Hydrocotyle Tripartita

Hydrocotyle tripartita is easy to recognise: small, bright green leaves cut into three lobes, carried on thin creeping runners that spread in every direction at once. It comes from Southeast Asia and is one of the faster growers in a planted tank, which is both its appeal and the thing people underestimate. Left alone it does not stay a carpet. It climbs over rock, up wood, and eventually reaches for the light in loose mounds.

Aquarium care

• Trim regularly with scissors to keep it flat. This is a maintenance plant, not a set-and-forget one.
• Push runners into the substrate in small clumps and let them knit together.
• Brighter light keeps growth tight and low; dim light makes it stretch upward and thin out.
• Clippings float and will re-root wherever they land, so net them out after trimming.
• It responds strongly to added carbon dioxide, though it will grow without it.

Best for aquarists who enjoy hands-on gardening and want a fast foreground or mid-ground filler. Small community fish, shrimp tanks and nano layouts all suit it.

Plant availability changes weekly. Local pickup at our Lethbridge store. More in our Hydrocotyle selection.