Tropica 'Mini' Alternanthera reineckii CUP

The less demanding, brightly coloured, low-growing stem plant Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini', the mini parrot leaf, comes from South America. The plant, which can grow to a height of approx. 5cm, is perfect for the foreground to the middle ground in the aquarium and tolerates soft to hard water.

The mini parrot leaf Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' is a very small cultivated form of the stem plant Alternanthera reineckii from South America. The dwarf form is also robust and has no great demands. It is ideal for the foreground, where it complements green ground cover with its beautiful deep red colour and visually loosens up lawns.

The mini parrot leaf grows medium-fast and reacts to regular pruning with good branching. As a result, Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' develops into a pretty and compact bush.

The small leaves of Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' are bright cherry red to reddish-brown. With plenty of light and with a good supply of nutrients and additional CO2 fertilisation, the plants turn really intense red. It works without CO2, but then they remain a little paler and also grow more slowly.

You can really easily multiply the miniature parrot leaf by cutting off offshoots and new pieces in the substrate of the aquarium.

Here you can buy the mini parrot leaf in a cup, which means that it was grown sterile in vitro in the laboratory. The cups only contain the plant and some nutrient liquid, which you simply rinse away before planting. There are no pests or bacteria here, and pesticides have left no traces either. So you can safely put the plant directly in the aquarium, even with sensitive shrimp.

Our expert Oliver Knott recommends:
Alternanthera reineckii 'Mini' is the perfect addition to the foreground. Their beautiful red colour is something special, very few plants that remain so small have such an intense cherry-red hue. The mini parrot leaf also fits very nicely in nano aquariums.