Staurogyne repens

Also sold as S. repens · Stauro

Synonyms Stauro repens

Staurogyne repens is a carpeting plant for the foreground and the midground, growing to about 10 cm (3.9 in) at a moderate pace. It wants 68–82°F (20–28°C), low light and CO₂ if you have it, and counts as a medium-difficulty plant to keep alive.

At a glance

Type	Carpeting plant
Light	LowThe least light it survives in, not the light it looks best in.
CO₂	RecommendedWhether it survives without added CO₂ — not whether CO₂ would help it grow faster.
Difficulty	Medium
Temperature	68–82°F (20–28°C)
Max height	10 cm (3.9 in)Grown submersed, left to mature, never trimmed.
Growth rate	Moderate
Placement	planted in the foreground and the midground
pH	6–8

Before it goes in

Staurogyne repens lives under a plain low-light LED — it does not need a planted-tank lamp to survive.
CO₂ is not required, but without it expect slow growth and a thinner result.
It feeds through its roots, so in plain sand or gravel it needs root tabs; in an aquasoil it does not.
Expect it to melt back a few weeks after planting and regrow from the roots — pulling it out at that point is the mistake.
In too little light it stretches upward instead of running sideways, and the carpet never closes.
Its leaves are soft: Goldfish, Common Pleco and Molly will eat it.
It needs about 3 weeks to root. Fish that dig — Goldfish and Common Pleco — will lift it before then.

Can it grow without CO₂?

Yes, but slowly. Staurogyne repens is listed as CO₂-recommended, not CO₂-required: without injection it survives and grows, it just takes far longer to fill in.

How much light does it need?

Low light is enough — and that is the survival line, not the “it looks better” line. Below it, this one stretches instead of spreading.

How big does it get?

About 10 cm (3.9 in) tall when it is mature and untrimmed, growing at a moderate pace, after roughly 3 weeks to root in.

Why is it melting?

That is normal for this one. It usually drops its existing leaves a few weeks after planting and regrows from the roots — leave it in place and it comes back.

Will my fish eat it?

Its leaves are soft, so some will: Goldfish, Common Pleco and Molly.

What it goes with

Plants that run on the same light and CO₂, so they can share a tank without one of them being the odd one out: Hygrophila corymbosa 'Siamensis', Water Sprite, Anubias nana 'Petite' and Cryptocoryne wendtii.
Animals that share its temperature range and will not eat or uproot it: Betta, Cherry Shrimp, Angelfish and Bristlenose Pleco.

Often compared with

	Staurogyne repens	Pygmy Chain Sword	Downoi
Light	Low	Low	Medium
CO₂	Recommended	Recommended	Recommended
Max height	10 cm	10 cm	8 cm
Difficulty	Medium	Easy	Advanced

More plants

Plan a tank with Staurogyne repens →

Sources (4) · checked Sep 2026