Dragon’s Flame (Hemigraphis repanda) Help and Advice Needed

Dragon’s Flame (Hemigraphis repanda) Help and Advice Needed

So I went to petbarn (Kinda like Petco or Petsmart but the Australian version) yesterday to just have a look. Saw this beautiful green and purple ‘stem’ plant labeled Dragon’s flame which i had never heard of. It was around $6.99 AUD so i bought one bunch. Put in in my 20gal tank and looks amazing IMO. But after further researching some say its an aquatic plant while others say its a non aquatic plant, some saying it survives underwater while others say its more of a bog/swapy plant which requires roots in water/muddy area while leaves and stem is above water.

So do you know if Dragons flame is non aquatic or aquatic plant??
Could I try keeping it like pothos? (above the tank, put roots and a bit of stem in water while leaves stay above water)

IDK what to do with it i really dont want to lose it (go all rotten) or is it possible im just make a big fuss over nothing.

Please help me out

Thanks,
Peter

Dragon's flame in the tank



whole tank photo

 

Hi, it's not fully aquatic, it's found in boggy areas with roots in the water but leaves above water, if left fully submerged for too long it will melt away. It's best suited for terrariums or paludariums.

 

Could I use it like pathos on the top of a tank?

 

Hi just wondering if some of the fishlore plant guru's could give me some help??

Thank you for any help you can give me, im kinda getting worried now as i dont want this lovely plant to rot.
any help in regards to keeping Dragon's flame, i want to maybe use it like pothos, roots in water, braches and leaves above water. is this a possiblity??

 

I literally did the same as you and bought this plant ( sold fully submerged ) I split it in half once I figured it out , I tried to grow it submerged and roots only submerged. Both died. Sorry to say that as I really liked the plant , but it could wholly of been my care that convinced it to not bother to grow. I also bought a cordyline at the same time ( terrarium plant ) . I stuck one half with its roots in a filter and one half in a put on a window ledge, I figured I had nothing to lose so experiment with it. The one infront of the window stayed a strong pink/ red. The one in the tank paled , didn’t throw new leaves as often etc despite the added nutrients. Recently I threw them both into a diy outdoor tub but you can see the difference in colours. They were split from the same plant. One has stayed red and one paled a lot , which makes sense as it didn’t get a lot of light but a lot more ferts. Basically don’t buy plants unless you know they are fully aquatic but you aren’t the first and certainly won’t be the last ! The green leaves in the photo is the same plant but from the filter with very low light

 

Hi Blacksheep1 thank you for your response, which of your options would work our the best, i still want to try keeping this plant.

 

I tried one section in soil , one planted and one roots only in the filter. All of them died for me….

so try anything you like and I hope you have better success than me ! It’s a plant that likes high moisture but leaves out of water like a big plant . so misting , higher heat levels but constant moisture helps this one. I couldn’t ( and didn’t try if I’m honest ) provide what it needs so does quickly for me, only the cordyline lived . This plant is suited for a terrarium / paludarium , not aquatic. I hope this helps !

I love plants though and if be interested to know what you decide to try

 

ok im gonna try splitting plant nto 2, 1 half in the tank submerged and the other with be leaves ans stem in filter or balanced on lid/lighting and roots in the water. Thanks for your help