How to grow Centrolepis drummondiana (blood vomit)

Centrolepis drummondiana originates from Australia and has been in the hobby for many years. It is often mislabelled in the trade as "Eriocaulon blood vomit" or "Trithuria blood vomit". Later the name was changed to Trithuria lanterna. However, more recently (2019) botanists have changed their minds and it is now classified as Centrolepis Drummondiana. The word "blood vomit" comes from a direct translation of the Chinese commercial name "吐血" and is probably its best known commercial name.

Blood vomit is a small, foreground plant. The leaves are green with a reddish base, making it an attractive two-toned foreground plant. The submerged forms are relatively short, with adult plants being around 1 to 1.2 inches tall. It grows deep roots which can be longer than the leaves. Due to its relative difficulty it is not grown by many aquarists but is usually easy to find commercially. It is grown under water in some nurseries and tissue culture versions can be found in Asia.

Dennis Wong Blood vomit

Relative size compared to adult Neocaridina shrimp, with a row of red Eriocaulon quinquangulare behind, followed by the pink leaves of Cryptocoryne flamingo and the dark red leaves of variegated Alternanthera reneckii (AR) in the background. Being short and demanding, it is not often used in aquascaping as it is easily outcompeted by faster growing plants. An attractive aspect of Blood Vomit as a foreground plant is that it maintains its short height and will not spread without propagation.

It grows well in the aquarium at a steady rate as long as light and CO2 levels are good; under high light (100+ umols)/CO2 and rich substrate the plant will double in mass approximately every month. However, it will deteriorate slowly rather than rapidly if its growth requirements are not met, which can be quite deceptive to inexperienced aquarists as it can be difficult to tell if its growth requirements are being met until it is too late. This is one of the main challenges in keeping them. In cases where it dies quickly - this usually indicates problems with water parameters or poor stock.

This plant should not be shaded. It grows very well in ammonia rich aquasoils (or root tabs with ammonia). It is sensitive to KH and should be kept in low alkaline water. (1-2 KH is ideal). As a short plant - it's important to direct flow/CO2 to the substrate zone. Failure to grow this plant (apart from its soft water requirements) is most commonly due to poor CO2 control and weak lighting.

You can grow this plant alongside plants that prefer hard water (such as Pogostemon helferi 'red' shown here) by raising the GH of the tank but keeping the KH low.

It grows in a rosette and does not produce runners like other foreground plants. To propagate this plant, large rosettes can be split into several smaller sections. (either with a razor or delicate fingers). In some specimens there may be a clear separation of the axillary buds, separating these buds is easy.

blood vomit root system

Centrolepis drummondiana has an extensive root system. In this specimen you can see the separation of the axillary bud (the leaves converge at two different points) - the plant is ready to split (blue line).

Healthy adult specimens are hardy and take transport well. It will readily acclimatize to new environments as long as its growth requirements are met (mainly sufficient light/CO2 and low KH).

Nitrate limitation may increase the redness of Blood vomit; the reddish part at the base extends further towards the tips. The leaves can be susceptible to algae. However, it seems quite resistant to Excel/H2O2 and takes spot treatment well.

Key success factors

Low KH (3 dKH and below).
Good amounts of light and CO2 at the substrate level.
Grows fast in ammonia rich aquasoils.
Prevent larger, faster growing plants from shading it (even HC can smoother it over time).

How to get it redder

Stronger lighting
Good growth parameters with nitrate limitation. However, N limited plants are less robust and grow more slowly

Buying guide

Healthy plants should feel stiff to the touch rather than soft. Leaves should be erect rather than limp. Avoid mushy plants at all cost - weak plants will find it more difficult to transition to the new tank environment.
Roots should be bright white rather than brown.
Larger plants are more robust