Bucephalandra gigantea (Bucephalandra gigantea) care guide

Group
Plants
Family
Araceae (arum family)
Origin
Borneo
Water
freshwater
Temperature
22–27°C
pH
5.5–7
Hardness
Soft: 1–8 dGH (estimate)
Care level
intermediate
Lighting
Low to medium light; CO2 helpful
Flow
Gentle to moderate flow appreciated

Care

Bucephalandra gigantea, described by Bogner, is one of the larger species of the genus, from Borneo. Wikipedia's genus page gives no further details about it. Bucephalandra (family Araceae) are rheophytes from Borneo, growing as dense mats on stones and rocks in streams and rivers in moist tropical forest. They have creeping, rooting stems and glossy leaves from dark blue-green to green, sometimes flecked white, yellow or red. Hobbyists value them for slow growth, varied leaf shapes and iridescent colours, much as Anubias and Java fern. Attach the rhizome to rock or wood with thread or glue and never bury it. In the hobby they are grown in low to medium light, with CO2 helping; strong light encourages algae on the slow leaves. Many plants in the trade carry locality names rather than confirmed species names. Water figures are our estimate, not from the sources. Sources: Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucephalandra); Wikipedia, List of freshwater aquarium plant species. Checked October 2026.

Breeding

Cut the rhizome into pieces with a few leaves each and attach them as before. Side shoots form slowly along older rhizomes.

Compatibility and tank mates

Tough leaves are ignored by most fish; good with shrimp, which graze the leaves. Suits soft-water tropical tanks, nano tanks and paludariums.

Last updated 8 October 2026. Community-edited care guide on Aquatic-Auctions.

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