Save the Little Fish

Sign in
Amazon sword, Echinodorus grisebachii 'Bleherae'

Plant · Rosette

Amazon sword

Echinodorus grisebachii 'Bleherae' · Central and South America · also Echinodorus bleheri, Echinodorus amazonicus, Echinodorus paniculatus (trade name)

Photo: Salvatore vitale, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is a heavy root feeder, so give it a rich substrate or push root tabs in near it every couple of months. Keep the crown (where the leaves meet) above the gravel or it rots, and trim big outer leaves so it does not shade everything below.

At a glance

Light

Low light

CO₂

No CO₂

Growth

Steady growth

Where it goes

Middle

Temperature

20–28°C

pH

6–8

Height in a tank

20–50 cm 8–20 in

Difficulty

Easy

What it does for your tank

A big, classic centrepiece whose broad leaves give shade and are used by angelfish and other egg-layers for spawning.

Fish that eat or uproot it

Goldfish, silver dollars and large cichlids tear or uproot it, and some plecos rasp holes in the leaves.

Growing more

Baby plants grow on long flower stems; let them root, then cut them free and plant them.

Grows well with

Same light and temperature, but a different spot in the tank, so they fill it out together.

Amazon frogbit

Amazon frogbit

Plant · FloatingEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Fast growth
  • Floats
  • 20–27°C

Long dangling roots shelter fry, bettas and gouramis, and the plant soaks up nitrate fast.

Central and South America

Amazon frogbit

Limnobium laevigatum

Central and South America

Temperature
20–27°C
pH
5–8
Height
2–6 in · 5–15 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Fast
Goes
Floating
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Sends out runners with new plants that break off on their own.

Goldfish and some snails eat the spongy leaves; strong filter flow pushes it under and kills it.

Full care guide

Photo: Cardex, Public domain

Anubias barteri

Anubias barteri

Plant · RhizomeEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Slow growth
  • On wood, rock
  • 22–26°C

Tough leaves give shade and spawning spots and survive plecos and cichlids.

West Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Bioko)

Anubias barteri

Anubias barteri var. barteri

West Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Bioko)

Temperature
22–26°C
pH
6–7.5
Height
10–18 in · 25–45 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Slow
Goes
On wood or rock
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut the rhizome into pieces with a few leaves each.

Herbivorous fish leave its tough leaves alone; big cichlids may uproot it.

Full care guide

Photo: Tocekas, CC BY-SA 3.0

Anubias nana

Anubias nana

Plant · RhizomeEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Slow growth
  • On wood, rock
  • 22–28°C

Tough, low leaves that bottom fish and plecos rest on and that do well in shady corners.

West Africa (Cameroon)

Anubias nana

Anubias barteri var. nana

West Africa (Cameroon)

Temperature
22–28°C
pH
5–8
Height
2–6 in · 5–15 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Slow
Goes
On wood or rock
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut the rhizome into pieces with a few leaves each.

Almost nothing eats it, so it is a top choice for cichlid, goldfish and pleco tanks.

Full care guide

Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, CC BY-SA 4.0

Bucephalandra

Bucephalandra

Plant · RhizomeEasy

  • Low light
  • No CO₂
  • Slow growth
  • On wood, rock
  • 20–26°C

Small, colourful leaves that suit nano tanks and rocky scapes and give shrimp a grazing surface.

Borneo

Bucephalandra

Bucephalandra

Borneo

Temperature
20–26°C
pH
5–7
Height
2–4 in · 5–10 cm
Light
Low
CO₂
Not needed
Growth
Slow
Goes
On wood or rock
Difficulty
Easy

More plants. Cut the rhizome into pieces with a few leaves each.

Almost nothing eats it, though pieces can be knocked loose by digging fish.

Full care guide

Photo: Manuel Werner, CC BY 4.0

← All plants