Loh Kwek Leong, of Singapore, writes: When I was in Bangkok, Nid aka Tarepunda gave me a copy of an article she wrote for Nonn Panitvong’s AQUA magazine. She originally wrote it in Thai but she got someone to translate the article into English for me. Her article titled, “Little Star, Aqua Star – The Magnificent One” was published in Vol 2, No. 16 of AQUA. Here is the edited version:

Little Star, Aqua Star – The Magnificent One
Pogostemon helferi

by Nid aka Tarepunda, of Bangkok, Thailand
Aquarticles

About two years ago, I saw many gorgeous planted tanks that were well-maintained by their owners. These fully-planted tanks had lovely aquascapes that made them look very natural. I was inspired by the beautiful tanks I saw, so without hesitation I jumped into the hobby. I had neither knowledge nor experience, and ignoring the warnings from other hobbyists I bought equipment and aquatic plants. Due to my lack of knowledge I failed miserably. The tank looked beautiful when it was first set up but the beauty didn’t last very long. The plants began to die and algae were growing everywhere. Eventually, all the plants died.

I tried a few more times but as before, my attempts to grow aquatic plants failed miserably. Finally, I decided to ask for advice from the more experienced hobbyists. I followed their instructions closely. My plants grew well (in my opinion, anyway) and I began to really enjoy the hobby. I became confident of growing all kinds of aquatic plants and I had many plans and ideas for new aquascapes. I wanted to have a magnificent tank so I changed the aquascape in my tank frequently. I re-arranged the aquascape so often that I started having all sorts of problems in my tank again. Now, I have learnt my lessons. For a long time, from the way the plants kept dying in my tank, it seemed like I was just a plant collector and not a plant grower.

One day, someone told me about a very unusual and unique plant called the Downoi (Little Star). It was also sometimes known as a Downam (Aqua Star). Nobody knew the scientific name of the plant then but now, after confirmation from an expert, we know the scientific name for Downoi is “Pogostemon helferi."

Downoi are in the foreground of this photograph

The Downoi is a cute little plant. It has a jointed stem with roots coming out from all sides of it. The leaves are slightly dark green and the outer sides have a glossy sheen. They are tapered and grow to about 3 to 6 mm in width and about 5 cm in length. In my tank, however, the leaves grow to about only 3 cm in length. The leaves have wavy edges. They look soft but are actually quite hard. They look strong too but can be easily broken. When grown well, the Downoi can achieve between 1 to 1 and a half inches in height. It can be propagated fairly quickly in our tanks by breaking off the branches growing out of the main stems and planting them individually. In nature, the Downoi reproduces itself by seed. The emersed and submersed forms look similar and the Downoi absorbs nutrients from its roots. They grow well in temperatures of between 22 to 28 degrees Celsius and under medium to high light.

After learning about the Downoi, I wanted very much to own one so I asked my fellow hobbyists where I could find it. A kind person gave me one stalk. I was very excited to get the plant and I planted it into my tank immediately. I first planted it into my 30 inch tank because I was afraid that my other tank which was 60 inches wasn’t well-established. I kept looking at the plant every morning and evening. I was afraid that it will die as it was said to be a very difficult plant to grow. Fortunately, however, the plant survived. But it wasn’t growing as well as I had hoped for. It took a long time for the stem to produce just one branch. After about a month, there were only 4 new branches. I was apprehensive about moving the plant at first but I eventually decided to do it. “Whatever happens will happen”, I thought. I pulled out the plant from the tank and transferred it into my 60 inch tank. It grew well in the new tank. The branches sprouted roots and I thought I should separate them from the main stem. I cut off one of the branches and push it into the gravel as gently as I could. I was quite sure that it will survive because there were roots growing from it.

I started off with one and then there were two. Eventually, after separating the new branches from the main stems and planting them individually, I had many of them. They were growing rapidly. I began to insert special fertilizer tabs into the substrate and gave them strong lighting. It worked like a charm. I arranged the plants close to each other and the wavy-edged, slender and glossy leaves looked absolutely beautiful. They looked like a green carpet. Many people who have seen my tank said, “Oh, I didn’t know the Downoi can be used as a foreground plant also. They look awesome!!” I was very proud that I was able to grow them well.

Now, I would like to say a big “Thank You” to the people who have given me precious advice on how to grow aquatic plants successfully. Many thanks to Nonn who brought us the Downoi. Many thanks too to kind Haow who was the person who gave me this unique plant. I started off with one Downoi but today I have 101.

Tank’s size: 60”x 20”x 20”
Tank’s age: 4 months
Lighting system: 4 of 36 watt light bulbs (KOWA 12000K 2 bulbs, KOWA RB37 2 bulbs). Reflector SYLVANIA.
Lighting period: 12 hours a day
Filter system: Classic 21215 EHEIM filter with ceramic rings and EIFI substrate
CO2 system: About 2 bubbles per second running 24 hours a day
Fertiliser: Base fertilizer with a dose of liquid fertilizer every 2 days
Growing medium: River grit 4 to 5 inches deep