Description
Micro Sword | Potted
Micro Sword is a classic foreground plant for aquascapers who want that clean, grassy-field look without the taller, wilder feel of larger hairgrass species. Native to South America, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis forms a low carpet of narrow, blade-like leaves that gradually spreads into a dense, bright-green “lawn.” When it fills in, it creates a smooth foreground that makes hardscape look sharper, fish colors pop more, and the entire layout feel more polished and intentional.
Micro Sword Overview
In the aquarium, Micro Sword is best treated as a slow-building carpet—plant it in multiple small clusters and let it connect the dots over time. It looks especially natural when you run it up to the edges of stone and driftwood, where the blades soften transitions and make the aquascape feel mature rather than newly planted.
Aquarists love Micro Sword because it’s a dependable choice for clean, grassy foregrounds and nature-style layouts, especially if you enjoy watching a carpet slowly “knit together” as the tank matures:
- Creating a short, grassy foreground with a clean “lawn” effect
- Framing rocks and driftwood so hardscape looks crisp and established
- Adding scale and depth—fine blades make tanks feel larger
- Forming a carpet through side shoots/runners once it’s rooted and settled
With smart spacing and a little patience, Micro Sword becomes a simple, reliable way to achieve that nature-style meadow look—polished up close, but still natural and organic from a distance. And if you want the layout to feel even more “real,” you can finish the edges with a light touch of botanicals: tuck a few leaves or pods along the margins near driftwood and rock to create a subtle leaf-litter transition that makes the scape feel like it developed over time. Just keep botanicals primarily to the outer edges (rather than on top of the carpet) so they don’t shade or smother new growth—done that way, they add atmosphere, extra foraging interest for shrimp and small fish, and a more authentic riverbank feel without sacrificing the clean foreground.
Caring for Micro Sword
Micro Sword is straightforward once it’s established, but it performs best when it can root strongly and spread steadily. A nutrient-rich substrate (or standard substrate supplemented with root tabs) helps it anchor quickly and encourages faster spreading through side shoots. Moderate to strong lighting supports denser growth and helps the plant stay compact rather than stretching.
When planting, you can remove the plant from the pot and divide it into small plugs, then use tweezers to plant each plug with a bit of space between them. That spacing is important—it allows light and flow to reach the base and gives runners room to expand. As it fills in, occasional light trimming can help keep the carpet even and encourage fresh, uniform growth.
- Light: Moderate to Strong
- Temperature Range: 70–83°F
- Placement: Foreground
- CO₂: Not required (optional for faster spreading and denser growth)
- Difficulty: Easy–Moderate
- Growth Rate: Moderate
For the most natural look, plant Micro Sword along hardscape edges—let it creep toward Seiryu Stone or Ohko Dragon Rock, and use it to soften the base of driftwood like Spider Wood or Driftwood on Slate so the scape looks grown-in over time.
Why Choose the Potted Version
Choosing the potted version is a great option if you want a cleaner, more stable start—especially for carpeting plants. Potted Micro Sword typically arrives with a well established root mass, which makes it easier to anchor during planting and reduces the chance of plugs floating up while the carpet is getting established. You can place the pot directly into the substrate temporarily for a simple install, or remove the plant and divide it into smaller plugs to spread across the foreground for faster coverage.
Micro Sword is also available bareroot if you prefer that presentation style.
Shopping with Confidence for Plants at Modern Aquarium
At Modern Aquarium, each potted Micro Sword is inspected and prepared by hand before shipping so you receive a healthy, ready-to-plant specimen.
- Top Quality Store & real reviews: Modern Aquarium has been designated by Google as a Top Quality Store and has thousands of individual verified reviews from real customers, so you can shop with confidence.
- Live Arrival Guarantee & fast delivery: All live plants are backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee and ship via FedEx 2-Day delivery to help ensure healthy arrival.
- Trusted sourcing: Our plants are sourced from some of the best nurseries in Florida and handled with care from the grower to your aquarium.
- What You See Is What You Get: Images on our site are typical representations—because live plants are natural products, individual specimens will vary in size, fullness, and exact coloration.
- Support when you need it: Use the chat feature on our website or give us a call—we’re happy to help.
If you want a foreground that looks clean, natural, and intentionally “scaped,” Micro Sword is one of the most rewarding ways to build that low meadow effect—especially when planted patiently, fed consistently, and framed around great hardscape. And if you love the grassy “meadow” look but want to explore other plants, we also have an entire category devoted to foreground plants. And do not forget to look through our other Sword plants, providing different textures, sizes, and visual impact depending on your layout.
