About the Big Bear Sword
Plant Name: Big Bear Sword (Echinodorus ‘Big Bear’)
Care Level: Easy to Moderate
Recommended Substrate: Nutrient-rich substrate, aquarium soil, or sand/gravel supplemented heavily with root tabs
Recommended Lighting: Moderate to high lighting
Recommended Temperature: 72-82°F (22-28°C)
Max Plant Size: Up to 16-24 inches (40-60 cm) in height
Foreground, Midground, or Background?: Background
Need CO2?: Not required, but beneficial for faster growth and stronger coloration
Fun Fact: Big Bear Sword is an impressive Echinodorus cultivar known for producing large leaves with attractive bronze, reddish-brown, and deep green coloration. Younger leaves often emerge with warmer red or bronze tones before becoming greener as they mature.
Appearance: Big Bear Sword develops a large rosette of broad, elongated leaves. Its substantial size and mixture of green, bronze, and reddish foliage give it a bold tropical appearance.
Aquarium Use: Best used as a background specimen or centerpiece in medium to large aquariums. Because of its eventual size, it should be given plenty of open space where its leaves will not heavily shade smaller plants.
Propagation: Mature plants may produce flower stalks containing small daughter plants. Once the plantlets develop several leaves and roots, they can be separated and replanted.
Note: Big Bear Sword is a heavy root feeder and performs best with a nutrient-rich substrate or regular root-tab fertilization. Regularly removing older outer leaves helps maintain a healthy, attractive rosette.
