Echinodorus Red Flame

Quick facts

Identity

Also known as

Red Flame Sword

Synonyms

Echinodorus schlueteri 'Leopard' x barthii; Echinodorus 'Ozelot Green' (related form)

Environment

Freshwater

Native to

Captive-bred variety

Habitat

No wild habitat; parent species originate from soft-substrate streams, ditches and swamps of South America where they grow submersed in the wet season and emersed as water levels drop

Sourcing

Aquacultured

Conservation

Not Evaluated

Care

Care level

Easy

Growth form

Rosette

Max height

6 – 20 in (15 – 51 cm)

Spread

16 in (41 cm)

Growth rate

Moderate

Placement

Midground, Background

Water

Temperature

72 – 82 °F (22 – 28 °C)

pH

6.5 – 7.5

GH

4 – 18 dGH

Flow

Low-Moderate

Light

Medium

CO₂

Beneficial

Planting

Substrate

Nutrient-rich required

Feeds from

Roots

Fertilizer needs

High

Colors

Red, Brown, Green

Feeding & breeding

Propagation

Rhizome division, Plantlets, Adventitious plantlets

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Care guide

Overview

Bright to blood-red leaf coloration marks this sword out among faster-coloring background plants. It roots heavily and should be planted directly into a nutrient-rich substrate, with root tabs added if the substrate is inert. Growth proceeds equally well emersed or submersed, and overall care is easy and undemanding.

Care

A hardy rosette plant that tolerates a wide range of lighting from low to high, though brighter light with a strong red spectrum brings out the deepest spotting and bronze-red tones on new leaves. It builds a substantial root mass over time and does best when the crown is left sitting right at the substrate surface rather than buried. Growth is steady to fast once established, and older outer leaves should be trimmed away periodically to keep the rosette tidy and to make room for new growth.

Planting & trimming

Plant the roots into a nutrient-rich substrate while keeping the crown exposed at the surface to avoid rot, spacing individual plants generously since the rosette and root system both expand considerably with age. It is typically shipped in its emersed form with plainer green leaves, and the more colorful spotted red foliage only appears after a few weeks of submersed growth. It can also be grown emersed in a paludarium, where mature specimens may send up flowering stalks.

Fertilizing

As a heavy root feeder, this sword depends more on substrate nutrition than on water column dosing, so root tabs pushed near the root zone or a nutrient-rich substrate base are the priority. Iron and other micronutrients supplied through the substrate or a liquid fertilizer intensify the red and brown coloration, particularly on newly emerging leaves. Pale or washed-out new growth usually signals a lack of iron or overall substrate nutrients rather than a lighting problem.

Propagation

Established plants send up long flower stalks that develop small adventitious plantlets along their length; these can be left to grow a few roots while still attached, then cut free and planted separately. Older, crowded specimens can also be propagated by dividing the crown and root mass into separate sections, each retaining enough roots to reestablish on its own.

Problems

Older leaves naturally yellow and decline as the plant redirects energy to new growth, and these should be removed rather than left to decay in the tank. Shipping or replanting stress can cause some leaf melt, but the plant typically recovers and pushes fresh leaves within a few weeks once roots settle in. Poor substrate nutrition shows up as smaller, pale, or less spotted new leaves, while algae can settle on older foliage in high-light, low-flow setups.

Sources

1. Echinodorus 'Ozelot Red' - EpicAquatics
2. Echinodorus Ozelot Red - Spotted Amazon Sword Plant
3. Ozelot sword care: light, CO2 and placement - TankBud
4. Red Ozelot Sword Live Aquarium Plant for Freshwater Tanks - Canton Aquatics

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