Ozelot sword
Echinodorus 'Ozelot'
Also known asLeopard sword · Spotted sword · Green Ozelot / Red Ozelot (forms)
Water parameters
Light and nutrients
Substrate type: nutrient preferred. Propagation: adventitious plantlets on flower stalks.
Substrate compatibility
| Substrate | pH effect | Nutrient load |
|---|---|---|
| Aquasoil (ADA Amazonia) | lowers pH | very high |
| Mineralized clay substrate (Seachem Fluorite) | neutral / inert | moderate |
| Dirted tank (mineralized topsoil) (DIY soil substrate) | slightly acidic | very high |
| Inert sand (Pool filter sand) | neutral / inert | none |
With fish
Origin and habitat
A man-made aquarium cultivar with no wild form, bred by crossing Echinodorus schlueteri 'Leopard' with Echinodorus barthii (both themselves hybrid taxa) at a nursery in the former East Germany. The genus Echinodorus sits in the family Alismataceae and is native to the Americas. The Ozelot is named for its ocelot-like red-brown marbling on a green to reddish leaf base; the spots show strongest on new leaves and fade a little as leaves age, though the marbling persists. Several forms circulate, mainly a green-based 'Green Ozelot' and a redder 'Red Ozelot', plus unnamed intermediates. It is one of the most popular Echinodorus hybrids in the trade for its patterning, its size, which stays below a full Amazon sword, and its easy care.
Care notes
One of the most popular and forgiving Echinodorus hybrids, fine for beginners. Like all swords it is a heavy root feeder, so it needs root tabs or a nutrient-rich substrate; starved of root nutrition the leaves stay small and the spotting fades. Plant the crown at the substrate surface with the roots buried. Moderate light suits it best and keeps it pushing a new leaf most weeks, though it tolerates a wide range; strong light with CO2 deepens the red-brown markings, while very low light turns it plain green. Iron in the substrate supports the red pigment. Mature size averages about 30 to 35 cm and can reach close to 50 cm under good conditions, smaller than a standard Amazon sword, which makes it a manageable centrepiece for medium tanks of roughly 80 to 200 litres. It propagates by adventitious plantlets on flower stalks or runners; once a plantlet has four or five leaves and its own roots, detach and replant it, and trim outer leaves as they yellow. CO2 is optional but speeds growth and intensifies colour. The tough leaves shrug off all but the most determined plant-eaters. It is a submersed ornamental rosette, not suited to media-bed aquaponics or hydroponics.