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Echinodorus in aquascaping

8K views 26 replies 14 participants last post by  miremonster 
#1 · (Edited)
Despite the large number of Echinodorus species, these are seldom used in most planted aquarium I saw in different contest (I don't speak about E. tennelus). Some remarcable exceptions exist ( like J. Senske's Heiko's Lesson in AGA 2004) but are rather based on pure Echinodorus selection and very few other plants. It's the difficulty of making a balanced aquascape between the shape and size of these plants with others, or are other reason for that? I have a nice Echinodorus Apart in my tank (now is significantly larger and more beautiful than you can see from the image in my signature), and I don't know how (and if) to integrate it in a future new layout of my tank.
 
#2 ·
My impression from reading various posts around here is simply that most Echinodorus sp. eventually get too big for any aquarium and as a result people tend to steer clear of them. I wonder if experienced aquascapers simply avoid them altogether for that reason.

IMO that is a shame. I love the swords. In my aquarium I am trying my hand at the Echinodorus compacta (although I understand that this is a scientifically invalid trade name).

Your tank is beautiful. :)
 
#6 ·
Dumb question: Are all echinodorus from South America?

Cavan your post is intriguing.. I would like a sword of manageable size for a 29 gallon SA tank.

I just want something that won't be sending out runners all over the place, at least not at a high rate of speed like E. tenellus does..

What do you recommend? The uruguayensis which I am guessing is from Uruguay sounds interesting..
 
#9 ·
Let me put in a plug for Echinodorus parviflorus, the 'normal' form, rather than the stunted Tropica form. The normal form has the same shape as the bigger tank buster Amazon swords, but is considerably smaller. For some reason, it has been entirely replaced by the Tropica variety in trade. The picture below shows E. parviflorus in a 10 gallon tank.
 
#13 ·
Small size Echinodorus (it was allready mentioned the E. parviflorus Tropica, and except E. tennelus) is the new Echinodorus Aquartica (also from Tropica). I 've recently got one and you can imagine the shape of an Echinodorus with the leaf size of Anubias nana. Medium size beautiful colours are E. 'Apart' (I mentioned above) and E. schlueteri Leopard (with a height of 15cm), but the main problem for an aquascaper is how to integrate them in a "Nature" aquarium...
 
#16 ·
I currently have a E. Martii in my 29 gallon, it's in the back left hand corner of the tank and it looks really nice. I know that it could outgrow the tank eventually but for the time being, I've been able to manage it. If I have to, I will pull it out and clip the roots if it gets too tall, I've heard that helps slow down the growth of plants. Only time will tell!

 
#19 ·
Will do Intros. Right now I have:

Echinodorus gabrieli
Echinodorus horemanii 'red' (possibly rubin 'narrow leaves')
Echinodorus osiris (possibly new varient called E. ocelot 'dark red')
Echinodorus parviflorus
Echinodorus 'rubin'
Echinodorus tenellus
 
#21 ·
All of the Echinodorus that are in the hobby are from South America or are hybrids/cultivars of South American species. Some have been crossed or mutated for smaller size, and they do not revert. The Cuban chain sword, a grass like specie is the only exception I am aware of. No North American specie has ever been cultivated.

Parviflorus var tropica, and harbich are the smallest sword species other than the grass like species that can be used as a foreground/middleground plant. The "Tropica" sword is commonly available in the USA and has been for years, while the harbich sword has to be imported. The "Compacta" sword is a Florida Aquatic Nurseries hybrid, of what I do not know off hand. The name is decieving though. It has a larger diameter than it is tall, however it is still a tall sword, much taller that the "tropica" sword.

The Apart sword, schlueteri leopard, horizontilas, and a few others are considered dwarf, but not miniature
 
#22 ·
All of the Echinodorus that are in the hobby are from South America or are hybrids/cultivars of South American species.
Not so. Several specieS are from North America.

E. berteroi - North and South America - pages 246-247 Kasselmann
Echinodorus berteroi page

E. cordifolius - North and South America - pages 250-251 Kasselmann
viewable at Big State Park in Texas

E. tenellus - North America pg 275
http://www.tropica.com/productcard.asp?id=067

E. quadricostatus - Central America - pg 268
 
#24 ·
AFAIK, all of them also occur in South America. The origin of the ones in the aquarium trade is dubious in most cases, and most likely they come from different sources, perhaps thousands of kilometers apart.

Eg. in my tank I have a beatiful tall Lilaeopsis sp. (perhaps L. macloviana) and a huge Eleocharis sp., both collected near Cañuelas, Buenos Aires;



that location you can trust, as I trust the collection site for other fishes and plants from a few fellow aquarists. But in most cases, and especially so for commercial dealers, you just can't; in the same tank I have E. quadricostatus and E. tenellus, origin unknown.
 
#26 · (Edited)
E. tenellus is indeed very widely distributed and is found in the US.
PLANTS Profile for Echinodorus tenellus (mudbabies) | USDA PLANTS

E. cordifolius is not introduced.
Echinodorus cordifolius -- Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
PLANTS Profile for Echinodorus cordifolius (creeping burrhead) | USDA PLANTS

E. berteroi is in the hobby. Its common name is cellophane sword. I don't think I've seen in for sale either, but I do know that a few people have kept it. It says it is sold for aquariums and ponds in the link I gave above, for what it's worth.
 
#25 ·
According to Kasselmann, who I believe is considered an expert on Echindorus, several Echindorus species are found in North and Central America. E tenellus in particular is widespread in North, Central and South America according to her book. Many more species are found only in South America than are found in Central or North America. While I'm sure Kasselmann, like anyone, is occasionally incorrect, I'd bet that she is not completely in error.
 
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