Pygmy Chain Sword care guide
Helanthium tenellum (syn. Echinodorus tenellus) · Alismataceae
Pygmy Chain Sword (Helanthium tenellum (syn. Echinodorus tenellus)) is an aquatic plant. It belongs to the Alismataceae family. It is native to Marshy habitats from the eastern United States and southern Mexico through Central America and the West Indies to South America. It needs low to medium light. Water temperature: Tolerates about 10–30 °C. pH: 5.0 – 8.0. Care difficulty: Easy (very adaptable; soft or hard water, up to about 20 dGH). Growth rate: moderate, spreading by runners.
How do you care for Pygmy Chain Sword?
| Light | Low to Medium (no fertiliser or CO₂ needed; strong light and good nutrition turn new leaves of the narrow-leaved form red) |
|---|---|
| CO₂ | Not needed |
| Temperature | Tolerates about 10–30 °C |
| pH | 5.0 – 8.0 |
| Placement | A foreground lawn to midground plant; suits paludariums if the roots stay submerged |
| Growth | Moderate, spreading by runners |
| Difficulty | Easy (very adaptable; soft or hard water, up to about 20 dGH) |
| Family | Alismataceae |
How do you trim and propagate Pygmy Chain Sword?
Thin the lawn so it does not smother itself. A sparse, natural look needs more upkeep because the plant keeps wanting to spread and fill in. It multiplies by runners that root into the substrate. Two forms are sold: a narrow dark-green one that can turn red, and a rarer broad light-green one that never reddens.
Where does Pygmy Chain Sword come from?
Marshy habitats from the eastern United States and southern Mexico through Central America and the West Indies to South America (Guyana to Argentina)
Sources
- Helanthium tenellum Species — Tropical Fish Hobbyist Magazine
- Helanthium tenellum - Pygmy chain sword — Flowgrow Aquatic Plant Database
- Helanthium tenellum — Wikipedia
- Helanthium tenellum (Helanthium tenellum Green) — Aquasabi plant fact sheet (its values are credited there to the Flowgrow databas
Care details checked against these sources on 2026-10-29.
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