Grown in-vitro in a sterile lab, this Tissue Culture cup of Helanthium (Echinodorus) Tenellus — also called Dwarf Chain Sword — arrives free of pests, algae, and snails. This grass-like carpeting plant spreads by runners and, once established, forms a dense green foreground lawn.
| Skill Level |
Moderate |
| CO2 |
Optional (recommended for compact carpet growth) |
| Requires Aqua Soil |
Recommended |
| Type |
Rooted |
| Max Height |
2-3" |
| Placement |
Foreground |
| Light Level |
Medium to High (approx. 50-90 PAR) |
| Origin |
North America |
| Other |
Also available Potted. Can also work as a short background plant in nano tanks. |
Care & Planting: Rinse tissue culture gel off, then separate into small clumps and plant with tweezers a couple inches apart to let runners fill in.
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.
