Dwarf Sword

Echinodorus schlueteri

A small sword plant known only from cultivation: a compact rosette of broad leaves, low enough for the front of a tank. It is the same plant sold in shops as a miniature spade-leaf sword.

Light: medium–high
Difficulty: easy
Height: 5 – 20 cm (2 – 7.9 in)
Temperature: 15 – 30 °C (59 – 86 °F)

Leaf colour: green
Plant type: rosette
Growth rate: medium
Tolerates light: medium – high
pH: 5 – 7
Carbonate hardness: 0 – 21 °dKH
General hardness: 0 – 30 °dGH
Placement: midground, nano tank +1 midground, nano tank, foreground
Propagation: plantlets on the inflorescence +3 plantlets on the inflorescence, rhizome division, division, daughter plants
Grows emersed: yes

Appearance

Oval leaves on short stalks in a tight rosette 5–20 cm tall, light green, sometimes with darker spotting. The compactness is what sets it apart from its full-sized relatives.

Keeping

Easy: a nutritious substrate is the main requirement, since like all swords it feeds through the roots. Medium light is enough, carbon dioxide optional. Growth is moderate and the plant keeps its size, so it does not outgrow a small tank.

Placement

The front or middle of the tank, singly or in a small group. It works where a full sword plant would be too big.

Propagation

By young plants on the flower stalk, and by dividing the rhizome.

Water conditions match

The water suits 841 of 1249 species in the catalogue — these are the ones people look up most often.

Butterflyfish Julii Corydoras Red-finned Parotocinclus Gastromyzon monticola Egg-shaped Goldfish Flame Tetra Gardner's Killifish African Tetra Hypsolebias picturatus Common Zacco Labeo Bicolor Gambusia Flying barb Gastromyzon scitulus Albino Zebra Danio Geophagus Brokopondo Homaloptera bilineata Red-tailed Rasbora Boraras naevus Lampeye Killifish Spotted Raphael Catfish Corydoras melanotaenia Festivum cichlid Pseudomugil paskai

Will eat this plant

These species damage plants, especially when their diet is short of vegetable food.

Bengal Loach Zebra Loach Burmese Border Loach Emperor Botia Marbled Headstander Pellegrin's Leporinus Leporinus striatus False Black Tetra Common Metynnis Mylossoma duriventre Red Whiptail Catfish Moonlight Gourami Melanotaenia parva

Will uproot it

These species dig through the substrate and pull rooted plants out.

Marble Loach Peacock Eel Forktail Loach Guntea Loach Long-nosed Loach Horseface Loach Pearlscale Black Moor Goldfish Shubunkin Painted Pleco Featherfin Synodontis Reddish Mystus Catfish Blue Acara Geophagus altifrons Geophagus winemilleri Pearl Cichlid Red-spotted Cichlid Haplochromis philander Red Chromide Jack Dempsey cichlid

Matching water does not mean the fish will leave the plant alone.

The same plant with a different look: light, water and care are shared with the species.

Other varieties: Echinodorus × schlueteri, Echinodorus schlueteri 'Leopard', Echinodorus schlueteri Topf

Scientific and other names, conservation status

Echinodorus schlueteri: Rataj
Family: Alismataceae

Dwarf Sword

Tank conditions

Care and keeping