TROPICA Echinodorus 'Reni'

A compact red sword plant and one of the smallest red Echinodorus cultivars, making it far more practical for smaller aquariums than many larger swords. New leaves emerge reddish-brown to deep beetroot red, while older leaves usually shift towards greenish or olive tones, giving the plant a red-and-green contrast as it matures.

Origin

• Type: Cultivated aquarium cultivar, not a naturally occurring wild form.
• Trade source: Widely sold by Tropica as an easy, midground rosulate plant.

Physical characteristics

• Growth form: Rosette plant with leaves emerging from a central crown rather than along upright stems.
• Height: Approximately 15–40 cm in the aquarium.
• Rosette width: Around 15–25 cm.
• Colour: New leaves are the main attraction, showing reddish-brown to deep beetroot colouring, with best colour under stronger light and good feeding.

Aquarium requirements

Difficulty

• Level: Easy
  

Lighting

• Requirement: Medium to high, with high light preferred for the best red colouration.
  It will grow under easier conditions, but it needs a lot of light for optimal colour development.

CO₂

• Demand: Low to medium
  CO₂ is not essential, and hobby experience suggests it grows in lower-tech setups, though better light and richer nutrition improve form and colour. 

Nutrients & substrate

• Substrate: Best in a nutrient-rich substrate, as with most sword plants.
• Feeding style: Primarily a heavy root feeder.
• Fertilisation: This plant needs good nourishment for optimal colour, so root tabs or a rich planted substrate are especially useful.

Water parameters (guideline)

• Temperature: About 22–28 °C is a sensible planted-tank working range.
• pH: Slightly acidic to neutral is usually ideal.
• Flow: Gentle to moderate.
  

Planting & spacing

• Plant the rosette with the crown above the substrate, burying the roots but not the growing point.
• Leave enough open space for the rosette to develop to roughly 15–25 cm across.
• Best used as a midground specimen in smaller tanks, or as a foreground-to-midground focal rosette in larger layouts. It is often placed in the midground category and notes it is well suited to smaller aquariums.

Propagation

• Like other sword plants, it is typically propagated by adventitious plantlets on flower stalks once mature, or by separating established daughter plants when available.
  This propagation method is standard for Echinodorus.

Maintenance

• Remove older outer leaves as they age or lose colour.
• Avoid repeatedly disturbing the roots once the plant is established.
• For the best red tones, provide strong light and steady nutrition, especially at the roots. 

Aquascaping use

• Excellent as a compact red focal plant.
• Much easier to place than oversized sword plants because it stays relatively small for an Echinodorus.
• Works very well against green carpets or low, fresh green foreground plants. Tropica’s Layout 43 notes that Echinodorus ‘Reni’ contributes red shades that emphasise the fresh green foreground planting.

Lifecycle & growth behaviour

• Persistent rosette plant that becomes more attractive as it establishes a stronger root system.
• Newest leaves show the strongest red tones; older leaves commonly appear greener, so some colour shift over time is normal. 

Common issues & diagnostics

• Not colouring up well: Usually caused by insufficient light or weak feeding. 
• Very slow growth: Often linked to limited root nutrition, since sword plants typically perform best with a richer substrate. This is a cultivation inference based on the plant’s Echinodorus growth type.
• Too large for the intended spot: Although compact for a red sword, it can still reach up to 40 cm tall, so placement should allow for mature size.

Special features / benefits

• One of the best options when you want a red sword plant for a smaller aquarium.
• Beginner-friendly by sword-plant standards, yet visually strong enough to serve as a centrepiece plant.