Subclass Alismatidae
Order Alismatales
Family Alismataceae
Genus Echinodorus
Echinodorus “Apart”
This hybrid was obtained by crossing Echinodorus uruguayensis and Echinodorus portoalegrensis. A very attractive low-growing hybrid Echinodorus. It forms a squat and sprawling rosette of up to 45 leaves (height up to 15 cm, diameter up to 30 cm), making it suitable for foreground decoration in a decorative aquarium. An adult bush can simultaneously bear up to 2-3 dozen leaves. Meanwhile, the narrow-elliptic, leathery, and rigid leaves with petioles up to 7 cm reach a length of 10-12 cm and a blade width of 3-4 cm. Depending on the lighting spectrum, young leaves have a reddish tint of varying intensity, but with age, they increasingly acquire a rich dark green color.
Unlike other Echinodorus species, Echinodorus “Apart” has very stiff, thick leaves (even thicker than large Anubias species), allowing it to be used decoratively in aquariums with large cichlid fish. This plant is quite undemanding regarding maintenance conditions. It performs best when cultivated in a loose, nutrient-rich substrate periodically supplemented with root fertilizers. It responds well to liquid aquarium fertilizers and additional CO2 injection. It looks good even under moderate lighting. A powerful root system and the mechanical strength of the leaves allow this variety to be grown even in an aquarium with cichlids. It propagates through daughter plants formed on the rhizome and by dividing the mother plant’s rhizome during transplantation. It produces about 1 leaf per week. Optimal water parameters: dH 6-18, pH 6-7.5, T 23-29°C.
Echinodorus “Aquartica”
This Echinodorus was obtained by crossing various Echinodorus species, including Echinodorus horemanni and various forms with rounded leaves. It grows quite slowly, reaching a size of approximately 10-15 cm. Compared to many other Echinodorus species, the oval and bright green leaves almost always survive transplantation into an aquarium. Due to its small size and slow growth, Echinodorus “Aquartica” is well-suited for small aquariums. In large aquariums, it is planted in the foreground in groups of 5-6 plants. Under intense lighting, reddish “freckles” may appear on its leaves. This species is easy to grow and looks beautiful and interesting.
Echinodorus “Aspersus”
«1» South America. One of the lowest-growing broad-leaved Echinodorus species. The plant looks extremely attractive in an aquarium. It forms a dense rosette of heart-shaped green leaves covered with small brown freckles. The rosette diameter usually does not exceed 20-25 cm, and its height is no more than 10-15 cm. The leaves are broad, ovate, elongated with a cordate notch at the base and smoothly tapering at the tip. The tip of the leaf blade is always pointed (angle about 60°), while its base in adult plants has a small cordate notch, and in young plants, it lacks a notch. Leaf width up to 5 cm, length up to 12 cm. Submerged leaves are often heavily twisted.
Its leaves are speckled with numerous red-brown dots, which are most vibrant on young leaves. Five main veins are clearly distinguishable; on the upper side, they are slightly lighter than the leaf blade, while on the lower side, they protrude and are easily palpable; transverse veins are slightly finer and less noticeable. Throughout the year, it grows and propagates excellently in the water column. The leaves are slightly longer than their petioles, which are often entirely hidden. It appears as though numerous wavy and twisted, relatively short and quite wide leaves of a pleasant light green color, speckled with numerous dark red-brown dots and points (very bright on young leaves and paler on old ones), rise above the substrate.
«2» Water temperature should not be below 22°C, with 24-28°C being optimal. The water should be moderately hard, with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Total hardness should be at least 6-8°, pH 7.0-8.0. In soft water with a slightly acidic reaction, the plant degrades rather quickly. Regular replacement of 1/5 of the water volume is recommended. Lighting is very important for Echinodorus “Aspersus”. Only under sufficiently bright light does it retain its speckled coloration and rosette shape. Lamp power should be about 0.5 W/L. With a lack of light, the leaves become pale, but instead of stretching toward the light, they decrease in size. Daylight duration must be at least 12 hours.
«4» The substrate is important for Echinodorus: it should be loose, nutrient-rich, with a layer of at least 4-6 cm. A mixture of medium and fine gravel, possibly with added sand, should be used. Siltiness should be adequate. Clay should be added under the roots in a new substrate. Mineral fertilization is desirable for the plant. With regular water changes, complex mineral fertilizers containing micronutrients must be added.
«5» The plant is small — up to 12-15 cm, rosette-forming, relatively few-leaved, with 15-25 leaves per bush, and even fewer in young ones. This low-growing Echinodorus is useful for decorating the middle ground of a small aquarium or the foreground of a large one. In the latter case, having several specimens is advisable to achieve a greater decorative effect. It easily tolerates transplantation, quickly recovers, and begins to produce new leaves. Since flower stalk formation exhausts the plant and halts its growth for a long time, they should be cut off as they appear. The plant’s rather stiff leaves are too tough for snails or most aquarium fish.
«6» Under aquarium conditions, the plant propagates well vegetatively by producing runners, at the ends of which 1-2 daughter plants appear. A young plant should only be transplanted after forming 5-6 leaves and a root system. Usually, 3-4 plants are obtained.
Echinodorus “Kleiner Bar”
A rather squat hybrid Echinodorus that forms a multi-leaved, yet quite low and dense rosette 40 cm high and 15-25 cm in diameter. Juvenile leaves have a pronounced ruby-red tint, which becomes somewhat greener with age and under dim lighting. The leaves are oval and wavy. The elliptic leaf blade with a 5-10 cm petiole is up to 10-15 cm long and 4-7 cm wide. The leaf apex is blunt-rounded, and the leaf base is rounded. Venation consists of 3-5 veins and does not differ from the leaf color. Because an adult bush reaches quite impressive sizes, the plant requires a large bottom area and a spacious aquarium.
For successful cultivation of this Echinodorus in an aquarium, intensive lighting is recommended to achieve saturated leaf coloration. It prefers humus-rich, nutritious soils and bright light. It does not form emersed leaves even under a 13-14 hour photoperiod and in a nutrient-rich substrate. However, even under such conditions, it grows significantly slower than many other Echinodorus species. Chemical water parameters do not significantly affect the plant: it develops equally well in soft and hard water with pH 6-9. Optimal maintenance temperature is 22-30°C. A 4-5-week-old plantlet is capable of reproducing just three months after planting in the substrate. At the same time, exhaustion of the young parent is not observed: the bush simultaneously holds 3-4 runners with developing plantlets while continuing to grow. It propagates vegetatively through the formation of plantlets on flower stalks.
Identification: Genus Echinodorus — Echinodorus Apart, Aquartica, Aspersus, Kleiner Bar.
Echinodorus “Oriental”, “Ozelot”, “Ozelot green”, “Green Flame”.
Echinodorus tenellus, Echinodorus uruguayensis. 
