Help With Amazon Swords

[1cellularguru1]

Hi everybody, very new to this craze. Bought some Amazon Swords and didn't know they would need extra nutrients. My LFS told me they would be fine but they are turning brown. My lighting is okay but I guess I need something for them to eat, lol.

I guess I should say that my tank is currently cycling with only one female betta in it. It is a 40 gallon, showtank I guess. I currently have two Amazon Swords in my tank that are starting to look thinner and are showing some brown since I put them in 7 days ago.

I should also say that I have a biofilter and an airpump, as well as a heater.

I do 25% water changes every two days because my one poor fish can't mess up the tank that fast.


What is best for nutrition? Is it fertalizer?

All ideas suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[clutterydrawer]

Well I doubt they'll eat biscuits

When you say your lighting is ok, could you tell us a bit more? Is it fluorescent? How many watts?

I use fertiliser in the form of root tablets for my amazon swords. I believe it works because I recently noticed that the two in the corners, which receive less light, are growing much better than the one in the middle. I'm putting this down to the fact that I have fertilised the two in the corners recently, but never the one in the middle. This may be a totally illogical conclusion but it makes sense to me!

try getting some fertiliser and see if the plants improve.

 

[Da_Oz]

Swords are root eaters. So you need to get it to the roots. There is lots of plant tabs on the market. Also jobes plant spikes, but these you want to make sure you get them deep into the gravle. The only ones I would use is the ones for ferns you don't want high amounts of phosphates in your water. Phosphates is what algae lives off.

Also if you only got swords don't use liquid stuff they don't get much from it and the algae will eat it up fast.

Also even thoe water changes are very good for the tank. If you over clean it there will never be anything for the plants to eat.

One more point. New moved plants sometimes will die back. Just be sure that if the leafs is dead to cut it off with some scissors, you don't want rotting plants in you tank.

 

[1cellularguru1]

Hi again, sorry for the long delay in responding.
I stated that my lighting is fine but in fact because I bought the tank used and just found out the bulb is almost two years old. It is some kind of fluorescent (excuse my ignorance).
Anyway after reading a bunch of posts I realized that I needed to buy a new bulb and I just purchased a Coralife Trichromatic 100% Super Daylight 6500 K full-spectrum lamp, 360 output, 24 inch, 20W. Is this enough light? I am also going to try somekind of fertalizer. Do I really need C02?

I just purchased a whopping 18 inch beautiful Amazon Sword, it looks beautiful in my tank but please give me some advice as how best to care for it.

Thanks for all your help

 

[Bangin]

For a 40 gallon tank I would aim for about 80 watts of lighting. Your amazon sword will probably want more than .5 watts per gallon. Lighting is usually the limiting factor in plant growth.

 

[clutterydrawer]

CO" is nto essential and I think it only takes effect when high levels of light and nutrients are present, so it wouldn't doo much good. you needa bare minimum of 1wpg (40 watts), 2wpg would be much better as swords needs medium light.

 

[1cellularguru1]

Hi, how can I improve my lighting without spending a fortune and as easy as possible?

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Bangin]

Hi, how can I improve my lighting without spending a fortune and as easy as possible?

It's possible but from what I've gathered you have to be pretty handy.

I've always just spent the money for a strip light that's already been put together. It is certainly more costly, but I'm not a handy person at all. My parents have always completed these types of projects on their own. I'd rather pay someone else to do it!

AHsupply sells kits for the do-it-yourselfers. http/www.ahsupply.com

 

[1cellularguru1]

Thanks for the link.