Red Flame Sword (Echinodorus 'Red Flame') is a cultivated sword plant selected for its dramatic new leaf colouration — young leaves emerge in vivid shades of red, orange-red, and coppery-bronze that are among the most intensely coloured of any aquarium plant available without CO₂. As leaves mature they transition through orange and olive tones toward a deep green-brown, so an established plant carries a gradient of colouration across its leaf canopy at any given time: the newest central leaves in vivid red, intermediate leaves in amber and bronze, and the oldest outer leaves in deep olive-green. The result is a plant that never looks entirely green and never looks the same twice — the colour composition shifting continuously as new leaves emerge and older ones mature. Like all Echinodorus it is a substantial specimen plant: at full development it occupies significant tank real estate in the midground to background zone and feeds primarily through a deep, spreading root system. Iron availability is the primary driver of colour intensity. Fully safe with all Neocaridina, Caridina, and snails.
Not RequiredCO₂
72–82°FTemperature
Med–HighLighting
What to Expect
Colour, Growth & Scale
New leaves emerge vivid red to copper — colour shifts as leaves mature — the defining characteristic of Red Flame is the leaf colour gradient across the plant at any time. Central new growth in the rosette is the most intensely red — a saturated, warm red that may have orange or copper undertones depending on individual plant variation and iron availability. As each leaf ages it transitions through progressively cooler and more muted tones toward the deep olive-green of fully mature outer leaves. This gradient means the plant always presents a multi-toned appearance rather than a solid colour.
Iron availability is the primary driver of red intensity — the most vivid and sustained red colouration develops in plants with consistent iron supplementation in a tank with medium to high light. Under low iron availability new leaves still develop red tones but the colour is paler, less saturated, and transitions to green faster than in well-supplemented plants. Liquid fertiliser with iron dosed consistently is more important for this plant than for most others in the catalog.
Large specimen plant — substantial footprint at maturity — Red Flame is an Echinodorus and grows to the scale typical of the genus: a mature plant may have 20 or more leaves with a rosette spread of 30–50cm and leaves reaching 30–50cm in height in tanks with room to develop. This makes it a midground-to-background specimen rather than a plant that fits easily into small nano setups — it suits tanks of 60 litres or more where it has space to develop without dominating the entire layout.
Roots deeply and feeds heavily through substrate — like all sword plants, Red Flame is a heavy root feeder. Root tabs placed within 5–8cm of the plant centre at planting and renewed every three to four months are the single most impactful maintenance action for driving strong growth and maintaining vivid colour. In aquasoil the plant establishes well without supplementation; in inert substrate root tabs are essential from the start.
Produces runners that develop into daughter plants — established Red Flame plants produce long runners that arch out from the parent rosette and develop daughter plants at intervals. These can be separated once they have developed four to six leaves and their own root system, and replanted elsewhere or shared. Runner production is a sign of a healthy, well-established plant.
How to Set It Up
Getting Started
1Plant in a spacious midground-to-background position — choose a position where the plant has 30–50cm of lateral space to develop its full rosette without being crowded by adjacent plants or hardscape. Plant with roots spread outward and downward in the substrate and the crown — the central growing point — just above the substrate surface. Burying the crown causes rot.
2Place root tabs before planting — push root tabs into the substrate 5–8cm from the intended planting point in three to four positions around it before introducing the plant. Root tabs placed at planting produce faster establishment and earlier full-sized leaf production than substrate supplemented after the fact.
3Dose liquid iron and comprehensive fertiliser consistently — begin liquid fertilisation immediately — balanced formula with iron dosed two to three times weekly. Iron supplementation is non-negotiable for maintaining the red intensity that defines this cultivar. Without consistent iron the new growth is pink-orange rather than deep red and transitions to green faster than in properly supplemented conditions.
4Medium to high light sustains colour and drives growth — Red Flame develops its most vivid colouration and fastest growth under medium to high light with a consistent 8–10 hour photoperiod. Under low light growth slows significantly and new leaf colour is substantially less vivid — the plant remains healthy but the defining colour characteristic is diminished.
💡 Bonus Tip
A single established Red Flame Sword planted as the centrepiece of a mid-to-large planted tank — positioned slightly off-centre in the midground with shorter plants and hardscape arranged in front of it and Vallisneria or tall Crypts behind — creates a layout structure that reads immediately as composed and deliberate. The continuous colour gradient from the plant's newest to oldest leaves provides a focal point that changes subtly every time new growth appears, which keeps the layout visually interesting at a macro level without requiring replanting or rearrangement.
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Browse more aquatic plantsPair Red Flame Sword with Amazon Sword, Vallisneria, or Cryptocorynes for a complete planted layout. Browse our Aquatic Plants collection.
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