Dwarf Water Lettuce

Pistia stratiotes

  • Large, background plant
  • Easy to care for
  • Great for angelfish to lay eggs

Dwarf Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is a stem aquatic plant favored by aquascapers for its reliability and visual impact. It does well in moderate–high lighting and 70–82°F (21–28°C) water with a pH of 6.0–7.5, adapting comfortably to soft–moderately hard hardness. Maintenance is moderate; it benefits from supplemental CO₂ and responds to water column + substrate fertilization. In the aquascape it suits midground / background, offering structure, shelter, and natural texture for fish and shrimp. Propagation is straightforward via cuttings, side shoots, or division, making it easy to expand healthy colonies.

Dwarf Water Lettuce

Common name Dwarf Water Lettuce
Scientific name Pistia stratiotes
Origin Africa or South America
Experience level Easy / Moderate
Placement Midground / Background
Temperature 70–82°F (21–28°C)
Light  Moderate
CO₂ Low–High (improves color/growth)
Nutrients Water column + substrate

How to Plant

  1. Remove the potted plant from plastic basket, and split the rock wool in half.
  2. Carefully remove the plant roots from the rock wool, and make sure to remove all the small, yellow fertilizer balls. Wash off any remaining debris.
  3. Use planting tweezers or your fingers to push the roots of the sword deeply into the substrate until they are completely buried. Pull out the plant slightly so that the crown (i.e., the base of the plant where all the leaves come out) is not covered with substrate.
  4. If the plant keeps popping out of the ground, try inserting the plant at an angle or wrap a plant weight at the bottom of the plant to keep it anchored.
  5. Make sure to add lots of root tabs if you’re using inert substrate or if your nutrient-rich substrate is depleted.

Care

  1. Amazon sword care is very easy, so start by using low to medium lighting between 10-35 PAR.
  2. Why is my new sword plant melting? Sword plants are sometimes known to experience melting when they suddenly move to a new environment. To help the plant recover faster and grow new leaves that are accustomed to your water parameters, leave the roots planted in the ground and make sure to provide nutrient-rich planted tank substrate or Easy Root Tabs.
  3. Why is my Amazon sword turning brown after it was growing so well? Sword plants absorb lots of nutrients from the ground, so it may be a nutrient deficiency. If the larger, outer leaves are yellowing and dying after a couple of months, please add more root tabs.
  4. How to trim Amazon sword: If the sword plant has dying or melting leaves, cut them off at the base of the leaf.
  5. Note: Bristlenose plecos and other plecos have been known to eat sword plants, so watch out for this if you see holes in the leaves.

Propagation

Sword plants reproduce by sending out a horizontal runner with a little plantlet at the end. The plantlet will sprout its own leaves and roots that grow into the ground. You can cut off the plantlet and re-plant it in a different location.

Propagation

Sword plants reproduce by sending out a horizontal runner with a little plantlet at the end. The plantlet will sprout its own leaves and roots that grow into the ground. You can cut off the plantlet and re-plant it in a different location.