Chocolate Marble Sword (Echinodorus sp. 'Chocolate Marble') - Potted

The Chocolate Marble Sword (Echinodorus sp. 'Chocolate Marble') brings dessert-menu color to the classic sword plant: broad, wavy-edged leaves splashed with chocolate, maroon, and deep green marbling, with new growth emerging in the richest reddish-brown tones. It grows as a bold rosette that anchors the midground or background of a planted tank, and like all swords it is hardy, undemanding, and happiest with its roots well fed. Browse the rest of our live freshwater plants to build out the aquascape.

Care Guide

• Planting: remove the pot and rock wool, then plant in the substrate with the crown (where leaves meet roots) sitting just above the surface. Give it a few inches of clearance on all sides; swords spread wide.
• Feed the roots: swords are heavy root feeders. Push root tabs into the substrate around the base every few months, and the marbling and leaf size respond dramatically.
• Light: moderate light grows a healthy plant; stronger light pulls out more of the chocolate and maroon tones in new leaves.
• Water parameters: 72 to 82°F, pH 6.5 to 7.5. Very forgiving and fine in low-tech tanks, no CO2 required.
• Transition note: nursery-grown leaves may melt back as the plant switches to underwater growth. Keep feeding the roots; the new submerged leaves come in stronger and better marked.
• Propagation: mature plants send up runners with baby swords you can separate and replant once rooted.

Specifications

Placement & Companions

Use it as a centerpiece rosette with carpets or short plants in front; its dark marbling pops against bright greens like Monte Carlo. It pairs naturally with the classic Amazon Sword and echoes the bronze tones of Cryptocoryne wendtii 'Bronze'. Sword plants are fish-safe with nearly everything; only dedicated plant shredders like large goldfish and big cichlids are a bad match.

Recommended Supplies

• Aquarium Co-Op Easy Root Tabs the sword essential
• Seachem Flourish comprehensive liquid supplement

FAQ

Why are some leaves losing the chocolate color?
Older leaves mature toward green; the marbling is strongest on new growth. Good light and steady root feeding keep a constant supply of fresh, marbled leaves coming.

My new plant's leaves are melting. Is it dying?
Almost certainly not. Swords grown out of water shed their nursery leaves and regrow submerged ones. Trim the mush, feed the roots, and expect new growth within a couple of weeks.

How big will it get?
Expect 10 to 16 inches in a home aquarium, occasionally larger in deep tanks with rich substrate. Give it room; a cramped sword shades everything around it.

Do I need special substrate?
No. It grows in plain gravel or sand as long as you use root tabs. Nutrient-rich aquasoil works too and speeds things up.