Amazon sword melting

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Tuckerman821

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Hello, I have a 55 gallon Congo tetra tank which has many plants. My amazon sword does ok, and puts out new leaves all the time but the leaves on the outside melt down. Theyre growing faster than they are melting but I have other big plants like a red melon sword and a red flame sword that grow great without any melting. Just wondering if Amazon swords are known for this, or if Iā€™m doing something wrong
Thanks
 
Can you post a photo of the entire tank so we can see the plants?

All species of Echinodorus (common name swords) grow by developing new leaves from the centre of the crown; older outer leaves may die off over time, slower or faster depending upon the tank conditions (light and nutrients). I may be able to offer more when I see things.

These plants are also heavy feeders, meaning they need good nutrition. Are you using any fertilizers, liquid or tab, and if yes, which?
 
Can you post a photo of the entire tank so we can see the plants?

All species of Echinodorus (common name swords) grow by developing new leaves from the centre of the crown; older outer leaves may die off over time, slower or faster depending upon the tank conditions (light and nutrients). I may be able to offer more when I see things.

These plants are also heavy feeders, meaning they need good nutrition. Are you using any fertilizers, liquid or tab, and if yes, which?
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Using api liquid fertilizer weekly, and co2 booster daily (both as bottle instructs) and api root tabs a while back, placed two tabs at the base of the sword and more around the tank near the other swords and plants.

For lighting, I have a 48ā€ hyger led light I bought on Amazon, the timer is set 7:30-11:30 am and then again from 4:00-8:00 pm because it sits in a window. I was growing a lot of hair algae so I donā€™t run all day. Since putting the break from 11:30-4:00 I donā€™t grow hair algae anymore.
 
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First on nutrients. Stop using the CO2 Booster, this is a derivative of glutaraldehyde which is a toxic disinfectant and detrimental to fish over time. The API tabs I would change to Seachem Flourish Tabs (these are better and safer). Assuming the API is their Leaf Zone, this is only potassium and iron, so the other micronutrients are missing. Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is significantly better, or Brightwell Aquatics' FlorinMulti. I can guarantee you will see improvement in the plants; pictures really do tell a thousand words (or whatever the saying is, lol).

Second the light. The "daylight" period when the light is on needs to be one continuous period. This is more critical for fish than plants [reason is explained in an article I wrote on light, here:

Algae may be a problem then, as you mention, and this can be controlled by reducing the photoperiod (and the fertilizers will help too). My tanks run 7 hours daily, and black beard/brush algae has not returned in six years. This is covered in the article. I would also get some floating plants. These not only prevent algae (all else being balanced), they shade the fish which do not appreciate overhead light. I had a group of 12 Congo Tetra in my 90g tank and whenever I thinned out the floating plants the Congos would move lower down in the aquarium for several days until the surface plants increased again.
 
The API tabs I would change to Seachem Flourish Tabs (these are better and safer). Assuming the API is their Leaf Zone, this is only potassium and iron, so the other micronutrients are missing. Flourish Comprehensive Supplement for the Planted Aquarium is significantly better
Iā€™ll stop the co2 booster and switch to these fertilizers.
The "daylight" period when the light is on needs to be one continuous period.
Iā€™ll set the time to be on 7 hours, starting around midday.
Algae may be a problem then, as you mention, and this can be controlled by reducing the photoperiod (and the fertilizers will help too).
I havenā€™t had a big problem with these algae recently, I do have some green algae growing on the rocks, but I donā€™t mind it. It looks natural, and I have Siamese algae eaters who enjoy it.
I would also get some floating plants.
I do have a surface full of dwarf water lettuce now, the picture I showed is like two weeks old (didnā€™t take a new one because the lights had already gone off) Iā€™ll take another one and post when Iā€™m home from work.
 

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