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Echinodorus Tenellus Tissue Culture (Aquascaping Essentials)

Echinodorus tenellus, the pygmy chain sword, is an easy grass-like carpeter that spreads by runners to form a low green foreground. Beginner friendly and happy in low-light tanks.


Regular price $24.99
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Delivery and Shipping

Standard Shipping: Orders are typically dispatched within 1 business day. Delivery times vary based on the destination.

  •  Urban Areas: 1-3 business days
  •  Rural Areas: 2-5 business days
  •  Courier Services Used: NZ Post and Aramex.

Free shipping is available for New Zealand customers with a minimum purchase of $150.00.

  •  Non-Rural Addresses Only: This offer applies only to non-rural addresses.
  •  Exclusions: Bulky items such as aquariums are excluded from the free shipping offer.

About Tissue Culture Plants

What’s the Deal with Tissue Culture Plants?
Tiny plants. Big benefits. Zero unwanted surprises.

Grown in a Lab (On Purpose)
These aren’t your average aquarium plants.

Tissue culture plants are grown in pristine lab conditions — no pests, no snails, no algae. Just vibrant, healthy growth suspended in a sealed pot of nutrient gel that looks like dessert (but please, don’t).

Why They’re a Big Deal

  • 100% algae-free — start clean, stay clean
  • No snails — unless you’re into surprise hitchhikers
  • Pesticide-free — safe for shrimp, snails, and sensitive fish
  • Incredible value — you get heaps of plant once it’s split and planted
  • Long shelf life — lasts weeks sealed in its cup (great for planning your scape)
  • Small in size, big on payoff

How to Use (Don’t Just Chuck It In)
Peel the lid — it’ll feel oddly satisfying

  1. Rinse off the gel (do not plant the goo)
  2. Divide into small chunks — trust us, there’s more than it looks
  3. Plant using tweezers, spaced evenly across the substrate
  4. Watch it take off like it’s been waiting its whole life to grow in your tank

Pro tip: One pot can cover a surprising amount of space — plant wisely and it’ll spread quickly.

Lab Grown, Algae Free, Snail Free.

Grown in sterile conditions with no snails, algae, or hitchhikers — the cleanest start for any freshwater tank.

Great Value in Every Cup

Each tissue culture cup contains multiple portions — simply rinse, divide, and plant. One pot can cover more ground than you'd expect!

Echinodorus tenellus, the pygmy chain sword, is a small grass-like plant with narrow upright leaves that spread low across the front of the tank. It sends out runners to knit together into a natural, low green carpet, which makes it a favourite for foreground and midground planting.

It is an easygoing carpeter that settles in across a wide range of setups. In lower light it stays a touch taller and more relaxed, and with brighter light and a little CO2 it grows more compact and fills in faster. Once the runners take hold it keeps spreading with very little fuss, and a light trim of the tallest leaves keeps the carpet even and encourages it to creep sideways.

It is grown in sterile tissue culture and arrives as a densely packed cup, free of snails, algae, pests and disease, giving your aquascape a clean and healthy start.

Care at a glance

  • Placement: Foreground carpet
  • Lighting: Low
  • CO2: Low, not required
  • Growth rate: Moderate
  • Difficulty: Beginner
  • Colour: Green

How to plant your tissue culture Echinodorus

  1. Rinse the clear nutrient gel from the base under clean water.
  2. Divide the plant into small portions.
  3. Plant each portion into the substrate with tweezers, spaced out so it can fill in.
  4. Leave the roots undisturbed while it settles and starts to spread.

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