Echinodorus 'Ozelot Red'

🌿 Echinodorus 'Ozelot Red'

Echinodorus 'Ozelot Red', commonly known as Red Ozelot Sword, is a striking hybrid sword plant famous for its rich brownish-red young leaves adorned with prominent dark red to black spotted patterning. Exceptionally hardy and adaptable, it is one of the most reliable spotted centerpiece plants available for both beginner and experienced aquascapers.

🌱 Growth & Appearance

This hybrid produces broad, elliptical leaves with smooth, slightly wavy margins that sprout outward in a compact, architectural rosette. Newly emerging leaves unfurl in a deep ruby to bronze-red color covered in dark, leopard-like blotches.

As the leaves mature, they shift to a dark olive-green tone while retaining their distinct dark spots. Unlike larger wild sword varieties, Ozelot Red stays relatively compact under submerged aquarium conditions, making it suitable for a wider range of tank sizes.

💡 Lighting & CO₂

Echinodorus 'Ozelot Red' adapts remarkably well across a wide range of lighting conditions. While low lighting is sufficient for steady growth, moderate to high lighting keeps the inner growth compact and brings out deep red pigmentation in newly unfurling leaves.

CO₂ injection is optional, making it an excellent red-and-spotted accent for low-tech setups. However, as a heavy root feeder, it depends heavily on substrate nutrients and responds vigorously to rich aquasoil or regular root tab supplementation packed with iron and micronutrients.

🪴 Planting & Maintenance

Plant the root base into a deep substrate, ensuring the growing crown remains slightly above the soil line to prevent rot. Select a permanent location, as its extensive root network prefers to remain undisturbed once established.

Prune away older, fading outer leaves near the crown to stimulate continuous central growth. Propagation is straightforward via adventitious plantlets that develop along long flower stalks produced by mature, healthy mother plants.

🌿 Best Use

Echinodorus 'Ozelot Red' is a commanding midground to background centerpiece plant for nature aquascapes, Dutch-style layouts, and low-tech community tanks.

Its bold broad leaf structure, warm bronze-red tones, and unique spotted texturing provide dramatic visual contrast against fine-leaved green stems and carpet plants.

✨ Plant Profile

Difficulty: Easy

Growth Rate: Medium

Lighting: Low to High

CO₂: Optional (Root Heavy Feeder)

Temperature: 15–30°C

Placement: Midground to Background

Growth Type: Rosette / Rhizome