Red Tiger Lotus of no?

[Evaunitone]

I got a red tiger lotus bulb a few weeks ago and it is just now starting to come alive and sprout roots and stems. The thing is, its not rooted in the substrate yet, and I 've heard conflicting things about these plants. Just wanted to hear some opinions about this plant and your ideas on whether or not it is an appropriate plant fro a 20 gallon tank.

 

[Guyver]

I had a tiger lotus in my 10 gallon for a year, no problems. I planted mine just under the gravel (yes, gravel; no substrate because at the time I was plant-ignorant), so I'm not sure about the bulb taking root. Read an article on here earlier this week about the bulbs starting out floating, sinking to the bottom, and then taking root though. Might want to hunt down that thread if you can.

 

[fort384]

They are heavy root feeders once it gets established into the substrate so some root tabs might be good for it. You can keep it from blocking out the light to the rest of the tank (if you have other plants) by just trimming the floaters as they grow... it will grow fine in its submerged form. Of course if you want it to flower, just let it go, and if you have enough light it will eventually have emergent growth and flower at night.

 

[LemurLad]

Would I be able to have one of these plants in a 5 gallon or are they just too large?

 

[Evaunitone]

Thanks for the info guys. I wasn't actually asking about how to grow it though. I'm really just interested in whether people who have grown it liked it or not. I hear it tends to take over the tank, so I'm hoping for pros and cons of having a tiger lotus. If it is going to be a big mess or a hassle I'd like to remove it now before it roots in place.

 

[DragonFish71]

Personally I love the looks of mine. The color is great and I don't find it hard to take care of.