Vallisneria spiralis · also called Eelgrass, Tape Grass, Italian Val, Straight Vallisneria
🐾 Pet-safe
Generally non-toxic to cats and dogs.
A fast-growing rosette plant with long, ribbon-like leaves that form a flowing grassy curtain across the background. Hardy, undemanding, and excellent for beginners and large display tanks.
ℹ️
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Quick facts
Category
Aquatic Plants
Family
Hydrocharitaceae
Native origin
Southern Europe, North Africa and Asia (cosmopolitan in warm regions)
Care difficulty
Beginner
Light
Medium light
Pet toxicity
Pet-safe
Light
Low to high light. Grows well under moderate light; brighter light increases growth speed and runner production. Tall leaves can shade plants beneath, so account for its height when placing it.
Water
Temp 18-28 C (64-82 F), pH 6.5-8.0, prefers moderately hard, slightly alkaline water (it appreciates harder water and calcium). Sensitive to liquid carbon (glutaraldehyde-based 'liquid CO2') products, which can damage or kill it. Modest water-column dosing is plenty.
Soil & potting
A rooted rosette plant (NOT an epiphyte): plant the crown into the substrate with the white base/crown right at the surface and the rosette not buried (burying the crown causes rot). A root feeder that does well with root tabs in inert sand/gravel; nutrient-rich substrate boosts runner spread.
Environment — humidity, temperature, placement
CO2 not required; this is a classic low-tech background plant. Tolerates a range of flow. Background placement where its tall straps can sway. Sold submersed-adapted; trim leaf tips (do not cut from the base) to manage height without damaging the crown.
Propagation
Spreads aggressively by runners (stolons) that send up new rosettes nearby, quickly forming dense stands. Separate rooted daughter plants and replant to control or expand coverage.
Toxicity detail
Non-toxic and safe with all fish, shrimp, snails, and pets. However, Vallisneria is a vigorous spreader and several species/forms are listed as invasive or noxious in parts of the US, Australia, and New Zealand (e.g. restricted in some Australian states); check local rules before buying. Never release into the wild and dispose of trimmings in the trash, not waterways.
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
Spiralis (green)
The classic tape grass with long, ribbon-like bright-green leaves that form a grassy background jungle.
💡 Easy and fast; moderate light is plenty. Plant the crown above the substrate.
Red / Rubra
Colour form whose ribbon leaves take on reddish-bronze tones, especially toward the tips, under stronger light.
💡 Brighter light brings out the red; in low light the leaves stay green.
