Emergent-Grown Swords: Grown above water in a greenhouse. These plants develop thick, sturdy leaves and strong roots, making them highly resilient during shipping and handling. Emergent plants often establish quickly once planted, sending out underwater leaves as they settle into the tank. They are kept in water, but the leaves are not converted yet.
Submerged-Grown Swords:
Grown fully underwater in a pond or aquatic grow-out system. These plants are already converted to underwater growth, allowing hobbyists to skip the typical melt or transition period. Their existing leaves are aquarium-ready from the start.
These assortments are hand-selected by our Curator to ensure a mix of beautiful forms, colors, and leaf shapes. Sword plants are hardy, beginner-friendly rooted plants that provide shelter, grazing surfaces, and a natural centerpiece for freshwater aquariums.
Each order contains a true Echinodorus species and may include favorites such as Amazon Sword, Red Rubin Sword, Melon Sword, Kleiner Sword, Altlandsberg Sword, or other striking varieties depending on availability.
Thicker, more durable leaves during transport and planting
Strong root systems for fast anchoring in substrate
Produces fresh underwater leaves naturally as it settles in
Great value for hobbyists who enjoy watching plants transition and grow
Already in true underwater form
Little to no leaf melt during adjustment
Ideal for aquariums that need an immediate “full” planted look
Perfect for shrimp and nano tanks that benefit from ready-to-graze foliage
Both are healthy, aquarium-ready plants — just two different approaches to how they were grown.
Two growth choices to match your aquarium setup and planting style
Curated assortment—no mystery plants or fillers
Hardy and beginner-friendly
Excellent midground and background centerpiece
Heavy root feeders that pull nutrients directly from substrate
Light: Moderate to high
Temperature: 72°–82° F (22°–28° C)
pH: 6.5–7.5
Growth Rate: Moderate to fast
Placement: Midground or background
Use root tabs for best results with sword plants
Stronger lighting deepens color in red and patterned varieties
Remove older leaves to encourage new growth
Emergent plants may shed a few older leaves while new underwater foliage grows
All Aquatic Arts plants and animals come with a 100% live arrival guarantee and free email support. If your plant does not arrive healthy and vibrant, we will make it right.
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
