Aquarium plants for high light setups

The species, easiest first

1. 1

   Alternanthera Reineckii 'Lilacina'

   Alternanthera reineckii 'Lilacina'

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 12"

   Alternanthera reineckii 'Lilacina' is a broad-leaved cultivar of the popular red stem plant, showing a purplish-lilac underside that deepens with strong light and CO2.

   $6.99 In stockCare profile →
2. 2

   Ammannia Gracilis

   Ammannia gracilis

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 20"

   Ammannia gracilis is a big, architectural stem from West Africa with long, wavy leaves in copper-bronze to salmon-orange — a Dutch-tank classic that earns its place under high light and generous iron dosing.

   $6.99 In stockCare profile →
3. 3

   Green Myrio (Foxtail)

   Myriophyllum pinnatum

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 16"

   Green Myrio is a feathery stem plant whose finely divided whorls give a soft, cloud-like texture prized in Dutch and nature layouts.

   $6.99 Out of stockCare profile →
4. 4

   Limnophila Aromatica

   Limnophila aromatica

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 16"

   Limnophila aromatica is a showpiece stem plant whose narrow leaves carry green tops over rich purple-to-magenta undersides when grown well.

   $5.99 In stockCare profile →
5. 5

   Ludwigia Arcuata

   Ludwigia arcuata

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 12"

   Ludwigia arcuata trades the broad leaves of its relatives for fine needles that turn coppery orange-red under strong light, giving a delicate texture few red plants offer.

   $6.99 In stockCare profile →
6. 6

   Ludwigia Ovalis

   Ludwigia ovalis

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 12"

   Ludwigia ovalis is a rounder-leaved Ludwigia that shifts from green to coppery orange and pink as light intensity climbs, giving a Dutch layout a soft warm accent.

   $5.99 In stockCare profile →
7. 7

   Pogostemon Erectus

   Pogostemon erectus

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 14"

   Pogostemon erectus grows stiff, upright stems lined with fine needle-like leaves arranged in dense whorls, giving a crisp bottlebrush or conifer texture that stands out among softer plants.

   $7.99 Out of stockCare profile →
8. 8

   Pogostemon Helferi (Downoi)

   Pogostemon helferi

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 4"

   Pogostemon helferi, known as Downoi, forms low star-shaped rosettes of crinkled, wavy-edged leaves that make an unmistakable foreground accent.

   $10.99 Out of stockCare profile →
9. 9

   Rotala 'H'ra'

   Rotala rotundifolia 'H'ra'

   • Medium
   • High light
   • CO2 beneficial
   • Max 16"

   Rotala 'H'ra' is the color-upgraded form of Rotala rotundifolia, shifting orange-red under high light where the standard species only blushes pink.

   $5.99 In stockCare profile →
10. 10

    Ammannia Senegalensis

    Ammannia senegalensis

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 14"

    Ammannia senegalensis is a demanding Dutch-style stem plant whose leaves curl and glow coppery orange to red under intense light, the tops sometimes blushing pink.

    $5.99 In stockCare profile →
11. 11

    Aponogeton Boivinianus

    Aponogeton boivinianus

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 beneficial
    • Max 24"

    Aponogeton boivinianus is a Madagascar bulb plant whose dark green leaves carry a distinctive deeply textured, embossed surface, making it a dramatic background specimen.

    $6.99 Out of stockCare profile →
12. 12

    Cryptocoryne 'Pink Flamingo'

    Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Pink Flamingo'

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 8"

    Cryptocoryne 'Pink Flamingo' is a striking pink-to-magenta crypt that, unlike most easy Cryptocoryne, genuinely needs high light, CO2, and rich nutrients to hold its color and grow well.

    $19.99 Out of stockCare profile →
13. 13

    Dwarf Baby Tears

    Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 1"

    Dwarf Baby Tears is the iconic iwagumi carpet — the smallest-leaved aquarium plant in the trade, forming a dense lawn of millimeter foliage that pearls with oxygen under bright light.

    $5.99 In stockCare profile →
14. 14

    Glossostigma

    Glossostigma elatinoides

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 1"

    Glossostigma is one of the smallest carpeting plants, forming a low lawn of tiny paired round leaves that hugs the substrate when conditions are right.

    $6.99 Out of stockCare profile →
15. 15

    Ludwigia Inclinata 'Cuba'

    Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata 'Cuba'

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 20"

    Ludwigia 'Cuba' is a showpiece for high-tech tanks: whorls of narrow copper-orange leaves that can dominate a Dutch background — and a plant that genuinely will not perform without injected CO2, high light, and rich, consistent fertilization.

    $5.99 In stockCare profile →
16. 16

    Pogostemon Stellatus

    Pogostemon stellatus

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 16"

    Pogostemon stellatus crowns each stem with a starburst of narrow leaves that flush pink-to-purple under intense light — one of the most striking background stems in aquascaping, and one of the fussiest.

    $5.99 Out of stockCare profile →
17. 17

    Rotala Macrandra

    Rotala macrandra

    • Advanced
    • High light
    • CO2 required
    • Max 20"

    Rotala macrandra is the hobby's reference red stem — broad leaves in saturated red to magenta that no easier plant matches.

    $5.99 In stockCare profile →