The Red Root Floater is a beautiful floating plant with light green leaves that can turn blood red when kept under high light. What makes this plant unique and highly sought after is its striking blood-red roots, setting it apart from the usual brown roots of other aquarium floaters. This small floating fern quickly spreads into thick mats across the surface, making it perfect for low-tech aquariums and paludariums where it creates natural shade to suppress algae growth. Just keep in mind that these floating plants for aquariums prefer low flow and will not survive in a tank with heavy surface agitation. You will receive 2-3 dime-sized plants with a minimum of 2-3 leaves each.
Key Features & Benefits
Small white flowers bloom along the leaves under strong lighting and stable water parameters.
Absorbs excess nitrates and biological waste to starve out nuisance algae.
Dense crimson roots provide shelter for shrimp and fry while giving shy fish confidence to explore.
Care & Planting Instructions
Gently place the plants directly onto the water surface, ensuring the tops of the leaves remain dry.
Keep surface agitation minimal, as heavy water flow or splashing filters will trap water on top of the leaves and cause them to rot.
Provide adequate lighting to encourage rapid growth and bring out rich coloration.
Thin out the floating carpet regularly to ensure light still reaches your submerged midground and stem plants below.
Dose liquid fertilizers regularly because floating plants absorb nutrients directly from the water column at an accelerated rate.
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. Team Buce Plant encourages you to do thorough research to ensure healthy growth!
Attribute
Specification
Scientific Name
Phyllanthus fluitans
Common Name(s)
Red Root Floater
Family
Phyllanthaceae
Plant Type
Floating Plant / Fern
Height / Size
Leaves up to 1 in. wide | Roots 1–4 in. long
Care Difficulty
Easy
Light Requirement
Low to High (6 to 8 hours daily)
CO2 Requirement
Not Required
Placement / Usage
Water Surface Canopy, Livestock Shade
Growth Rate
Fast
Water Parameters
pH 6.5–7.5 | Temperature 70°F–82°F (21°C–28°C)
Propagation Method
Division (Side Shoots / Runners)
Origin
South America
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I keep my floating aquarium plants from dying due to filter flow and splashing?
High water turbulence and constant water resting on the leaves are the main causes of rot in floating aquarium plants. Keep surface flow low, or use an airline tubing loop or floating ring to shield your aquarium floaters from direct filter return or bubbling air stones.
2. Can floating plants help control algae and absorb nitrates in a fish tank?
Yes, these aquarium floaters act as incredible biological filters. Because they sit at the surface with direct access to atmospheric carbon dioxide, they grow exponentially faster than fully submerged species, aggressively consuming nitrates, ammonium, and excess nutrients that fuel nuisance algae.
3. Should I trim the hanging roots or thin out excess surface growth?
You can trim the long red roots using sharp aquascaping scissors to maintain your desired aesthetic without harming the plant. However, routinely thinning out excess leaves is crucial so that your floating plants do not block all light from reaching your submerged stem and ground plants below.
Overall rating: 4.256579 / 5 from 608 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
The Phyllanthus Fluitans Red Root Floater is a vibrant floating plant with light green leaves that can turn blood red under high light. Customers praise its excellent quality, fast growth, and beautiful red roots. It's ideal for low-tech aquariums and paludariums, providing good shading to prevent algae growth. However, some customers reported issues with leaf health.
Summary topics
Leaf Color (11%): It was observed by customers that the color of the product is vibrant, beautiful, and vibrant.
Plant Condition (30%): Many customers stated that the plants arrived safely and were in perfect condition, with no negative reviews.
Root Color (9%): In general, customers found the red roots to be vibrant, red-eyed, and beautiful.
Product Quality (9%): It was noted by customers that the quality of the product is excellent and great, making it a highly recommended purchase.
Shipping Speed (12%): Customers raved about the fast and prompt shipping, with many mentioning the quick delivery of their orders.
"Quick shipment plants were awesome looking when they arrived…will definitely be ordering more plants from them" — Edward M.
"The plants looks great and healthy, I've had them in my tank for a few days and I can already see some new growth." — Michael H.
