Moneywort: the tough round-leaved stem
Bacopa monnieri
A slow, near-indestructible stem plant that grows in almost any aquarium.
Where it comes from
Bacopa monnieri grows in wetlands across nearly every continent, from India and Southeast Asia to Africa, Australia and the Americas. It is an amphibious marsh plant, equally happy submersed underwater or creeping across wet mud at the margins.
You may know it by another name: as Brahmi it has a long history in traditional herbal medicine. In the aquarium it is sold simply as moneywort, one of the most reliable beginner stems on the market.
What to expect
Moneywort produces upright, unbranched stems lined with pairs of thick, rounded, slightly succulent leaves. The look is neat and orderly — quite different from the lacy, feathery texture of plants like cabomba — which makes it a good structural contrast in a planted layout.
Under bright light it stays compact with short internodes; in dimmer tanks it stretches taller and more open. Both forms are healthy.
How to keep it
There is very little to get wrong. Moneywort tolerates a huge range of temperature, pH and hardness, needs no CO2, and grows slowly enough that it rarely needs trimming. That slow growth is its main trade-off — it is not a fast nutrient sponge like hornwort.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Low to high — denser and lower in brighter light |
| CO2 | Not required |
| Temperature | 15–30 °C |
| pH | 6.0–8.0 |
| Hardness | Soft to hard |
| Fertiliser | Undemanding; light water-column feeding |
| Substrate | Any |
| Growth rate | Slow to moderate |
| Placement | Midground, Background |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Where it works and how to spread it
Use moneywort in the midground or background in small groups. Propagation could not be simpler: cut a healthy top, strip the lowest pair of leaves, and push the stem into the substrate. It roots readily from the nodes. Because it grows slowly, a group stays tidy for weeks between trims.
What goes wrong
Moneywort rarely fails outright, but new plants grown emersed by the nursery often shed their first set of leaves as they convert to submersed growth — see our guide to plant melt. Do not throw the stem away; the new submersed leaves that follow are the ones that stay. Persistent thin, pale growth usually means it wants a little more light or a trace of iron.
More plants in this series
- Bacopa caroliniana — the lemon-scented cousin
- Water wisteria (Hygrophila difformis) — the shape-shifting stem plant
- Hygrophila polysperma — the ultra-reliable beginner stem
- Hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum) — the fast-growing water purifier