Oblong leaves with dark spotting Easy background plant Loves root tabs or nutrient-rich substrate Not available to be shipped to Hawaii and Alaska. This unique sword plant produces short stems with broad, oblong-shaped leaves that feature dark spotting and striking veins. It thrives in environments with low to medium lighting and plenty of nutrients in the ground. Like the Amazon sword, the ozelot sword can grow quite large and therefore looks best as a background plant or a statement piece in a bigger aquarium. Scientific Name: Echinodorus ozelot or Echinodorus 'Ozelot' Origin: Hybrid created from Echinodorus schluteri 'Leopard' and Echinodorus ‘Barthii’ Skill Level: Easy Placement: Background Recommended Light: Low to Medium Light 10-35 PAR (click to see our PAR chart) CO2 Requirement: None Preferred Fertilizer: Easy Root Tabs and Easy Green liquid fertilizer Propagation: Trim plantlet from runner and replant ***Being a natural product, sizes can vary from what is shown.*** How to Plant Ozelot Sword in Aquarium 1. Remove the potted plant from plastic basket, and split the rock wool in half.2. Carefully remove the plant roots from the rock wool, and make sure to remove all the small, yellow fertilizer balls. Wash off any remaining debris.3. Use planting tweezers or your fingers to push the roots of the sword deeply into the substrate until they are completely buried. Pull out the plant slightly so that the crown (i.e., the base of the plant where all the leaves come out) is not covered with substrate.4. If the plant keeps popping out of the ground, try inserting the plant at an angle or wrap a plant weight at the bottom of the plant to keep it anchored.5. Make sure to add lots of root tabs if you’re using inert substrate or if your nutrient-rich substrate is depleted. How to Care for Ozelot Sword Plant — Ozelot sword care is very easy, so start by using low to medium lighting between 10-35 PAR. — Why is my new sword plant melting? Sword plants are sometimes known to experience melting when they suddenly move to a new environment. To help the plant recover faster and grow new leaves that are accustomed to your water parameters, leave the roots planted in the ground and make sure to provide nutrient-rich planted tank substrate or Easy Root Tabs. — Why is my ozelot sword turning brown after it was growing so well? Sword plants absorb lots of nutrients from the ground, so it may be a nutrient deficiency. If the larger, outer leaves are yellowing and dying after a couple of months, please add more root tabs.— How to trim ozelot sword: If the sword plant has dying or melting leaves, cut them off at the base of the leaf's stem.— Note: Bristlenose plecos and other plecos have been known to eat sword plants, so watch out for this if you see holes in the leaves. How to Propagate Ozelot Sword Sword plants reproduce by sending out a horizontal runner with a little plantlet at the end. The plantlet will sprout its own leaves and roots that grow into the ground. You can cut off the plantlet and re-plant it in a different location.
