Amazon Sword: best freshwater aquarium plant?

Echinodorus 'Bleherae', more commonly knowns as Amazon Swords, is one of the hardiest plants to keep in your aquarium. They are super easy to care for and are best to be kept with fishes like Betta, who really like to be in a planted tank. This plant's large leaves give the fishes a decent place to rest and hide. 

Amazon Swords 

Amazon Swords are the perfect plant for low-tech tanks. A few things to know about these plants is:

Heavy Root Feeders

They are heavy root feeders which means that they have extensive roots which get considerably longer. So, they must be kept in root-tabs or a nutrient-rich substrate or a dirted tank. They will also be benefited from comprehensive liquid fertilizers.

Lightning

They like to be kept in medium to low lighting. You can also go for high lighting, but only if you have a proper carbon dioxide system in place. These plants like their light to be on for 8-12 hours a day.

Common Mistakes

The most common mistake that people tend to make with their Amazon Swords is, they put these plants in very high lightning and small-sized tank while keeping the lighting on for a short time, and these plants need just the opposite of it.

Though they might not die in the tank, despite this environmental setup, but they will not grow. Also, the leaves will turn yellow after excessive exposure to high lighting. But if you change the regime for these plants, you will start seeing the difference within weeks. 

With the correct care and lighting, you can see greener leaves and give up on the leaves that were dying already. They will give out new leaves now and then.

The perfect plant for your aquarium

There is nothing to panic over Amazon Swords. They are super-hardy plants. They will endure anything that you will throw at them, but providing them the best environment must be our duty. 

If you are low on budget or are not willing to add a carbon dioxide system and high-tech lighting, this plant is perfect. It gets really big. It will fill out your aquarium, and it does grow a little bit slower, but this is a must-have for a balance, low-maintenance tank.

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