Nymphaea lotus – the red or green Tiger Lotus

Nymphaea lotus, der red oder green Tiger Lotus, is a imposing solitary plant for large aquariums.

This lily from Africa and Southeast Asia exists in two different color forms, one green and one red, which are a looker planted side by side. In my aquarium (height: 70 cm) a red and a green Lotus are growing so close together that it looks like an aquarium plant with two colors.

It is very beautiful if the lotus leaves are sticking out from a thick carpet of the Narrow Leaf Sag.

When the Tiger Lotus presents a lot of floating leaves, they can be removed, then again more underwater leaves will be formed (about 1 page per week).

Often it is recommended to keep the tubers cool during the winter. My Lotus has been growing for years throughout in the aquarium without a need for a rest.

The leaf size appears to depend much on the light, CO2 and fertilizer supply. With strong fertilization I had leaves of nearly DinA4 size. Typically, the leaf sizes are approximately 10 cm wide and 10 to 20 cm in length.

The Tiger Lotus regenerates layers from the tuber. The culture is usually easy.