General Information
Brazilian Micro Sword (Lilaeopsis brasiliensis) is a submersed and emersed rhizome plant that originates in South America and can be usually found in slow-flowing or still bodies of water, such as swamps, streams, ditches and wetlands.
Brazilian Micro Sword is a very popular aquarium plant because it resembles grass and forms thick, beautiful carpets when planted in groups. It also provides food and shelter for dwarf shrimp and some fish species will even like to place their eggs in it. Brazilian Micro Sword is suitable for all tanks and can be placed in the foreground. Its leaves are narrow, spatulate and flattened with a lush green color. The leaves of Brazilian Micro Sword resemble the appearance of grass and their small size make the plant easy to maintain, as you won't have to trim them down as often as might be the case for other carpet plants.
It can grow from 10 to 15 cm tall. Since it has a moderate growth rate, it should be combined with either a massive quantity of other moderate-growing plants or fast-growing plants in order to prevent algae.
The following sections give an in-depth overview on how to plant, grow and propagate the plant in your tank successfully.
How to plant Brazilian Micro Sword
Brazilian Micro Sword is a creeping rhizome plant, which means it needs to be planted in soil. It is best placed deep into soil with the help of tweezers while making sure that at least 2-3 cm of the pant remain visible.
Where to place Brazilian Micro Sword
Due to its relatively small size of maximum 15 cm, Brazilian Micro Sword is best suited as a foreground plant and can be used in all tanks from nano size upwards.
Brazilian Micro Sword is a great carpet plant for the foreground of your tank.
The step-by-step process to plant Brazilian Micro Sword
- Before beginning, make sure the aquarium is not filled with water yet, but the soil is wet.
- Most likely the Brazilian Micro Sword will arrive in an in-vitro container or cup. Carefully remove the plant from the container and wash the plant under fresh and unchlorinated water until all of the nutrient paste or gel is removed.
- Carefully break up the plant mass into small batches using your hands.
- Use tweezers to pick up each small batch by the roots at an angle of approximately 45°. Be careful not to squeeze the plant too tight, otherwise you might damage the roots.
- Now push the plant into the soil using the tweezers in a 45° angle until only the tip of the plant is coming out of the soil. It's better to plant the plant a little too deeply than too shallowly. Otherwise, it might float to the top before roots can attach properly.
- After pushing the plant into the soil, don't just pull the tweezers out. Instead, pull the tweezers out in a slow and wiggling motion in order not to pull the plant with you and disturb the soil to cover the plant.
How to grow Brazilian Micro Sword fast
The overall growth-rate of Brazilian Micro Sword is moderate. There are, however, some things you can do to speed up the process further:
- Adding CO² to your tank: Although not absolutely mandatory, Brazilian Micro Sword will need a moderate amount of 10 to 40 mg/l of CO² injection in the tank to grow healthier and faster.
- Add nutrients to your tank: As with most other plants, it is important to make sure Brazilian Sword Plant has the right amount of nutrients. Please refer to the water requirements table to learn more about the exact requirements for this plant.
- Choose the right spot: Theoretically, Brazilian Micro Sword Plant can grow even under low light condition. To achieve optimum growth, spread and color, it is crucial to use medium to high lighting. Also make sure that the plant isn't shaded by other plants (especially floating plants) or aquarium decorations. Its best to place it in the foreground to create a carpet.
How to propagate Brazilian Micro Sword
Brazilian Micro Sword is a rhizome plant which means it can be easily propagated once it has grown to a certain size. To do this, you should divide the plant into smaller parts by cutting it apart with a sharp knife or scissors. Make sure each individual new plant has at least 3-4 healthy leaves. Afterwards you can plant the new parts as you usually would and watch the plant grow.
Common problems with Brazilian Micro Sword
- Yellow Leaves: In case the leaves on Brazilian Micro Sword turn yellow, this is a sign for lack of nutrients in the water. We suggest to check the water parameters in order to determine which fertilizer to add.
- Melting Leaves: In case the leaves on Brazilian Micro Sword seem to rot or melt, this might also be a sign for lack of nutrients in the water or soil. Other reasons could be too much or too little light. In these cases, it's best to measure your tank parameters and compare them to the data in the "plant characteristic" table in the top right of this page.
- Switching from emersed to submersed: If you buy the plant in its emersed form, you might encounter melting or rotting when you first plant it submersed. Don't worry, as the plant will recover on its own if its nutrient and light requirements are met