🌾 Lilaeopsis brasiliensis – The Verdant Carpet of the Tropics
Lilaeopsis brasiliensis, known commonly as the Micro Sword, is a charming, grasslike aquatic plant native to the warm riverbanks of South America. With its fine, sword-shaped leaves and lush, vibrant green hue, it creates the perfect living carpet for aquascapes of all sizes.
Often admired for its soft texture and natural appeal, Micro Sword brings a tranquil meadow-like beauty to the foreground of aquariums. Under favorable conditions, it forms a dense, low-growing mat that sways gently with the current—evoking the serene underwater landscapes of tropical streams.
Compact, adaptable, and endlessly graceful, this species is ideal for both beginner and advanced aquascapers seeking an authentic, natural appearance.
🌟 Key Features
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Scientific Name: Lilaeopsis brasiliensis
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Common Name: Micro Sword, Brazilian Micro Sword
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Origin: South America (Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina)
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Form & Texture: Fine, grasslike leaves forming a vibrant green carpet
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Growth Height: 2–7 cm – ideal for foreground placement
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Growth Rate: Moderate – dense carpeting under bright light
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Temperature Tolerance: 20–28°C – thrives in tropical freshwater aquariums
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Water Conditions: pH 6.5–7.5 | Hardness 2–12°dGH | KH 2–8°dKH
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Difficulty Level: Easy to Medium – suitable for most aquarists
🌱 Growth & Propagation
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Lighting Needs: Medium to high – encourages compact, lush growth
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CO₂ & Fertilizers: Optional but enhances color and density
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Propagation: By runners – separate and replant to expand coverage
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Substrate: Nutrient-rich substrate recommended for best results
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Can Grow Emersed: Yes – suitable for paludarium and humid terrarium setups
🖼️ Aquascaping Benefits
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Creates a lush, natural green carpet for freshwater aquascapes
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Pairs beautifully with driftwood, stones, and midground species like Cryptocoryne or Anubias nana petite
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Perfect for nature-style, Iwagumi, or minimalist layouts seeking vibrant ground cover
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Provides a realistic and serene meadow-like appearance that complements shrimp and nano fish displays
📍 Cultivation & Sustainability
At Aquarium Plants Factory, every aquatic plant is sustainably farm-raised in controlled greenhouse environments—never collected from the wild.
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Our Lilaeopsis brasiliensis is grown ex-vitro and hydroponically for strong roots and clean foliage
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Ensures high-quality plants with minimal environmental impact
📦 What You’ll Receive
Choose from our selection of nursery-grown Lilaeopsis brasiliensis:
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Loose Bare Root Plants: Approximately a small clump bare root portion
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Bunched Plants: Small clump bundled with foam and a plant weight
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Potted Plants: Potted in a net pot with rock wool
⚠️ Disclaimer
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Some initial leaf melt may occur as the plant adjusts to new aquarium conditions
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This is normal—new, submersed leaves will sprout from runners as the plant establishes itself
🚫 State Restrictions Notice ♻️ Be a Responsible Aquatic Plant Owner
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Certain aquatic plants may be regulated or restricted in some U.S. states
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Always check your local and state regulations before purchasing or introducing plants into natural waterways
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Never release aquarium plants into the wild
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
WHAT WE GUARANTEE
24 Hours Live Arrival Guarantee* - In a rare case of live stocks dead on arrival, we must be notified within 24 hours by the same day of delivery. Please take clear photos of the damaged product and send it to us within 24 hours. Live Arrival Guarantee will be void after 24 hours of delivery. All replacements are considered final and we will not replace the replacement.
- Picture requirements: Take at least 2 clear photos of damaged product in their original, unopened & sealed transparent packing and send photos and orders information to our email within 24 hours: aquariumplantsfactory@gmail.com
- Please do not take picture of damaged plants, or animals in your aquarium. Once they have been introduced to your aquarium's ecosystem. It is no longer covered by our guarantee.
Please be aware that our Live Arrival Guarantee is subject to certain conditions. Specifically, the guarantee will not be applicable in cases where the package is marked as 'invalid address', 'undeliverable' or is 'returned to sender.' This includes situations such as a vacant delivery address, a missing apartment number, or any other issues that prevent the postal service from delivering your package.
It is crucial to provide accurate and complete shipping information to ensure the successful delivery of your order and the applicability of the Live Arrival Guarantee.
Please keep in mind that Live Arrival Guarantee only guarantees that live stocks will be alive upon arrival. We cannot guarantee that you will continue to have success with them. Many factors, including the aquarium environment, water quality, nutrient, temperature, lighting, filter, and CO2 system, can contribute to the failure to grow live plants and live animals.
