Red Flame Sword Plant (Echinodorus var. red flame) aquarium plant care.
Red Flame Sword Plant is rated as a medium-light plant, with a target of about PAR 30-60 at the leaves. Medium light is roughly what a mid-range planted-tank LED delivers over a standard-depth tank; going brighter without more CO2 and fertilizer usually shows up as algae rather than faster growth. CO2 is optional for it, and its care difficulty is listed as intermediate.
No, CO2 is optional for Red Flame Sword Plant. It grows without injection, and adding CO2 mainly speeds up growth. It is a medium-light plant, with a target of about PAR 30-60 at the leaves. For nutrients: plant in nutrient-rich aquasoil with root tabs. Keep light, CO2 and fertilizer in balance, because raising one without the others is the most common cause of algae in planted tanks.
Divide rhizome or runners; cut healthy stems and replant. When dividing a rhizome, keep several healthy leaves on each piece and plant or attach it so the rhizome itself is not buried in the substrate. New growth comes in fastest when the tank matches its needs: medium light, with CO2 optional.
It can be, with some planted-tank experience: Red Flame Sword Plant is listed at intermediate difficulty. It needs medium light, with a target of about PAR 30-60 at the leaves, CO2 is optional, and for nutrients: plant in nutrient-rich aquasoil with root tabs. Common mistakes noted for it: burying the rhizome (rots), insufficient light, skipping CO2 in high-tech setups. Stable light, nutrients and water changes matter more than any single product. Check these needs against your current setup before buying.
Red Flame Sword Plant care recommendations cross-checked against the following authoritative references and our internal vendor + breeder database.
Browse the full disease database, calculator collection, aquarium glossary, or Q&A library for additional reference.