"plants arrived quickly and look so healthy." — MD
Reviews
Arrived stressed and completely melted
"Arrived stressed and completely melted shortly after. But not due to quality of plant. The FedEx system failed and the driver did not deliver my order on the day it was supposed to be delivered, and consequently the shipment froze in a truck for another 2 full days. I believe it would have been fine had it been delivered when it was supposed to be delivered."
— Dana F. (4/5)
Plants arrived quickly and very
"Plants arrived quickly and very healthy. I will certainly order again."
— Tori F. (5/5)
They’re red.
"Arrived healthy, long roots. Looks nice in my tank. Portion was small for the price imho, but the color is beautiful. Hoping it will cover a good bit of the surface of my shrimp tank when grown in."
— Cy S. (4/5)
Floating Plants
"I wanted to get a couple floating plants, one type for each of my tanks. Both showed up healthy and looking just like the pictures! Looking forward to watching them grow and spread out over time."
— Neil R. (5/5)
"there was not much at all, but these lil guys grow like weeds. five days in and theyre already pusing out a buncha leaves. happy and healthy floaters"
— Mia (5/5)
Great quality!
"All plants come in fresh and alive even with it being cold outside. Buce was out of heat packs but they arrived promptly and not damaged."
— Jeff F. (5/5)
Arrived in a ok condition
"Arrived in a ok condition and lots leaves. It already growing new plants in a week!"
— Ayako M. (5/5)
"Plants came packaged beautifully! No dead leaves or broken stems. Zero issues! Definitely going to be ordering from here again!"
— Austin (5/5)
Nice plants
"Arrived well packaged and healthy. Already showing growth in just a couple of weeks. Very happy with these red root floaters!"
— Emily B. (5/5)
"The plants look extremely healthy. One seems to have fallen apart but i still love them the roots all look great."
— Tiffany (5/5)
Q&A
Are they snail-free? I have a tank full of only tissue culture plants and would hate to introduce snails at this point.
Hello Elvin, thank you for your question. We do have a Quality Assurance check on every plant before it is shipped. As we do not treat the plants to prevent introducing chemicals into our customer's tanks, it is possible that a snail egg might make it through our QA check and a snail may eventually end up in a tank. For this reason, we always recommend a quarantine before adding the plant to your planted tank. We hope this information helps. Thank you, Team Buce Plant
How are they packaged when sent? Is it like the other plants that are potted with rock wool and lead, or in a small container like a tissue culture?
Hey Shay, thank you for your interest. Typically, our Red Root Floaters are shipped by themselves in plastic bags with a bit of air for transit! If there is anything else we can assist you with, please feel free to contact us at support@buceplant.com. Thank you, Team Buce Plant
Would you recommend a bleach dip for red root floaters? If so, what concentration and timing would you advise? After a previous order, I did the standard bleach dip (19:1) for 90 seconds and did sufficient damage to the plant that it never recovered.
Hello Joshua, Thank you for the question. We recommend quarantining the plant instead as they have small leaf that can be damaged easily on a bleach dip. To know more about this, feel free to check this link: https://buceplant.com/blogs/aquascaping-guides-and-tips/how-to-quarantine-new-aquarium-plants Kind Regards - Team Buce Plant
Are these tissue cultured? I'm looking to get some floating plants but want no risk of pest snails.
Hi C, Thank you for reaching out to us! These Phyllanthus Fluitans Red Root Floater are not tissue culture plants. We do our pest to remove and eliminate pest from our tanks. The best thing to do is to quarantine any new plants or fish before adding them into an aquarium. Feel free to contact us at support@buceplant.com for any additional questions or concerns. We are always happy to help! Best Regards, Buceplant Team
How will Red Root Floater do spring/summer in Memphis, TN in a 500 gal outdoor fountain stocked with goldfish & water lilies? What is lowest water temperature it can tolerate to be introduced?
Hi Andy, Thank you for reaching out to us! Red Root Floaters can tolerate a temperature range of around 70-85F. The summers in Memphis would most likely be too hot for them to survive. Red root floaters also do best grown in water with minimal water movement, so a fountain may not be the best place for them to thrive. There is also a possibility that the fish in the pond will eat the small leaves of the Red Root Floater. Please feel free to contact us at support@buceplanthelp.zendesk.com for any additional questions or concerns. We are always happy to help! Best Regards, Buceplant Team
