Echinodorus horizontalis (Echinodorus horizontalis)

Family Alismataceae. Homeland: the Amazon region of South America.

A very popular amphibian plant, widespread among aquarists. Heart-shaped hard leaves, departing from the cuttings almost at a right angle and located almost parallel to the ground, make this type of echinodorus very attractive. The height of the bush is usually small, 20-25 cm, but the arrangement of the leaves makes the plant spreading, so that an adult bush takes up a lot of space. It should be kept in an aquarium with a large bottom area, placing it in the middle ground. Echinodorus develops evenly throughout the year. The period of relative rest, when it slows down its growth, sometimes occurs twice a year, in spring and autumn, and lasts 1-1.5 months.

The plant can withstand tropical conditions, but it is best suited for an aquarium that is kept at a temperature between 22 and 24 °C. At 26 to 28 °C, it can grow for a very long time, but it can also have noticeable rest periods. Should there be a discernible decrease in growth, the temperature must be lowered to roughly 20 ° C for a duration of one and a half months.

Echinodorus horizontalis does not care too much about the hardness of the water. Water’s hardness ranges from 2 to 16 °C, with very soft water possible. It is preferred for the active reaction to be neutral or slightly alkaline (pH 7–8). Stable growth of this plant is not possible in an acidic environment. Echinodorus grows rapidly in such water at first, but eventually its growth slows down and it dies if more favorable conditions aren’t created for the plant. Water needs to be changed on a regular basis.

Echinodorus needs intense lighting, which must come from above. It is recommended that you utilize LB type fluorescent lamps, the power of which can be determined using the following ratio: 0.5 W for every liter of capacity. It is beneficial to add 25–40 W incandescent lights to them and position them directly above the plant. Insufficient light causes the Echinodorus to stretch upward, the highly prized bush shape to change, and the vibrant red color of the young leaves to fade. There should be twelve hours of daylight.

There can be mild to moderate siltation of the soil. The substrate’s composition is not very important. The plant has a broad, robust root system that reaches quite far. A lump of clay placed beneath the roots of a recently planted plant is beneficial. For its nutrition in the future, natural siltation will suffice.

Particular attention should be paid to mineral fertilizing, since Echinodorus is very sensitive to the lack of some minerals and the excess of others. A deficiency of various microelements leads primarily to disruption of the growth of young leaves. A deficiency of divalent iron manifests itself in the pale color of young leaves and a decrease in their size. To prevent this, ferrous sulfate should be added to the water 1-2 times a month at a rate of 0.1 – 0.2 mg per 1 liter. Signs of nitrogen starvation often appear in the plant. Usually, this is caused by frequent water changes and cleaning of the soil. In this case, the organic matter accumulating in the aquarium does not have time to be processed into a form suitable for absorption. Therefore, during the growth period, it is necessary to feed the plant weekly with small doses of complex mineral fertilizers (1-2 g per 100 l of volume). Fertilizer should be applied with caution, since the plant tolerates excess minerals as poorly as their deficiency. Echinodorus is very sensitive to excess sodium ions, so baking soda should be added to the water with caution, and table salt should not be added at all.

The plant reproduces in an aquarium most often vegetatively, by forming daughter plants on flower stalks. In this case, one plant appears on each tendril at a time, rarely – two, as a rule, at the very tip. After the formation of 2 leaves, it is best to separate the young plant with a piece of the stalk from the mother plant and transplant it into a separate bowl with coarse sand, where silt and clay have been added. On the remaining part of the tendril of the mother plant, a daughter plant appears again, which is treated in the same way as the previous one. Often the flower stalk breaks off during manipulation, then this fragment of the peduncle with the growth bud should be left floating on the surface of the water. After quite a long time, a small plant appears on it, which is also planted in a separate bowl.

Things get trickier with seed propagation. Even when Echinodorus flowers self-pollinate and form a seed capsule underwater, the resulting seeds are incapable of germinating because they are still below the surface. Pollinating flowers that have opened above the water produces seeds, but the likelihood of those seeds germination is low. The seeds are sown in a bowl filled with sand, water, and a temperature of 26 to 28 degrees Celsius. The water level is gradually raised as the seeds sprout.

In a paludarium, Echinodorus horizontalis grows well in rich soil with bright, diffused light. A plant grown in air is essentially the same as one grown in water in terms of appearance. When Echinodorus is placed in an aquarium, it quickly adjusts and keeps expanding.

Post category: Aquarium plants from A to Z / Plants for the aquarium – E

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When looking to add some lush greenery to their aquariums, aquarium enthusiasts should definitely consider Echinodorus horizontalis. With its broad, textured leaves, this hardy, low-maintenance plant looks great in a range of water conditions and creates a lovely backdrop. We’ll go over the essential characteristics of Echinodorus horizontalis in this post, along with suggestions for maintenance and how it can improve the appearance of your aquarium as a whole.

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