Echinodorus Horemanii Red Sword

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Horemanii Red Sword; Red Horemanii Sword

Synonyms

Echinodorus uruguayensis (misapplied); Aquarius uruguayensis

Environment

Freshwater

Native to

Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay

Habitat

Slow to moderately flowing, cool, soft, acidic rivers and rivulets of subtropical South America, growing submersed or emersed along margins depending on water level.

Sourcing

Captive-bred

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Moderate

Growth form

Rosette

Max height

6 – 20 in (15 – 51 cm)

Spread

14 in (36 cm)

Growth rate

Slow

Placement

Background

Water

Temperature

68 – 78 °F (20 – 26 °C)

pH

6.5 – 7.5

GH

4 – 12 dGH

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

Medium

CO₂

Beneficial

Planting

Substrate

Nutrient-rich preferred

Feeds from

Roots

Fertilizer needs

High

Colors

Red, Green, Brown

Feeding & breeding

Propagation

Adventitious plantlets

Something wrong or missing? Submit a correction

Care guide

Overview

New leaves emerge fully red along with the stem, while older foliage shifts toward green but keeps a red outline. This rosette-forming sword is a slow, heavy root feeder best suited to background placement in larger tanks, doing well planted directly in nutrient-rich substrate or fed via root tabs, whether grown emersed or fully submerged.

Care

This sword rewards a well-fed substrate and moderate to strong lighting with deep red-brown coloration on its broad, wavy leaves; under weaker light or poor nutrition the color fades toward green. It is a slow grower and a heavy root feeder, so a substrate depth of a few inches with root tabs or aquasoil beneath the crown makes the biggest difference in both size and color. CO2 injection is not mandatory but noticeably speeds growth and intensifies color, and the plant tolerates a fairly wide temperature range though it does best on the cooler side of tropical.

Planting & trimming

Plant the crown directly in the substrate with roots covered but the growing point left exposed at surface level, since a buried crown rots from the center outward. Give it several inches of nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs placed beneath where the crown will sit, and space it well away from neighboring plants to allow its broad, arching leaves room to spread. It can be grown emersed in a paludarium setting or started that way before transitioning underwater, though expect some leaf melt during the switch.

Fertilizing

As a heavy root feeder, this plant depends more on substrate nutrition than on water column dosing, so push root tabs into the substrate near the crown every few weeks and pair this with a liquid iron or all-in-one fertilizer for the leaves. Yellowing leaves, pinholes, or stalled growth are almost always nutrient deficiency rather than disease, and usually resolve once root feeding is corrected. In inert gravel setups, root tabs become essential rather than optional since the substrate itself offers little.

Propagation

Propagation is mainly through adventitious plantlets that form along an aerial floral stalk rather than through runners along the substrate. Each plantlet should be left attached to the mother plant until it has developed four or five leaves and its own root system, at which point it can be cut free and planted separately. Flowering and plantlet production is more reliable when the plant is allowed to grow emersed or has its leaves breach the water surface.

Problems

Newly planted specimens, especially those converted from emersed nursery growth, commonly melt back their older leaves within the first few weeks before pushing a stronger submersed flush. Algae on the older, slow-growing leaves is a frequent complaint and usually points to excess light relative to available nutrients or weak flow rather than a flaw in the plant itself. A crown buried too deep in the substrate is prone to rot at the growing point, so the rhizome crown should always sit at or just above the substrate line.

Sources

1. Horemanii Red Sword – Echinodorus horemanii 'Red' – Aquarium Plants Factory
2. Echinodorus horemanii – Care, Propagation & Growth in Aquariums
3. Horemanii sword care: light, CO2 and placement · TankBud
4. Echinodorus Horemanii Red Care Guide | Melbourne Tropical

More Swords

Echinodorus HarbichEchinodorus ImpaiEchinodorus Major/MartiiEchinodorus MuricatusEchinodorus Parviflorus