| Common Name(s) | Japanese Bamboo plant |
| Scientific Name | Blyxa Japonica |
| Origin | Japan, China, Taiwan, Papua New Guinea |
| Ease of Growing | Easy |
| Aquacape | mid-ground plant |
| Height | 4-8 inches (10-20 cm) |
| pH | 5.5-7.0 |
| Temperature | 70-82°F (21-28°C) |
| Growth Rate | Moderate to Fast |
| Propagation | Separate and replant side shoots |
| Light Requirement | Medium to High |
| CO2 Requirement | CO2 is recommended |
Blyxa Japonica Care
Blyxa Japonica, also known as Japanese Bamboo Plant, is an aquatic plant that grows naturally in shallow pools of fresh water. They are commonly found in Japan, and it has a grass-like appearance with attractive long blades. Since it helps add dimension when planted in a tank, they are popular for use in aquascaping.
While this is a relatively easy aquarium plant to care for, growing this plant to its full potential requires some knowledge. The plant in a less than ideal condition may appear leggy or unattractive. Understanding the optimum condition for the plant will allow you to grow the most robust plant.
When placed in the right condition, Blyxa Japonica can be an awesome addition to your planted tank or aquascape.
Water Condition
The water condition is an important factor for success for Blyxa Japonica. Both temperature and pH level play into the health of your plant. The water in your tank will play one of the most important roles, and without the right water quality your plants likely will not survive or thrive.
An ideal temperature range for Blyxa Japonica is between 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 82 degrees Fahrenheit. Fortunately, this temperature range is likely similar to other plants in your aquascape as well.
The ideal pH level for Blyxa Japonica care is a range between 5.5 and 7.0.
Light Requirement
After water conditions, the aquarium light is the next factor to consider in Blyxa Japonica care.
Similar to other plants, aquatic plants need light to go through photosynthesis. In the wild, Blyxa Japonica naturally occurs in shallow water where they can receive an abundance of natural light.
When you’re replicating this in your tank, you’ll want to ensure that your plant is getting plenty of light to ensure its survival.
CO2
The third factor for success in Blyxa Japonica care is the CO2 level in your tank. All other factors in place, Blyxa Japonica does not need much additional CO2 to thrive. However, adding additional CO2 to your tank can help ensure that your tank does not accumulate algae, which is a risk if CO2 levels are too low.
Additionally, in case the lighting for your tank is less than optimal, it’s a good idea to add liquid CO2 to your tank to help balance the environment and ensure success for your plant.
Blyxa Japonica Aquascape
This plant requires several key factors to ensure it grows well in your aquascape. To ensure your Blyxa Japonica thrives, you’ll need to monitor the water condition, light, and CO2 levels of your aquarium.
Once you’ve ensured these factors are appropriate for your Blyxa Japonica plant, you can be certain that you’ve set the plant up to thrive in your aquascape.
Blyxa Japonica Growth Height
The height of Blyxa Japonica can vary based on the conditions that it is placed in. On average, you can expect a fully mature Blyxa Japonica to grow to 4-8 inches under optimal conditions.
If your Blyxa Japonica is not reaching this height, focus on the conditions mentioned in our earlier sections to ensure your plant will grow and thrive.
Since they aren’t tall plants, they are great for mid-ground plants. For large aquascape, it may be suitable as a foreground plant as well.
How to Plant Blyxa Japonica
Planting Blyxa Japonica is a fairly easy process.
To begin, you’ll want to trim your Blyxa Japonica’s roots to make it easier to place in your substrate.
To plant Blyxa Japonica, simply place the sprigs of the plant into the substrate, which will allow it to take root and prevent it from floating away.
As you’re trimming and planting your Blyxa Japonica remember to keep it moist or in water to prevent it from drying out.
Can You Grow Blyxa Japonica Emersed?
Blyxa Japonica is in fact a 100% aquatic plant, and cannot be grown emersed.
Growing a plant emersed means that it grows partially in water and partially out. Many plants used in aquascaping or in aquarium tanks can grow emersed.
Another term used in aquascaping that you’ll hear often is a “dry start”. This means that you begin growing a plant outside of water before placing it in your tank. For Blyxa Japonica, a dry start is not a suitable growing process.
To ensure success for your Blyxa Japonica, do not attempt to grow this plant emersed; instead you should ensure your Blyxa Japonica is grown 100% in water.
