Vallisneria: How to Grow & Complete Care Guide

If you’ve been looking for a simple plant to get you started on your aquarium adventures, you should look at Vallisneria. It’s one of the easiest aquatic plants to grow and maintain, making it perfect for first-time fishkeepers.

Vallisneria comes in several varieties, all of which grow fairly tall and can provide a host of benefits to aquarium dwellers. It also adds a nice bright color to your tank.

Here’s everything that you need to know about growing and taking care of this lovely aquatic plant!

Useful Information About Vallisneria

Vallisneria Appearance

Vallisneria is a tall aquatic plant that looks like grass. Since there are different varieties, the height of the plant will vary but can range from 8 inches to 6 feet. The leaves of this plant will also vary depending on the type but will be either twisted, spiraled, or straight in shape. They may also be up to 1 inch across or extremely narrow. However, all varieties of Vallisneria will have rounded tips and tiny spines on the leaf margins.

Vallisneria is green (though the leaves can turn brown or red, depending on the variety and care of the plant) and grows upward to the surface of the water. If they grow tall enough to reach out of the water, the female Vallisneria can produce flowers and seeds. This depends on whether the plant has been pollinated, of course, but when pollinated, the female can produce flowers that are pinkish, white, or green. Seed pods will be tall, with many tiny, rounded seeds covering them. Male Vallisneria will simply break off and float on the water.

Where to Find It?

Vallisneria is an extremely common plant used in aquariums, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding it. You can locate it in your local fish and aquarium store or pet store or find it online at pet stores, specialty stores, and even Amazon. Just be careful when purchasing because occasionally, the plants may be mislabeled, and you might get something else entirely.

General Care

Vallisneria are extremely easy aquatic plants to care for (as long as they’re placed in a suitable environment). They don’t require supplementation; they simply absorb the nutrients trhat they need from the water. They can grow incredibly fast, so you’ll likely need to trim them back often. That means investing in a good pair of aquascaping scissors to deal with them; a straight pair and a curved pair will be your best bet.

You’ll also find there are so many varieties of Vallisneria from which to choose. The ones most commonly included in aquariums are as follows:

Habitat, Tank Conditions & Setup

To properly grow Vallisneria, you’ll need to know the kind of habitat that it thrives in and the tank conditions that it needs.

Tank/Aquarium Size

Vallisneria tends to grow large and can easily overtake a tank. That means it does best in large tanks. It can grow in tanks as small as 10 gallons, though that would require planting a dwarf variety of Vallisneria (and even then, you’d need to prune every once in a while so things don’t get out of hand).

Water Temp & pH

While Vallisneria can grow in temperatures ranging from 59℉ to 86℉, it will thrive best in water that is between 64℉ and 82℉. When it comes to the optimal pH of a tank, shoot for between 6.5 and 8.5, as this plant doesn’t do well in conditions that are overly acidic.

Substrate

Vallisneria is such an easy-going aquarium plant that it will grow in pretty much any substrate (so long as fish produce enough waste). That includes sand and gravel (and sand will slow down the spread of the plant, as it makes it harder to spread roots). However, if fish aren’t producing enough waste, your Vallisneria will need a substrate that is nutrient-rich, as it is a root feeder (or you’ll need to add fertilizer).

Plants

This plant will do fine with other plants, so long as you remember that Vallisneria is a spreader and will take up a lot of space. That means smaller plants in the foreground might be a better pick to go along with this one.

Lighting

Although Vallisneria is often recommended for low-light tanks, its optimal lighting is in the moderate-high lighting range. It will survive in lower light, but it won’t do as well. Moderate lighting is ideal, but high lighting can help the plant maintain the color of its leaves (though they may grow more rapidly, causing more need for pruning).

Filtration

While you don’t need any particular kind of filter to grow Vallisneria, these plants do best in water that is well-filtered. They also do well with a bit of a current (so long as they are anchored), so a power filter that creates movement might be good.

Planting Tips

Planting Vallisneria is relatively easy. You simply need to place the plant’s roots in the substrate using your fingers or tweezers. Just make sure the crown of the plant—an area near the base that will be a lighter color—isn’t underneath the substrate, or the Vallisneria will die. You may want to add root tabs or fertilizer to help them grow in the early stages, but these aren’t essential.

Since Vallisneria grows to be so large, it should be placed at the back of the tank. If you’re using a dwarf variety, though, it should be fine to have it in the mid-ground or at the front of the tank.

The 5 Benefits of Having Vallisneria in Your Aquarium

1. Shelter and Safety

Since Vallisneria is so tall, it makes a great hiding place for small fish and shrimp. They will use this plant as cover and a place to lay eggs.

2. Foraging

This plant can serve as a foraging place for shrimp, fish, and snails and an additional area for the growth of biofilm (a wonderful first food for shrimplets!).

3. Algae Reduction

Vallisneria absorbs nutrients from the tank’s water that would otherwise go toward feeding algae. If algae doesn’t have the resources to grow, you don’t have to deal with it.

4. Improved Water Quality

Among the things that Vallisneria absorbs from the water are CO2, ammonia, heavy metals, and nitrates. In return, it releases oxygen, helping to oxygenate the water column.

5. Aquascaping

Vallisneria is easy to grow and it grows fast, making it a fabulous plant to use in aquascaping. If you’re going for a jungle look, it’s a perfect fit. You could even aquascape your entire tank with this plant with a bit of time and patience!

Concerns About Vallisneria

Although the Vallisneria is an easy aquatic plant for beginners, there are a few things that you should watch out for.

One common mistake for first-time users is planting both the crown of the plant and the roots, which can lead to rotting. You can fix this by lifting the plant gently until the crown is uncovered and then give it time to recover.

Also, you might be getting more than you bargained for when you first bring Vallisneria home. Sometimes, the plant’s facilities will also be home to pests, such as worms and aquarium snails. Check new Vallisneria carefully before placing it in your tank!

Sometimes, the leaves of the Vallisneria will start to wither soon after planting due to your aquarium having different water chemistry than wherever it was previously. Melting can also happen when there are low levels of nitrate and unstable levels of CO2.

However, the main concern with this plant is how fast it spreads and how tall it goes. It may be easy to grow, but it will involve a lot of pruning unless you want a tank full of the stuff.

Final Thoughts

Whether it’s your first time dealing with aquatic plants or you have years of experience, Vallisneria will make a fabulous addition to your tank. This plant will provide a lot of greenery, along with many benefits for your fish and the tank itself.

Vallisneria is wonderful for those placing plants in their aquariums for the first time, as they are simple to grow and fairly low maintenance (though there will be much pruning!). There’s also a wide variety from which to choose, featuring different styles so you can customize your tank however you desire.

You and your fish will quickly fall in love with this aquatic plant!

Related Reads: 

• Ludwigia Repens
• How to Plant & Care For Eelgrass in Your Aquarium

Featured Image Credit: Aquarium with Vallisneria (Damitr, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0)