- Sku:
- Vendor: Squeaky's Aquatics
Staurogyne 'Porto Velho' - Potted
Staurogyne 'Porto Velho' is the moody, refined cousin of the familiar Staurogyne repens: collected near Porto Velho in the Brazilian Amazon, it grows slimmer, elongated leaves in shades of deep green and bronze that can flush reddish-purple under strong light. It forms the same dense, low foreground bushes aquascapers love, with a texture and color you will not get from any other foreground plant. Browse the rest of our live freshwater plants to complete the layout.
Care Guide
- Planting: split the pot into small plantlets and set them an inch apart in the foreground. Pinching the tops early encourages sideways branching into a carpet of low bushes.
- Light: moderate to high. Good light keeps it compact and brings out the bronze and purple tones; in low light it grows greener and leggier.
- Feeding: happiest with nutrients at the roots, so plant it in aquasoil or push a root tab under the patch, and dose Seachem Flourish in the water column.
- CO2: not required, but it noticeably tightens growth and deepens color. A patient low-tech keeper still gets nice bushes.
- Water parameters: 72 to 82°F, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Stable, clean water suits it best.
- Trimming: shear the tops every few weeks like a hedge; replant healthy trimmings to thicken the patch.
Specifications
| Scientific name | Staurogyne sp. 'Porto Velho' |
| Common names | Staurogyne Porto Velho |
| Sold as | Potted plant, splits into several plantlets |
| Care level | Easy to moderate |
| Placement | Foreground to low midground |
| Height | 2 to 4 inches kept trimmed |
| Light | Moderate to high for best color |
| CO2 | Optional, improves density and color |
| Temperature | 72 to 82°F |
| pH | 6.0 to 7.5 |
| Growth | Slow to moderate, spreads by side shoots |
| Pickup | In-store pickup at Squeaky's Aquatics |
Placement & Companions
Use it exactly where you would use Staurogyne repens, as low bushes along the hardscape line, but reach for Porto Velho when you want darker, moodier tones against bright greens like Monte Carlo. Completely shrimp safe and a favorite grazing spot for Neocaridina; fine with all community fish.
Recommended Supplies
- Aquarium Co-Op Easy Root Tabs feed the patch
- Seachem Flourish water-column supplement
FAQ
Porto Velho or Staurogyne repens?
Same job, different mood. Repens is brighter green with broader leaves; Porto Velho is slimmer-leaved with bronze and purple undertones. Many aquascapers run both for contrast.
Do I need CO2?
No, but expectations matter: without it, growth is slower and looser. With CO2 and good light it packs into dense, colorful cushions.
Why did some leaves melt after planting?
Its emersed nursery leaves often swap out for submerged growth. Keep the roots fed and the new growth comes in with the true submerged form and color.
How do I make it spread faster?
Trim early and often. Every pinched tip triggers side shoots, and replanted trimmings fill gaps. Root feeding does the rest.
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Staurogyne 'Porto Velho' - Potted
