June Plant of the Month - Tiger Lotus

reiverix · 06-06-2006, 04:14 PM

Nymphaea lotus

Other Names : Tiger Lotus, Egyptian White Water lily

Origin : East Africa, Southeast Asia

Growth Rate : Moderate to fast, depends on lighting

Planting Area : All areas

Lighting Level: Medium - High

Propagation: Runners

Difficulty: Moderate

Temperature: 72-86 F

Size: Usually as tall as your tank

Availability: Common

It's no wonder that tiger lotus is a favorite. This is really one of the most gorgeous plants available and can create an eyecatching focal point in any tank. I mentioned that it can be placed in all areas of the tank because this plant is quite versatile in the way you can train it.

If you let it keep growing it will produce large leaves, each on a long stem. After a while it will start to send leaves to the surface. When this happens, it sends up more and more which can start to shade out other plants. Give it some space if you intend to do this and you may be rewarded with some very beautiful flowers.

To keep your lotus smaller and more compact as a mid/foreground plant, you should trim off the larger leaves and also trim leaves that are trying to shoot for the surface. Try to cut the leaves as close to the base of the plant as possible.

Most people keep red tiger lotus although there is also a green strain available. I have both types in my tank although the green one tends to gain a light purple hue to it under high light. If you buy tiger lotus online you may actually only receive a bulb. This is a delicate plant after all. Bulbs can be pushed gently into the substrate, just enough to keep it in place. Don't bury it though. After a few days to a few weeks it will start to sprout leaves and develop a root system. Tiger lotus produce a rather large set of roots and some people like to supplement with root tabs. I use Eco Complete as a substrate and find this (along with fertilizing the water column) is plenty to keep the plant healthy. When the plant gets established it will start to produce runners which grow into new plants. I usually wait until a runner has four or five leaves before I cut it from the main plant and move it elsewhere. For some reason my red lotus produces far more new plants than my green one. I'm not sure why this is.

The following photos were kindly supplied by Leopardess.

Red tiger lotus.

Leave shooting for the surface

Surface leaves from the bottom

Surface leave from the top

Lotus bud

The bud breaks the surface

The flower begins to open

The final flower makes it all worthwhile

nursie · 06-06-2006, 05:00 PM

Thanks Reiverix..nice article. Nice pics too...thanks Leopardess!!!

joephys · 08-21-2006, 08:29 PM

I bought some tiger lotus bulbs from walmart. One of them grew so fast that it had a surface leaf that was six inches across in less than 2 weeks. The other is still only a small bud. I don't think my lighting is high enough to look like the first picture, but it is still a good looking plant.

blackwolfXKAV · 02-12-2007, 10:50 PM

I would not advise these plants for smaller tanks, trust me, the amount of leaves that i have pulled off....phweew!

Naps · 02-17-2007, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackwolfXKAV

I would not advise these plants for smaller tanks, trust me, the amount of leaves that i have pulled off....phweew!

Wow that's a huge plant!!

06-06-2006, 04:14 PM	#1 (permalink)
reiverix Ach Join Date: May 2006 Location: Columbus, OH Posts: 1,764	June Plant of the Month - Tiger Lotus Nymphaea lotus Other Names : Tiger Lotus, Egyptian White Water lily Origin : East Africa, Southeast Asia Growth Rate : Moderate to fast, depends on lighting Planting Area : All areas Lighting Level: Medium - High Propagation: Runners Difficulty: Moderate Temperature: 72-86 F Size: Usually as tall as your tank Availability: Common It's no wonder that tiger lotus is a favorite. This is really one of the most gorgeous plants available and can create an eyecatching focal point in any tank. I mentioned that it can be placed in all areas of the tank because this plant is quite versatile in the way you can train it. If you let it keep growing it will produce large leaves, each on a long stem. After a while it will start to send leaves to the surface. When this happens, it sends up more and more which can start to shade out other plants. Give it some space if you intend to do this and you may be rewarded with some very beautiful flowers. To keep your lotus smaller and more compact as a mid/foreground plant, you should trim off the larger leaves and also trim leaves that are trying to shoot for the surface. Try to cut the leaves as close to the base of the plant as possible. Most people keep red tiger lotus although there is also a green strain available. I have both types in my tank although the green one tends to gain a light purple hue to it under high light. If you buy tiger lotus online you may actually only receive a bulb. This is a delicate plant after all. Bulbs can be pushed gently into the substrate, just enough to keep it in place. Don't bury it though. After a few days to a few weeks it will start to sprout leaves and develop a root system. Tiger lotus produce a rather large set of roots and some people like to supplement with root tabs. I use Eco Complete as a substrate and find this (along with fertilizing the water column) is plenty to keep the plant healthy. When the plant gets established it will start to produce runners which grow into new plants. I usually wait until a runner has four or five leaves before I cut it from the main plant and move it elsewhere. For some reason my red lotus produces far more new plants than my green one. I'm not sure why this is. The following photos were kindly supplied by Leopardess. Red tiger lotus. Leave shooting for the surface Surface leaves from the bottom Surface leave from the top Lotus bud The bud breaks the surface The flower begins to open The final flower makes it all worthwhile __________________ John R Puffer Forum

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06-06-2006, 05:00 PM	#2 (permalink)
nursie vroom...vroom... Join Date: May 2006 Location: Peoria, IL: USA Posts: 3,735	Thanks Reiverix..nice article. Nice pics too...thanks Leopardess!!!

08-21-2006, 08:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
joephys Registered User Join Date: May 2006 Location: auburn, wa Posts: 4,384	I bought some tiger lotus bulbs from walmart. One of them grew so fast that it had a surface leaf that was six inches across in less than 2 weeks. The other is still only a small bud. I don't think my lighting is high enough to look like the first picture, but it is still a good looking plant.

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