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Red rubin sword

Echinodorus 'Red Rubin'

Also known as Echinodorus 'Rubin', Red Rubin sword, Echinodorus horemanii x barthii, Rubin sword

FreshwaterRosetteRhizome divisionPlantlets

Care at a glance

Light
Medium light
CO2
CO₂ beneficial
Growth rate
Medium
Placement
Midground
Type
Rosette
Temperature
63–82°F (17–28°C)
pH
6.5–7.5
Hardness
4–18 dGH
Max height
19.7 in (50 cm)
Spread
9.8 in (25 cm)
Nutrient uptake
Root + water column
Growth region
Submersed or emersed
Difficulty
Easy
Origin
Cultivated hybrid (no wild range); bred in Germany
Family
Alismataceae

Overview

Use it as a single midground or background specimen in a larger tank where the broad wine-red leaves have room to spread. It is a heavy root feeder, so plant it in nutrient-rich substrate or push root tabs under the crown and keep the rhizome itself above the substrate so it does not rot. CO2 is not required but darkens the red and speeds growth, and brighter light brings out deeper color. New plants form on flower stalks (adventitious plantlets) and the crown can be split; trim old outer leaves at the base as they tatter.

In the wild

Red Rubin does not exist in the wild. It is a man-made cross between Echinodorus horemanii 'Red' and Echinodorus 'Barthii', so there is no natural range to speak of. The parent species come from the slow-moving and standing fresh waters of South America, where swords grow rooted in soft mud and spend part of the year submersed and part of it emersed along the bank.

Good to know

It belongs to the family Alismataceae. The cultivar was raised by Hans Barth of Dessau, Germany and has been in the trade since the early 1990s. Like most cultivated Echinodorus it is sterile or near-sterile in the usual sense and is propagated vegetatively rather than from seed. A narrow-leaf form of 'Rubin' is also sold.

Did you know

Did you know the deep red color is actually the plant protecting itself? The wine-red pigments are anthocyanins, the same compounds that redden autumn maple leaves, and they show up strongest under bright light where they help shield the leaf tissue.

Where to buy

Some links may not be the exact species or variety.

…or ask your local fish store.

Appears in

Midground plants · Sword plants · Beginner plants · Red plants

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