centrepiece. Nymphaea stellata / rubra, the Dwarf Water Lily, pushes broad deep-red leaves from a tuber within eight to ten days of planting — and how you trim it decides whether you get a submerged red bush or floating lily pads on the surface.
What You'll Receive
- Bulb Only Without Leaf – For experienced aquarists seeking to sprout naturally.
- Sprouted Bulb With Leaf – For faster results and an immediate visual impact.
Simply rinse the bulb in clean water and place it in your tank or pond. Growth should appear within 8–10 days.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Dwarf Water Lily
- Scientific name — Nymphaea stellata / rubra
- Also known as — Nymphaea lotus 'Red'
- Plant type — Bulb / tuber
- Placement — Centrepiece, rooted in substrate
- Mature height — 6–12 in submerged; leaves will reach the surface if left untrimmed
- Growth rate — Fast
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — High. Light intensity is what sets how red the leaves go
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 72–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5
- Substrate — Required. Root feeder — nutrient substrate or root tabs
- Growth habit — True aquatic. Does not grow emersed
- Propagation — Rhizome division; the tuber produces daughter bulbs
Grower's Notes
- Trimming decides the plant you get. Cut every leaf that reaches for the surface and it stays a compact red bush. Let them run and you get floating pads — and the shade under them cuts algae and gives fish cover. Both are correct; pick one deliberately.
- Press the bulb halfway into the substrate. Fully buried, it rots.
- It feeds at the roots and feeds heavily. Root tabs under the bulb are the difference between a slow sulk and 8–10 day growth.
- A resting phase is normal. If it stalls, ease off the light and let it recover rather than dosing harder.
- Not the same as our Red Tiger Lotus, which carries dark tiger mottling on the leaves. This one is plain deep red.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Nymphaea (Water Lily) Care Guide.
Notes
- While our bulbs are fresh and carefully selected for high viability, we do not guarantee that every bulb will grow, as successful sprouting depends on individual aquarium conditions. Choose the Sprouted Bulb With Leaf if you prefer a guaranteed start.
- Pictures shown are sample representations. Unless stated, we do not guarantee whether plants will grow submerged or emersed.
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:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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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:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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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:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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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:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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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:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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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:
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Live plants
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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
- 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.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- 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.
Customers praised this fast-growing aquatic bulb that "sprouted multiple leaves" within days. Most reported healthy arrival and rapid growth, with some noting "beautiful color." However, some bulbs arrived unsprouted or experienced rot issues. A few customers received smaller bulbs than expected. Overall, shoppers found it thriving once established.
- It has really taken off! Already developed several new leaves.
- In less than a week it has already sprouted multiple leaves.
- The day after I put it into the tank it started growing and developing new leaves.
E
I have only had this in my tank for barely two weeks and it has really taken off! The bulb I received had just a few small leaves on it and it has already developed several new leaves. Very happy with this purchase!
A
Ordered dwarf lily with leafs. bulb came with 2 plants attached in good shape
K
I purchased 3 of these and so far they have not disappointed. In fact, they have all taken off so well.
L
The color is so pretty. It grows supper fast. Ive had it since sept 26th.
M
Purchased 2 of these non-sprouted. They were more like 3 bulbs each fused together. Within 2 days of being half buried in substrate they started sprouting multiple places. Within 10 days they now have full blown leaves directly under HOB filter.
2/21/24: My bulb arrived at the end of January '24. No rot, with the beginning of leaves peeking out. I placed it in my betta's little tank. Nothing much happened for a while, though, so I moved it into my plant-test-tank, which has more steady light. It has now been a month, and its growing better, though not very fast. It still looks healthy, so the bulb itself is fine, it is ME that's the problem! :-)
7/1/24: My bulb has now been in water for about 5 months. It started growing veeeery slowly, but THEN it got so large I had to take it out of it's tank!! It became a real nice, lush plant! It is a real shame that I simply don't have tank space for it... for now, it is in a spare plastic tank until I decide what to do with it! So, BE PATIENT, and it WILL grow!
7/2025: The original AND offspring plants are still alive in different tanks. Harder to kill than I originally thought!!
K
3/3 bulbs had already sprouted during shipping. They arrived with little leaves and roots.
I have stocked 4 tanks with plants all from aquarium plants factory. I’m always a happy returning customer.
M
Received the plant on Nov. 4th, 2022. The plant had three sprouts on the bulb.
The attached picture shows the plant on Dec. 3rd, 2022.
A
I received put it into tank after letting it soak overnight from water in tank.
It still floats on top of water so i snugged small corner of plant under wood and hasn't done anything so far. 3days still no signs of it being a plant...?
Anita O'Connor
B
None of them had sprouts when I first got them. But after 2 days 3 of them started growing some fast. Then two more took off. It's been 2 weeks and 5 of them are looking amazing still waiting for the 6th to take off. 5 out of the 6 are doing great. Maybe the 6th was a dud but for the price you can't beat it!
C
My bulb arrived with no shoots or sprouts on it, but I figured what the heck. Rinsed it off and planted it about halfway into the gravel with the side I felt was most likely "up". The next day I had not one, not two, but THREE small little sprouts coming out of the bulb. Now, on day 5, there are roughly a dozen sprouts with several showing signs of forming leaves. Super happy with my bulb and I can't wait until it grows more!
P
Very happy that after only a couple of days my bulb is bowing growth. My first bulb from another seller never sprouted after over three weeks so I gave up. Never had a bad plant from APF.
S
My package arrived safely and well packed. Thank you for email updates and follow up. There were no shoots on my bulbs. In less than a week, I notice these new shoots. I can't wait for the first true leaf.
a
awesome fast shipping both of my bulbs are growing within 2 days i split them in half nowi have 4 my free bulb was rotting had to discard will buy again
D
I apologize for the foggy picture. My tank is still cycling but this plant grows so fast! When it arrived, I could just barely see 3 tiny little sprouts. This pic is 3 days later, there are at least 10 sprouts that I can see from just the front! The biggest one is already about 3/4 in. I debated getting this because I thought the big bulb was ugly but I put it behind a piece of wood with Anubias nana on it and I'm really excited to watch this grow! All the plants in my order were healthy and beautiful, I will definitely be coming back to APF for future orders!
N
Received my items well packaged, and in a timely manner. I'm taking a star off only because the description says you'll get a bulb with sprouts growing. Two of the three I received did not have these, and I'll have to keep an eye on them to make sure I planted them the correct direction, the one that did have a single sprout it was barely visible nothing like the picture. But all in all its a great price, and purchase. I'm not holding any ill feelings because of it..I will still continue to buy my plants from here.
A
All the bulbs sprouted after just a day or two. Excellent sized bulbs with multiple sprouts.
J
It is really the size of the tip of your finger it is growing but time will tell.
Thank you for your feedback. This plant is naturally a very small nano variety, and the size can look smaller at first, especially when newly received. We’re glad to hear it is growing, and with stable aquarium conditions it should continue to adapt and develop over time. We appreciate your patience and hope it does well in your setup.
P
Exactly what I wanted and shipped perfectly
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