Staurogyne sp. 'Porto Velho'

Overview: Commonly known as Porto Velho this plant hails from the family Acanthaceae. The plant is more popular in Japan and can be seen growing as a foreground plant in the aquariums. Staurogyne sp. ‘Porto Velho’ looks very familiar to Hygrophila sp. 'Roraima' and aquarists often get confused between the two. The plant is believed to be a slow grower and less demanding than most of the aquarium plants.

Appearance: Staurogyne sp. ‘Porto Velho’ comprises narrow lanceolate leaves with apiculate tip. The leaves are generally green but turns greyish green after some time and give dramatic view to the aquarium. Purple leaves are also seen in some of them. It comprises light brown stems without any hair, unlike S. repens. The creeping habit of the plant makes it perfect to use as a foreground plant. Porto Velho takes some time to adapt to the new artificial eco-system but once adjusted it proliferates and grows lavishly. This feature of the plant calls for regular trimming.

Hard/soft plant: It is a moderately hard plant.

Ideal water temperature: Porto Velho grows well under the temperature range of 15 to 30 C.

Lighting conditions: It requires medium to high lighting conditions for flourishing. Intense lighting leads to getting bushier growth. Since the plant requires some time to adapt, it creeps slowly and then spread profusely to cover the foreground parts of the tank. Unobstructed lights lead the leaves to become purplish.

Ideal pH Level: The apt pH level for Porto Velho to thrive ranges between 6 to 8.

Do you know: Porto Velho is a slow adapter but once it acclimatizes starts creeping and covering the entire foreground areas of the tank. It requires regular thinning which converts to removing larger chunks after a few years.