Plant Profile
Common Name:Â Bucephalandra Mini Dark Needle
Buce ‘Mini Dark Needle’ is a low-tech, small aquarium plant featuring slender, dark green leaves and striking reddish sheaths on its stems. This variety is highly prized for its needle-like foliage and its ability to adapt to a wide range of water parameters while maintaining a very compact profile.  As an epiphyte, it prefers to latch onto wood or stone, whether it’s grown emersed or underwater. It's a beautiful addition to the foreground of a planted tank, where it will slowly sprout from its central rhizome to create a dense, textured colony.
Key Features & Notes
- The thin, pointed leaves provide a unique fine-leaf texture that is perfect for adding intricate detail to small-scale hardscape.
- The contrast between the deep green leaves and the reddish sheaths adds a subtle but sophisticated pop of color to your planted tank.
- This is one of the most durable species in the hobby and thrives in shaded areas. It is an ideal choice for planted tanks where other plants might struggle.
- It is perfectly at home fully submerged in an aquarium or emersed in high-humidity terrariums, vivariums, and paludariums.
Care Tips & Preparation
- Bucephalandra is an epiphytic plant that should be attached to rocks or driftwood. Never bury the rhizome in substrate, as this will cause the plant to rot and melt.
- Avoid making drastic changes to your water parameters or lighting. Unstable conditions are the primary cause of leaf melt in new specimens.
- While this plant is hardy and low-maintenance, CO2 injection will yield much faster growth. We recommend researching your specific water chemistry to ensure your plant thrives.
- Final size and coloration depend entirely on your specific aquarium conditions. Please note that photos are a representation, and individual plants may vary.
- Please research appropriately to ensure your plant thrives.
Additional Information
Listed information should be treated as general guidelines only. Team Buce Plant encourages you to do thorough research to ensure healthy growth!
Family Name: Araceae
Origin: Borneo (Endemic)
Skill Level: Easy
Growth Rate: Slow
Light: Low to Medium
CO2: Not necessary but recommended
pH Range: 6.0 – 8.0
Propagation: Divide the rhizome with sharp scissors
Overall rating: 5.0 / 5 from 15 reviews.
AI Generated Review Summary
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Review topics: [quality, plants, order].
Review highlights
Reviews
Awesome plant selection
"Really happy with my Buceplant order! All plants seem to be settling in well. The delivery was delayed by FedEx by several days and one of the my Buce was a little worse for wear due to the heat, it was a little stressed. But I got a nice refund and store credit which is amazing service! Thank you!"
Great as always
"Healthy plant. Well packaged. Thought leaves would be a bit smaller based on name and description but I can still use. It's not as small as the Buce Mini Coin but beautiful."
Came in great condition
"Came in great condition"
"Excellent quality. Very happy woth all plants provided"
Beautiful Buce
"Generous portion and very healthy plant."
Lovely Little Plant. Got lots
"Lovely Little Plant. Got lots of material."
Shipment arrive on time and
"Shipment arrive on time and everything was ok"
Made a large order. Everything
"Made a large order. Everything made it to me safely the evening after it shipped. 100% would order from here again."
Trial by weather
"I was worried about shipping the plants with cold temperatures on the East coast but all plants were received in great condition."
The larger the better
"Some melt in the leaves (lost half of them) but overall the plant is still alive after 12 days and I have hope it will bounce back. I bought a number of different plants and the more leaves they have to begin with, the better they adapt. Safer to buy mats than small pieces of rhizome."