This article was written a while ago for Practical Fish Keeping. It was received very well by all accounts and was printed in February 2012.
This is the raw document and I am hoping to get a PDF version from PFK of the finished article.
Comments appreciated.
Where should I plant Amazon swords in the aquarium?
Amazon swords come in a multitude of size and leaf shape. Typically the ones you will see in the pet shops are Echinodorous Bleheri or Cordifolious. These are large (can grow to 1.5m tall!) and are normally placed in the background. Some of the more colourful swords such as the Rose or even the Rubin are hybrids and these grow to a very large size in the correct conditions. If however you purchase the Echinodorous Tennellus then this is a small plant, and is normally placed in the front to mid ground depending on your layout.
How do I prune them?
Echinodorous species are all rosette plants. This means that a new leaf appears on top of the previous leaves at the plant crown! Think of it like an onion – the leaves grow like onion layers. So to prune them it can be easy – in that you peel them from the crown… if this is not possible – follow the leaf to the crown and cut it off as close to the bottom as possible to minimise rot.
I've read they are heavy root feeders. What does this mean?
This plant species is normally a marginal plant in the wild. They live on the banks of the rivers, very close to the water surface or even totally out! Because of this they feed through their roots – not the leaves – like any plant you may find in your garden. The root mass can be quite large – infact – put a large sword in your tank, leave it for 6 months – then try removing it and move it somewhere else – it is near impossible! They do require plant food blocks / tablets in the substrate – next to the root mass. This is how they will grow best.
Which species can I use in the foreground?
This is a tank layout preference. The most common will be the Echinodorous Tenellus (10cm tall) but others can include E. Latifolius (20cm tall), E. Parviflorous (25cm tall), E. Parviflorous ‘Tropica’ (12cm tall), E. Quadricostatus (5 to 15cm tall). A particular favourite of mine is the E. Rubin Narrow Leaf – which has small 1.5cm wide leaves – it grows to about 15cm tall but can spread to about 25cm wide… you have to think out of the box for this family of plants. Think spread and also watch the growth habits. The majority will grow vertical – but some will grow tall and bend over!
How do I propagate them?
You don’t have to do anything for this plant species to propagate. Give them a good substrate, water and warmth – then they will produce runners in the substrate – or arial runners which will head out of the tank water. New plantlets will form and roots will appear. When the roots reach a reasonable length – cut the runners and plant the new plantlets where you would like them.
My tank is 180 litres. Which species are best for me?
A difficult question… Any Echinodorous will fit – it is down to you as the tank owner to decide. It is how you want your tank to look in the longer time. Remember you need a good deep substrate for the plants to really grow well. Then think height. If you have an totally enclosed tank then look for the smaller varieties. If not then why not go for the monster E. Argentinensis – this can grow to 2.5m tall – BUT it will not grow leaves within the water…
I'm a bit of a plant collector. What is new and rare in the world of amazon swords?
New and Rare – I would look for E. Argentinensis purely because not many people can grow it due to their tank limitations. It is a stunner and in the natural environment has reached 4m. The 2.5m size is easy to attain!
As for rare – well I know there are at least 30 members of this plant genus. The plant itself will readily mutate and hybridise. There are some really interesting ones available such as ‘Indian Red’, ‘Oriental’, ‘Ozelot’, ‘Osiris’, ‘Phyton’, ‘Red Flame’, ‘Red Diamond’, ‘Scaber’, ‘Schlueteri’, ‘Schlueteri Leopard’, ‘Gabrieli’ and ‘Harbich’ to name a few! Some of these are specific to certain growers… others are starting to appear on the open markets.
Should I go potted or bunched with Amazon swords?
This is more of a sales question… but remember with potted – you are buying a plastic pot which may not be of any further use. In any circumstance you want to take the plant and spread out its roots, not compact them. I recommend bunched as they are cheaper. The roots are usually of a good form – but you need to check these at the store you get them from before purchase. They must be white – not brown. The Potted forms however usually when the rockwool is removed show a decent root form.
Do Amazon swords need CO2
No – not really – but with any plant – CO2 will improve growth.
Are they fussy about water conditions?
The main band of water parameters are pH 5 – 8 and temperature can range from 18C to 30C. They are a hardy plant and are all easy to grow. That said someof the more specialised ones I listed earlier can be a little more demanding.
Could I do an Echinodorus only aquascape?
Why not? It would be an interesting design. You would need to really think about layout spacing and different heights. You cannot trim like a stem plant to maintain the scene… an interesting concept. Works in nature – why not indeed.
