The Rotala to start with. Rotala rotundifolia grows small round leaves in opposite pairs on fast, upright stems, and shifts from bright green to a pink or reddish tone under strong light. It's the most forgiving plant in a genus with a reputation for being demanding — and it grows fast enough to fill a background in weeks.
What You’ll Receive
- Sold as an emerged loose Fresh-cut plants, Bunched plants, or Potted plants
- Fresh-cut plants | Approx. 6 stems, loose fresh-cut stems without root
- Bunched plants | Approx. 6 fresh-cut stems without root, bundled with foam, and lead weight
- Potted plants | Approx. 6 fresh-cut stems without root, potted with net pot and rockwool
Plant Profile
- Common name — Rotala Rotundifolia
- Scientific name — Rotala rotundifolia
- Also known as — Round-leaved Rotala, Pink Sprite, Dwarf Rotala
- Origin — Southeast Asia
- Placement — Midground to background
- Shipped size — Approx. 6 fresh-cut stems, roughly 4-8 in
- Mature height — 8–16 in
- Suits — 10 gallons and up
- Growth rate — Fast
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Light — Medium to high. Color tracks light closely
- CO₂ — Recommended, not required
- Water — 68–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5
- Substrate — Nutrient substrate or root tabs recommended
- Growth habit — Amphibious. Also grows emersed
- Propagation — Cuttings — trim and replant stem tops
Grower’s Notes
- Color is free here, not bought. Unlike the demanding red Rotala, rotundifolia pinks up on light alone — no CO₂ and no nitrate starvation required. In a low-tech tank it stays green and healthy, which is a perfectly good outcome.
- The leaves you receive are emersed-grown and rounder. Submerged growth comes in narrower and often pinker — the plant hasn't been mislabeled, it has changed form.
- Trim the tops and replant them. Repeated topping is what turns six stems into a dense hedge.
- Plant stems individually an inch apart. Bunched, the lower stems shade out and drop leaves.
- Fast growth makes it a useful nutrient sponge in a new tank, competing with algae while slower plants establish.
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.
At a glance
- Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
- Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
- Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
- USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
- UPS 2nd Day Air® ships Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- UPS Next Day Air® ships Monday through Thursday. Order by Wednesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
- Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
- Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
- We ship within the United States only.
Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.
The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.
How it works
- Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
- Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
- We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.
Good to know
- Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
- Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
- Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.
The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.
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 these aquarium plants for arriving "beautiful and clean" with "generous bunches." Reviews highlight excellent packaging, fast shipping, and healthy plants that showed immediate growth. One shopper noted "growth took off immediately" without CO2. Minor concern about occasional delayed delivery, but plants still arrived in great condition.
- Beautiful and clean plants! I enjoyed planting them in my new aquarium set up.
- Super healthy plants, growth took off immediately!
- So surprised with how many stems were in each bunch!
B
Thank you for sending such beautiful and clean plants! I enjoyed planting them in my new aquarium set up. I look forward to my next set up in a couple of months after this one has had time to season.
A
These plants are so delicate but they arrived in great condition!! This seller does an excellent job of sending out super high quality plants as well as packing them so they’ll arrive safely and bounce back fast. So far these plants have really nice, rosy stems - not sure what the leaves are going to do yet but right now they are a lovely shade of yellow-green.
J
Plants were healthy and in good condition !
s
I typically don’t use the lead weights as I have enough substrate to prevent my plants from floating up. When I took the weights off my rotala I was so surprised with how many stems were in each bunch! I really appreciate that the number of stems makes sense for the species and the price. Thank you!
G
All the plants in my 55g tank are from Aquarium Plants Factory and as you can see, they've all grown SO much since I received them! (For reference, I don't use CO2 and they've still done extremely well!) And maybe I lucked out, but all the plants were/are snail free!
D
These arrived in great shape and look fantastic in my 75-gallon tank.
J
Plants looked healthy on arrival.
Been a week in the new tank and they're still alive!
Now its jest a matter of time to see if they fully adjust and get their roots in
s
I received this rotala in my first order from APF and I absolutely love it! Really nice portion, healthy plants, and a good price!! Much better than this other plant site I had been ordering from. Their prices were to high for way less portion and quality.
T
Received so many lush Rotala! Fast shipping and follow up e-mail was awesome.
M
The Rotala arrived a bit later than expected but were still in great condition. Already seeing some roots.
T
Great quality plants, great packaging.
B
Wonderful plants and quality shipping. I received them promptly and experienced no melting during shipping!
I
As always. A+ shipment
S
Are Pellaea rotundifolia bad around cats?
We don't sell Pellaea rotundifolia, the one you see on listing is Rotala species.
K
How many plants do you get in one order? Is there a way to tell how much of a plant I get for other types that are offered on this site as well?
Great question! The quantity you get is shown right in the option/variant selector on each product page - for example you might see choices like a single stem, a bunched bundle (usually 5-6 stems), or a potted plant. Just check the dropdown options on the listing for the exact count for that particular plant, since it varies by species and format.
A
Do you deliver it to Maldives
We only ship within USA at the moment.
B
How fast will it be shipped and how will it be shipped?
We shipped them in box. Customer can select shipping speed at checkout.
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