Amazon Sword is one of the most common background plants in the aquarium hobby, and for good reason — it's beautiful, forgiving, and grows fast. This retail-size potted plant has short stems bearing long, ovoid leaves in dark to bright green with prominent veins, and it will fill out a background quickly under almost any lighting.
Plant Profile
Echinodorus bleheri is native to South American rivers and floodplains, where it grows as a heavy root feeder in nutrient-rich substrate. In the aquarium it grows in a rosette, sending up new leaves from the crown, and given a large enough tank it can eventually reach up to 20 inches — making it a centerpiece plant as much as a background one. Grown emersed, it produces small white flowers above the waterline.
Care & Planting Guide
Remove the plant from its pot and rinse the cotton or rockwool away from the roots before planting into a nutrient-rich substrate. Amazon Sword is a heavy root feeder, so root tabs or a quality aqua soil make a real difference in growth and leaf size. Prune older, yellowing leaves at the base to keep the plant healthy and to stop it from shading out neighboring plants. New plants propagate naturally from side shoots (adventitious shoots) that form along the leaf stems — trim these off once they've developed a few roots and replant them.
A note on "melting": Like most Amazon Swords and Cryptocoryne species, this plant is farm-grown emersed (above water). When you first submerge it, don't be alarmed if the original leaves die back over the first few weeks — this is called melting, and it's a normal part of the transition, not a sign the plant is failing. Emersed leaves are built for air and only have stomata on their underside; once submerged, the plant sheds them in favor of new underwater leaves with stomata on both sides, better suited to absorbing CO2 from the water. New submersed growth typically appears within a few weeks.
Quick Facts
| Common Name |
Amazon Sword |
| Scientific Name |
Echinodorus bleheri |
| Family |
Alismataceae |
| Type |
Rooted |
| Skill Level |
Easy |
| CO2 |
Not Required — helps growth speed but not necessary |
| Requires Aqua Soil |
Beneficial — heavy root feeder, grows best with nutrient-rich substrate or root tabs |
| Light Level |
Medium (40–80 PAR); tolerates most lighting |
| Max Height |
8–11" as sold (retail potted size); up to 20" at maturity |
| Placement |
Background |
| Growth Rate |
Fast |
| Water Parameters |
pH 6.5–7.5 |
| Propagation |
Trim rooted side shoots (adventitious shoots) and replant |
| Origin |
South America (Amazon River basin floodplains) |
| Other |
Also sold as a larger Mother Plant size for an instant centerpiece |
FAQ
Does Amazon Sword need CO2?
No. It grows well without it, but CO2 injection will speed up growth if you want it.
How big does it get?
It ships at 8–11 inches, but in a large tank with rich substrate it can reach up to 20 inches — plan for a background or centerpiece spot with room to grow.
Why do the leaves melt after I plant it?
That's the normal emersed-to-submersed transition — see the note above. New underwater leaves will replace them within a few weeks.
Can it grow emersed?
Yes. Grown emersed (leaves above the waterline), it will even produce small white flowers.
