Amazon Sword growth Stunted??

[Mustang5L5]

I've had an Amazon sword in my tank since December of last year. It was 6" tall when i planted it.

A year later it grew to have 20-24" leaves and spit out a few baby swords. I have another 6" sword growing in my tank. I have a 24" tall tank so this sword is my centerpeice and is dead center with leaves up to the surface.

In the last few months though, while the plant continues to spit out leaves at the same rate, i noticed these leaves are all scrunched up and deformed. I hope the sword isn't stunted because removing it would pull up most of my tank since the root system stretches out about 2 feet in diamter.

It also seems i hit a wall with plant growth in my tank..as if the plants grew to their max. In the beginning i was always pruning, but now i only need to do it every 2nd or 3rd water change. EVerything is still healthy and green looking, just growing slower.

Do plants hit growth cycles? Nothing has changed in my tank. I have 80Watts of light and run CO2. All the fish in my tank have been there for a LONG time. I haven't added any fish in 6 months and lose 1 maybe every 2 months.

Anyone else have expeirence with swords growing scrunched up deformed leaves??

 

[maestro]

What substrate do you have? swords are root feeders as you probably know, and need root ferts

 

[Mustang5L5]

I have a medium size type of gravel.

I use root tabs just for this plant alone.

Like i said, my routine which produced a healthy large plany has not changed at all. The only change is the plant starting to send up deformed scrunched up leaves.

 

[Da_Oz]

Ok did you move this plant to the middle of the tank. Could the light be different there. Or could your lights be old and needed to be replaced. I have one in the coner and one in the middle of the right side of my tank. The one in the middle of the right side was getting more light and grew big fast but the other didn't I added a light to the end of my tank and now the little has grown like 4 inchs in a matte of a month.

 

[Pescado Guy]

It may still be getting over the move. If you haven't changed anything I would just give it time. And maybe check up on the lighting like Da OZ said.

Kevin

 

[George Farmer]

My Echindorus bleheri is two years old now and has shown growth cycles. I grows well for a few months then almost stops, then grows again. I haven't made any changes to my fertilising regime and have laterite in my substrate. I can only assume they do have seasonal growth rate changes, I understand in the wild they grow emersed as well as submersed so that may affect their growth too.

Like Pescado Guy says; just give it time.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Slight misunderstanding. I've never moved this plant. It's always been dead center of my tank. I planted it there about 1 year ago. Also, since it grew so large, it takes pretty much all the light in the center of the tank.

Bulbs are new, replaced them 2 months ago.

Nothing has changed really.