Nymphaea lotus · also called Red Tiger Lotus, Green Tiger Lotus, Nymphaea lotus 'Zenkeri', Tiger Lotus 'Zenkeri', Dwarf Water Lily
🐾 Pet-safe
Generally non-toxic to cats and dogs.
A striking bulb plant whose rosette produces arrow-shaped, often red-mottled 'tiger' leaves, available in red and green forms. A dramatic midground centerpiece that can also send pads to the surface.
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Quick facts
Category
Aquatic Plants
Family
Nymphaeaceae
Native origin
Tropical Africa (also Southeast Asia); the aquarium 'Zenkeri' tiger forms are derived from Nymphaea lotus
Care difficulty
Beginner
Light
Medium light
Pet toxicity
Pet-safe
Light
Medium to high light. Stronger light intensifies the red coloration and tiger mottling and keeps the plant producing submersed leaves; low light yields greener, leggier growth and encourages surface pads.
Water
Temp 22-30 C (72-86 F), pH 5.5-7.5, soft to moderately hard water. A heavy feeder; iron-rich water-column dosing deepens red color. Warm water suits it well.
Soil & potting
Grows from a bulb (not a rhizome, not an epiphyte). Place the bulb on or just into the substrate with the growing tip exposed (do not bury the whole bulb - it will rot); roots anchor below. A heavy root feeder that rewards nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs placed near the bulb.
Environment — humidity, temperature, placement
CO2 not required but enhances size, color, and growth rate. Moderate flow. Midground centerpiece. To keep it as a bushy submersed plant, pinch off any lily pads/stalks heading for the surface before they form floating leaves; left alone it can flower at the surface.
Propagation
Mature bulbs produce daughter bulbs and side shoots that can be separated and replanted. Allowing surface pads and flowers can lead to seed; most hobbyists simply divide bulbs or pot up offshoots.
Toxicity detail
Non-toxic and safe with fish, shrimp, snails, and pets. Not restricted for aquarium use, though Nymphaea lotus is a vigorous tropical water lily - never release into the wild, especially in warm climates where it could naturalize; dispose of excess in the trash.
Growth stages
How this plant changes through its life — each stage often has its own care, diet and space needs.
Photo coming soon
Spore / recruit
Aquatic plants and macroalgae establish from spores, seeds, or drifting fragments that settle and attach to substrate or rock. Many freshwater aquarium plants and marine macroalgae also spread readily from a detached piece that takes root or holdfast.
Photo coming soon
Young growth
Young growth puts out its first blades, fronds, or leaves and anchors with roots or a holdfast. Submersed plants may look different from their emersed form, and growth speeds up as the plant adapts to the water's light and nutrients.
Mature
A mature aquatic plant or macroalga reaches its full size and characteristic shape, forming the dense growth, runners, or fronds typical of the species. Established plants spread to fill space and can be divided or trimmed to propagate.
Varieties & cultivars
Natural forms are the wild species; cultivars are selectively-bred colour or variegation forms of the same plant.
Natural forms2
Green Tiger Lotus
Olive-to-green lily pads mottled with darker purple-brown 'tiger' spotting. The green-leaved colour form of Nymphaea lotus.
💡 Bright light keeps the spotting bold; trim surface pads to keep submerged leaves coming.
Red Tiger Lotus
The red-leaf form with deep wine-red to burgundy pads, spotted darker, making a dramatic centrepiece bulb plant.
💡 Needs strong light (and benefits from CO2/root tabs) to develop the deepest red; in low light leaves stay greenish-red.
