Amazon sword plant is also known as Echinodorus, is a genus of plants in the family Alismataceae and dispersed from the Western Hemisphere, the USA into Argentina.
Typically they are light to dark green colored plants. I would say though, that traditionally they are more of a light green colored plant, very rarely do I see Amazon sword plants very dark in color, and typically when I do see them dark in color, they’re in a tank with really low light.
Contrary to popular belief, when you have plants under really high lighting, some plants typically don’t turn darker. Some plants turn actually brighter, and with
Amazon sword, it seems like that’s the case. So if you have this plant under low to medium light, I would say you can expect more of a darker color.
But if you have it under high light, you can expect probably more of a light green color which in my opinion is the most beautiful color that this plant can offer.
I really like light green colors in plants, I feel it really makes a tank looks so bright and beautiful. So that’s the color you can expect with amazon sword aquarium plant.
Amazon Sword Plant Care Is Easy
Growing Amazon Sword is not difficult at all and you can use a low-tech aquarium for this kind of plant. This plant is for beginners, please check the table below.
| pH | 6.5 – 7.5 |
| Temperature | 72 – 82 °F |
| Light | Moderate (8-10 Hours per day) |
| Placement | Background |
| Care Level | Moderate |
Amazon Sword Propagation
So with Amazon sword, they produce these long stems that grow out from the middle of this plant kind of like a rose, and the little stem that grows out of the middle and then eventually, once it gets to a certain height I would say about 4-5 inches, it will produce a plant and then it’ll grow again, it will produce a plant so that’s how they propagate themselves.
So there’s really nothing special you have to do to propagate this plant. You just got to let it grow, let it mature, let it get to its adult size. Or maybe not, I’ve had some “Amazon sword” that are pretty tiny and they produce those little stems and propagate themselves.
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Can you the split amazon sword?
Yes, typically what most people do is, they will cut and split the stem off once it gets to a certain height or has a certain amount of plants growing off of that stem and they will then plant those little tiny plants in their substrate.
And I think that’s the best way to go, because if you let these plants or if you let the plants that have grown on that stem if you let that free float in the water attached to the plant I really don’t believe they will grow that fast. Because they’re not in the substrate, they’re not getting any nutrients from their roots. So it’s pretty much best to just cut those off, and plant them down into your substrate.
Amazon Sword Plant Growth
As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, this plant can tolerate low light to high light. I would say though, use caution when growing this plant under high light. Because I have seen some Amazon sword develop leaf burn under really high lights.
Light For This Plant
So I would say, if you’re going to be using high light on your tank, probably it’s best to grow Amazon sword in a really tall tank, that way there’s plenty of separation between your light fixture, and your Amazon sword. If you’re going to use a really shallow tank, then you might run into a problem with leaf burn, if you’re going with Amazon sword really close to high light.
So typically I’ll just say that it’s best to grow Amazon sword under low to medium light. they will develop more of a darker color, but it’s best not to risk growing them under really high light, and burning their leafs, because the plant it’s not going to look really attractive, it’s going to develop little brown spots, and that’s going to make your tank look gross.
So pretty much low to medium light is good, it can tolerate high light but I would say keep the light pretty far away from the Amazon sword.
Fertilizer And Co2 For Amazon Sword plants
Now as for the fertilization, pretty much Amazon sword, just like any plant, can benefit from Co2 injection. So if you are using Co2 on your planted tank, that is a really good thing to do, because that is just a little insurance for your plated tank, that gives your plants a little extra kick, something natural that they consume in the wild.
Substrate For This Plant
So if you’re using Co2, good. But this plant also likes a really good substrate, its roots very heavily, so it likes to really uptake a lot of nutrients through its roots. So, a really good substrate is beneficial to this plant. ADA soil, Eco complete, Seachem Flourite… any substrate would be beneficial, any substrate that is really high in nutrients.
How fast is it grow?
If you’re buying a substrate that’s not high in nutrients, try using some root tabs placing them around the base of the Amazon sword. They love nutrients, and they grow best and fast. As far as liquid nutrients I would recommend that as well. But it’s not entirely necessary if you have good substrate and Co2.
If you don’t have Co2, but you have a good substrate, then I would recommend that you use liquid nutrients. This plant does love nutrients, it’s not a plant that can grow in just plain gravel.
Where This Plant Grows Best In Your Planted Tank?
As I said at the beginning of the blog, Amazon sword plant does get quite large, so they are best for a larger scale tank, and what I mean by a larger scale is, a planted tank with really large plants with really big leafs.
What Type Of Planted Tank This Plant Is Good For?
It’s not a plant that pairs well with those really tiny leafs or tiny stems. It’s not a plant that will look really good, it doesn’t match the scale. This plant is best for larger scale tanks and typically best to be planted in the background.
Because once it does get really big if it’s not planted in the background of your tank, but it’s planted in the middle of the foreground, it’s going to look really awkward.
It’s going to hide your tank, so you’re not able to appreciate your fish or your other plants that are behind that so plant this plant in the background of your planted tank. Because that’s where it grows best, and that’s where it looks the best in a planted tank.
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