Does Blyxa Japonica Flower?
In addition to the attractive grass-like blades of Blyxa Japonica, the plant can also produce small white flowers on its “blades”, or the stems of the plant. However, the plant does not flower often and many never see their Blyxa Japonica flower at all.
Blyxa Japonica are most likely to flower in a mature plant, so don’t stress if yours doesn’t flower immediately after planting it. Ensuring that conditions are optimal (water quality, lighting, and CO2) will help give your Blyxa Japonica the greatest chance for success.
Does Blyxa Japonica Turn Red?
Although many assume Blyxa Japonica should always be bright green, its actually very normal for the plant to turn a rusty shade of red as well. Many assume that this is a bad thing, or that your plant is not in optimal conditions.
However, quite the opposite is true. When grown in a nutrient rich environment, this can trigger Blyxa Japonica to change shades to a dark red color. Sometimes the entire plant will change, but likely you’ll see this start with just portions of the plant.
High levels of CO2 and light can cause the plant to change shades. Additionally, adding fertilizer will potentially result in a color change for your Blyxa Japonica (as well as increase the growth rate in your tank).
Can You Grow a Blyxa Japonica Carpet?
Blyxa Japonica is in fact a great option for aquarists looking to grow a carpet plant, although it can take longer to grow and spread than other typical carpet plants used in aquascaping.
While Blyxa Japonica is a faster growing plant in terms of all aquatic plants, compared to other carpet plants it can be a little slower growing than the others. With a little patience though, Blyxa Japonica can create a beautiful carpet in your aquascape.
To encourage a faster growth rate, focus on the three main factors listed above for Blyxa Japonica care.
Blyxa Japonica Growth Rate
Growth rate is often a top concern of those adding Blyxa Japonica to their aquascape.
Blyxa Japonica is one of the faster growing aquatic plants, and by ensuring the three main factors of CO2, water quality, and light are at the proper levels, this plant can really take off and spread throughout your tank.
If you are not seeing the desired growth rate with your plant, focus on these three factors to help increase the growth rate of Blyxa Japonica. You can also supplement growth with fertilizers if desired.
Why is my Blyxa Japonica not growing?
The main factors affecting Blyxa Japonica’s growth rate are the water quality, light levels, and CO2 levels, in that order; ensuring these conditions are optimal will be the key to ensuring growth for the plant.
If your Blyxa Japonica is not growing as fast as you’d like, or is looking less attractive, focus first on ensuring your water quality is optimal for the plant. A pH level within 5.0 and 7.0 and a tank temperature within 73 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit will help ensure success for your plant.
Next, lighting is a key factor for success, and one of the main factors in determining your Blyxa Japonica’s color. Higher levels of light typically yield your Blyxa Japonica turning a reddish brown color.
Last, CO2 is an important factor in your Blyxa Japonica’s health as well. Ensure optimal CO2 levels by adding liquid CO2 to your tank as necessary.
Blyxa Japonica Propagation
Let’s talk a little about propagation of Blyxa Japonica.
Blyxa Japonica is an aquatic plant that can be very easily propagated, which is one of the benefits of using this plant in your aquascape.
To propagate Blyxa Japonica, you’ll simply pull the plant up gently with the roots intact. You’ll notice that one bush of Blyxa Japonica is in fact made up of many individual plants that can be easily separated.
From here, separate one of the plants from the main bush. Feel free to do additional too if you desire.
Plant your mini plants in a separate substrate from the mother plant. This will allow them to develop their own root systems and establish the plant as a new plant rather than an offshoot of the mother plant.
This process can be repeated as desired. Because of the easy of propagating Blyxa Japonica and its relatively high growth rate, the propagation process can be repeated many times to greatly increase your number of plants.
Blyxa Japonica as an Aquarium Plant
Blyxa Japonica care really revolves around the three key factors for success: water quality, lighting, and CO2 levels. Once these three conditions are aligned to the plant’s needs, you’ll see your Blyxa Japonica grow and thrive.
Aside from ensuring your plant will thrive, there’s a number of other elements of Blyxa Japonica such as flowering, propagation, and color change that you can observe with your plant.
All of these factors combined, it’s easy to see why Blyxa Japonica is a popular plant used in aquascaping.