Sold across the hobby as "Ammannia Bonsai", this plant is neither an Ammannia nor a bonsai — it is Rotala indica, and it grows short, thick and upright instead of the sprawling habit most Rotala takes. Round leaves stack close along a stiff stem and flush pink at the tips under stronger light.
What You'll Receive
- Enhance your aquarium with our versatile selection of high-quality aquatic plants, available in three convenient formats:
- Fresh-Cut Plants: Includes approximately 6+ loose, fresh-cut stems without roots. Perfect for flexible planting arrangements.
- Fresh-Cut Bunched: Approximately 6+ fresh-cut stems without roots, bundled with foam and a plant weight for easy placement.
- Fresh-Cut Potted: About 6+ fresh-cut stems without roots, securely potted in a net pot with rockwool, ensuring stability and healthy growth.
Plant Profile
- Common name — Ammannia Bonsai
- Scientific name — Rotala indica
- Also known as — Ammannia sp. 'Bonsai' (a trade misnomer), Rotala Bonsai
- Origin — Southern and Southeast Asia
- Placement — Midground
- Mature height — 4-10 inches
- Growth rate — Medium
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Medium
- CO₂ — Not required
- Water — 68-82°F, pH 6.0-7.5
- Substrate — Nutrient-rich soil or root tabs; also feeds from the water column
- Growth habit — Amphibious stem
- Propagation — Cuttings
Grower's Notes
- It grows straight up, which is why aquascapers use it. Rotala rotundifolia leans and curves toward light; this one holds a vertical line. That makes it one of the few stem plants that reads cleanly in a Dutch-style row.
- The name is wrong and worth knowing. It circulates as "Ammannia sp. Bonsai", but it is Rotala indica. If you search under the Ammannia name you will find care advice for a genuinely harder genus.
- Trim it low to keep it short. Cutting stems back to two or three inches forces side shoots from the base and keeps the group at midground height. Untrimmed, it slowly reaches for the surface.
- Pink tips need light, not CO₂. This grows fine in a low-tech tank; the color is what responds to intensity. Bringing the light closer does more for the tips than injection does.
- Plant stems individually. Six stems in one bunch rot at the wrapped point. Separate them and push each into the substrate half an inch apart, and they root within a week.
Want to go deeper? Read our complete Rotala 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:
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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.
Aquatic stem plant that customers praised for quality and healthy arrival. Many noted "bright and happy plants" with rapid growth. Some concerns about smaller-than-expected stem length and occasional melting issues. Generally thrives in various conditions, even producing purple underwater flowers.
- I received bright and happy plants.
- They started flowering underwater! Small little purple flowers!
- Plants already beginning to show new growth within 10 days.
S
This is a good-looking sturdy stem plant, I purchased them about 2 weeks ago, package was delivered 3 days later and very well packed. They went in to a holding tank and we're absolutely thriving from the start, didn't dose CO2 or ferts. It went into a relatively new tank (about a month old). Bonus, they also started flowering underwater! Small little purple flowers! I really want more of them
I
Was a day late but still looks healthy. Packaged very well. I love shopping here.
J
Great quality very happy with my purchase
T
I didn’t see any mention of it in the description but was surprised that the plants I received were maybe about an inch in length while I was expecting more of your typical stem length. That’s the only reason for the four stars otherwise they were healthy and most have already grown a somewhat decent amount.
I
Great!
J
Amazing
D
I received bright and happy plants.
H
Plants arrived very healthy
A
Such a cute plant. My juvenile Amano shrimp are extra happy.
T
I got my order today, Plants were amazingly packed for the long trip across the USA. I was concerned with the USPS being the carrier that I would get dead plants. The team at ADF made sure that did not happen! The plants where healthy and even showed new roots in transit. I am looking forward to my next order!
M
Arrived on time and healthy. Plants already beginning to show new growth within 10 days.
T
Good looking bundle arrived on time and plants are very healthy looking. I recommend
P
I was shocked at the condition the plants were in when they arrived. At first seeing the size of the box I was a little worried I got ripped off but once I unpacked them and put them in my tank I was thrilled they looked great and 1 week in they are still looking good!
S
This is a lovely plant with a sturdy stem, any other plants that have this quality? Should this be planted as a bunch or given and inch or so between them?
Glad you're loving it! Many stem plants share that sturdy-stem quality - things like Rotala rotundifolia, Ludwigia, and Alternanthera are similarly hardy. For planting, it's usually best to group a few stems together (roughly 3-5 per cluster) rather than spacing them individually - this gives a fuller, more natural look. Within a cluster you can plant them close together, and if you're doing multiple clusters across the tank, leaving an inch or two between groups works well.
M
Are these grown emersed or submerged in the water?
It depending on the season. But we usually have this plant grow above water.
C
Since this is a stem plant, and looks to be pretty sturdy, can it be kept in a tank that I'm doing dry start method in? Any mid ground or background plants you can suggest that allow me to do this?
This plant can grow above water (DSM). But i would suggest find something to cover the top of the tank to keep the moister in. The moister need to be at or above 50% at all time.
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