Amazon Swords

[thisguyek]

I've two amazon sword plants in a 55gal tank. been there for roughly two months now. One seems to be doing quite well sprouting a new leaf at least once a week, coming up green and healthy. The other one... not so much. Haven't had a good new leaf come up since i got it. All of its leaves come up already brown.

Add leaf zone once a week. API fert tabs added, two per plant. Slightly less than 50% water change every week and a half or so... gravel gets lightly vacuumed every time.

Two 15W T8 floramax bulbs on for....9 hours i think...

I have been simply pulling the brown leaves off as soon as they are big enough to grab. the few leaves on it are nice and tall and quite green, so i dont get it


any suggestions???

 

[thisguyek]

anything?

 

[tanksalot]

Are you sure this isn't simply the natural colour of the new growth on this particular plant?

My Echinodorus amazonicus had new leaves that had a reddish-brownish tint to begin with, and it was only as they grew to maturity that they changed to the characteristic bright green colour.

If the leaves seem structurally sound (ie. not misshapen or melting away) and the brown isn't algae (diatoms will cover a plant with a brown coating) then leave them and see what happens.

That's all I can come up with from my own experience without actually seeing the plant - you don't have a photo do you? That always helps!

 

[thisguyek]

My link

There are a few pictures about half way down. Hopefully they help.

I had no clue that that happens... I've got another leaf coming up again. It is brown, but Ill let it grow and see what happens.

 

[shoulders]

i would let it grow it seems pretty normal to me, there are varieties of amazon swords that do produce red brown leaves

 

[PDSimon]

Your plant is called echinodorus 'ozelot', same sword family though

http/www.thegreenmachineonline.com/products/aquatics/plants/tropica-potted-plants/echinodorus-ozelot

as you can see in their drawing new leaves come up some what reddish and when they get bigger new leaves will come up more red than normal. Your tank is low tech? so the red spots on the leaves will probably not get quite as vibrant as they could be. Also... they respond well to light, if another plant overcrowds one it will effect it, sometimes considerably enough to kill it but normally just to reduce the plants mass (although I wouldn't increase the time the lights are on for). If you think it is being overshadowed or not recieving as much light as the other one then it could be moved otherwise it will be difficult to get the same growth.

To conclude as long as the leave isn't loosing its structure it is probably normal

 

[thisguyek]

go figure a LFS had something labeled wrong...

now i just feel bad for pulling out 6+ leaves

thanks for the posts