You will receive 3 to 4 rhizomes.
The Bucephalandra Mini Dark Melawi is a small, easy-to-care-for aquatic plant that is popular for aquascaping in freshwater aquariums. It features dark green to brown leaves with a creeping growth habit and is available for purchase online from several retailers.
Note that some retailers use slightly different names (e.g., "Mini Dark Needle"), which may be interchangeable with "Mini Dark Melawi" but refer to a very similar plant.
Key Care Guidelines
The 'Mini Dark Melawi' is an epiphytic plant, meaning it should be attached to hardscape (rocks, driftwood) rather than planted in the substrate.
- Lighting: Requires low to medium light.
- CO2: Not strictly necessary but recommended for better growth and coloration.
- Planting: Use super glue gel or thread to attach it to a surface. Do not bury the rhizome, as this will cause it to rot.
- Growth Rate: It is a very slow-growing plant.
- Water Parameters: Adapts well to various water parameters, with a recommended pH range of 6-8.
- Propagation: Easily propagated by separating the rhizome.
Visual Characteristics
The plant is prized for its unique appearance and potential iridescence.
- Leaf Color: Leaves range from small, dark green to dark brown, sometimes with coppery or reddish hues on new growth and reddish sheaths.
- Leaf Shape: Features longish, narrow, short-stalked leaves with a slightly wavy margin and a round tip with a small point.
- Flowers: Known to flower frequently when grown underwater.
