Pruning swords question

[gwand]

My 20 gallon livebearer tank has become a jungle overgrown with Amazon swords. To prune this tangle of greenery do I remove a certain number of leaves from each root or do I trim each leaf a few inches or something else? Thanks.

 

[CassCats]

This is a tough one because swords need to be cut at the base of the leaf. But they'll just keep sending out large leaves. Generally, they tend to outgrow even 55 gallons and such when in good shape, smaller tanks even more so.


Some folks can stunt them by keeping their roots contained in smaller pots, but best bet is usually just moving them to larger tanks or swapping for small varieties of swords (Echinodorus parviflorus, Echinodorus red flame for example). Echinodorus bleheri gets massive, as you are starting to see.

One of my old beasts. Easily 20+ inches tall.

 

[fishorama]

As Cass said, you can remove the outer old leaves at the crown (base) to make them less bushy. But they still grow tall! Too tall for a 20 long!! You need either smaller swords or my favorite genus, cryptocorynes. Many forms & colors, many would work in a 20g.

I can't tell, what are your smaller plants? Chain swords?

Beware stem plants in a low tank, you'll be trimming at least weekly.

 

[gwand]

As Cass said, you can remove the outer old leaves at the crown (base) to make them less bushy. But they still grow tall! Too tall for a 20 long!! You need either smaller swords or my favorite genus, cryptocorynes. Many forms & colors, many would work in a 20g.

I can't tell, what are your smaller plants? Chain swords?

Beware stem plants in a low tank, you'll be trimming at least weekly.

Thanks. The low plants are anubias and green cryptocoryne

 

[CassCats]

Hmmm I think your crypts might be dwarf sagitarria, the blades go right to the substrate, while crypts have a stem leading to the leaf blade.

I'm not seeing crypts in your sword tank at all.

 

[gwand]

Yes indeed. The grass-like plants in the very front of the tank are dwarf sagitarria.

 

[CassCats]

Okay I see the crypts now, they're hiding among the swords, I thought they were sword leaves one of those times I should be wearing my glasses

 

[fishorama]

Your eyes are better than mine even with my glasses, lol. I could go with dwarf sag, but I'm not seeing a crypt or an anubias no matter how hard I look. Maybe in the swords on either end, I tried to enlarge but either I don't know how or it doesn't get bigger.

I do like a jungle tank! But you need to think about weeding out some of those big swords. Do it gradually, 1 at a time. Big plants, big roots might stir up some substrate detritus. Vacuum it out & do it again in a couple weeks.

 

[Colin_T]

Don't prune Echinodorus (sword) plants, they don't like it. Just leave them alone.

 

[CassCats]

Your eyes are better than mine even with my glasses, lol. I could go with dwarf sag, but I'm not seeing a crypt or an anubias no matter how hard I look. Maybe in the swords on either end, I tried to enlarge but either I don't know how or it doesn't get bigger.

I do like a jungle tank! But you need to think about weeding out some of those big swords. Do it gradually, 1 at a time. Big plants, big roots might stir up some substrate detritus. Vacuum it out & do it again in a couple weeks.

Crypt circled in pink, anubias in blue. Right side, under the sword above the coconut. Blending right on in.

 

[anewbie]

You really can't trim swords; but you can of course replace it with a variety that stays smaller...

 

[GaryE]

That, uh, fishroom is finished comment in another thread...

They are beautiful swordplants. But as others have noted, they are pretty well untrimmable. They'll grow to the surface. Since it would be a shame to waste them, I would get a larger, taller tank set up for South American fish, and use them there. It would be beautiful.

 

[gwand]

Cass has great eyes to pick out the crypts and Anubias in that jungle. The Anubias flowered recently. Will a sword survive if I cut the distal third of the leaves off?

 

[CassCats]

The leaves will likely melt from where they're cut or damaged

 

[MaloK]

Your far from "Jungle" let them go !!!