WHAT WE CAN'T GUARANTEE
Even though our plants are very clean, but we can't guarantee they will be 100% pest-free because we cannot be responsible for your aquarium. Please use it at your own risk. We recommended all customers rinse the plants with clean water and quarantine them before use.
However, plants in tissue culture will be 100% free from pests, algae and never have been contacting with any aquarium.
- Due to the nature of the product. We don't guarantee our plants will be pests free. ( snails, algae, hitchhikers )
- We don't guarantee our plants will be free of pesticides. We use homemade, organic pesticides in our greenhouse to control pests. We do not use pesticides that contain copper. Copper is toxic to invertebrates such as aquatic snails, crabs, shrimps, etc
- We don't guarantee your aquarium success or are responsible for your aquarium inhabitant including but not limited to fish, shrimp, snail, turtle, etc. So please quarantine all plants when use!
- Unless specific, we don't guarantee aquatic plants will be grow emerged or submerge.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised these aquarium plants for arriving healthy with good roots and quickly establishing in tanks. Many noted "spreading quickly and becoming a thick carpet" and generous portions. Some experienced initial melting, though most recovered. Plants performed well even in low-tech setups without CO2, though intense lighting helps.
- Spreading quickly and becoming a thick carpet.
- They arrived healthy and very quickly. Sending out new shoots already.
- All plants were very healthy and plump with zero die-back or melt.
R
I know this plant to strongly prefer intense lighting and CO2, but I wanted to give it a try in my tank with moderate lighting and just soil, no CO2. It arrived green and robust, and most of the plugs are doing well. I had a few parts melt, but they have already grown new leaves. This micro sword was my first choice for a foreground plant in my low-tech set up, and I am happy with what I received from Aquarium Plant Factory.
T
I ordered two potted and was greatly deceive by the pictures. Mine arrived with one pot completely melted. As one of the plants I was highly looking forward to in this order, I'm certainly disappointed.
J
Ordered (40) so with buy 2 get 1 offer, received (60).
Each portion came in an approximately 2x3 plastic bag. All plants were very healthy and plump. Split each portion in 1/2 to fit in my temporary holding device (see pic).
So far after several days, plants still look extremely healthy with zero die-back or melt.
K
Arrived healthy with good roots. Spreading quickly and becoming a thick carpet. Pictures attached of when it was initially planted vs 3 weeks of growth. All plants pictures are from aquarium plants factory. I haven’t received a bad plant from them yet after two large orders.
Z
Plant showed up in perfect condition. Ordered not today!
S
These are healthy and dense. I was surprised at the amount I was sent!
C
I received my order of plants fast, and they arrived very quickly. I am very happy with you product and service.
Thank you
Craig in Houston
D
With all the negative publicity about the USPS, I thought my order would take over a week. Within 4 days I had my order from California to Wisconsin. My plants looked very healthy and were planted immediately. I had watched some YouTube videos on how to separate and plant as you can see in the picture.
This is my fourth time ordering and I continue to be impressed with the quality and speed of service.
L
I ordered this plant and it came to me in NC in about 5 days. It came is great shape. Was able to separate the plant into 3 pieces. Really enjoy this plant.
J
I ordered 1 bunch and got a pretty big piece. Was able to separate into 2 pieces. Great value. 10 stars. Would order again. Watch out for hitchhiking trumpet snails.
E
Arrived green and happy.
e
Good looking healthy plants.
A
Planys arrived well even though package got delayef in shipping
S
They arrived healthy and very quickly. They took a moment to get established in the substrate but they're doing very well and are sending out new shoots already.
J
Arrived healthy and looks great lots of coverage per pack
J
Arrived fine but all withered and melted now. Hopefully they recover and don’t need to be replaced.
J
I ordered this fairly recently and bought the rooted bunch.I was amazed by the quality.I will definitely be buying more in the near future.
E
The plants arrived in great condition and were easy to separate and plant. I have also learned never to use USPS for anything that's alive, because they are always late. I will buy more plants from APF in the future
B
Order came in a very timely manner - all 3 bunches are healthy and have been awesome additions to my carpeting areas. Definitely recommend!
c
Arrived on time and healthy. Will be ordering more in the future.
T
Came faster than expected.
L
Came all healthy and happy, the micro swords are growing good and look great still.
D
Plants came in quick, healthy and very well packed. Will definately purchase more plants from this site. Fairly priced items
P
These plants are adorably packed and super healthy. My fish love it
W
Everything well packed, Clean, healthy looking plants, looking forward to ordering again. Re: Micro sword specifics:Nice portion of well rooted plants. Not so much individual plants as a mat of them, which I like. Very simple to plant a small, full "bunch" or divide out for a large number of starts.
C
not bad
C
I bought 3 Micro Swords my question is can I take the lead weight off and divide the plants up to spread out in my aquarium?
Yes, you can!
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