[mattoboy]

Hey guys,

I have a new Amazon Sword in my 10 gallon but it looks unhealthy. Everyday it seems to get more yellow-ish leaves and spots. What am I doing wrong? Am I suppose to give it something? Its sitting in about 2 - 2.5 inches of gravel and has about 13 hours of light everyday.

Matt

 

[inareverie85]

Is the light coming from daylight bulbs?

Are you fertilizing at all?

 

[Micho]

What kind of lightbulbs?

You may have the wrong lightbulbs I think.

 

[mattoboy]

They are just the lightbulbs that are in the hood of the fishtank and no fertilizer.. should I be fertilizing? The pet store people said nothing about it but I looked up Amazon Sword and it said something about fertilization... Im obviously a first-time live plant owner.

 

[Micho]

They are just the lightbulbs that are in the hood of the fishtank and no fertilizer.. should I be fertilizing? The pet store people said nothing about it but I looked up Amazon Sword and it said something about fertilization... Im obviously a first-time live plant owner.

Yeah most hoods comes with incandescent bulbs, they can't sustain plant life.

So that's probably your problem.

 

[Silverfang]

I believe they need root tabs for fertilizer

 

[mattoboy]

Okay, what would be a better light for the plants and where can I get them? and where are root tabs? Please explain

 

[Micho]

6500k fluorescent bulbs would be the best.

Also root tabs are fertilizers that you place in your substrate, the strengthens the roots of plants and give them extra nutrients.

 

[mattoboy]

Okay and is that like fertilizer?

 

[Micho]

Okay and is that like fertilizer?

Yep, it is.

I have some swords in my tank but I don't use root tabs only liquid fertilizers and they do fine, so it's up to you.

But I am picking up some root tabs soon, I want healthy strong roots!

 

[Silverfang]

I think they are more sensitive to lighting than the need for fertilizer

 

[Geomancer]

Amazon Sword plants are heavy root feeders and do need a fertilizer for good growth. Using a liquid or root tabs is up to you, both will work.

I'll warn you though, Swords get large and can easily outgrow a 10 gallon so you may need to do some trimming of longer leaves.

You want a comprehensive fertilizer that has all the nutrients needed for plant growth. The most recommended is Flourish. It's inexpensive and will last you several years for a 10 gallon. With root tabs, they last ~2 months. A 'root tab' is just a solid chunk of fertilizer you put under your substrate near the plant. It slowly dissolves and releases nutrients into the water.

If you have the standard two screw in type hood for a 10 gallon you can use the 10W spiral CFLs. Get the daylight kind, they have a spectrum of 6500K which is good. Several companies make them, usualy GE ones are easy to find. Caution though, this will be 'moderate' light for a 10 gallon, so you'll have to cut back the light time to no more than 8 hours, but even so you could end up with algae and might need to cut that back even further. Floating plants can really help with that by cutting down the light entering the tank.

 

[Geomancer]

I should also add that Amazon Sword plants are usually grown emersed in nurseries and will have their emersed form leaves. They do this because they grow much faster out of water than in water.

Once submerged, they will begin growing their new leaves and the emersed form leaves will die off. The tips will yellow and it will spread to the base of the plant (crown). Some nutrients in plants are mobile, so the plant will suck them out of the old leaf to make them available for the new leaves. Once they completely yellow, or are nearly completely yellow, just cut them out of the tank.