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Well that time has come when I've begun thinking about changing around the plants in my tank. I find it harder and harder to keep my asian ambulia look nice and neat since it puts out long ugly roots all the way up the stem every other day, and it's a lot of work constantly cutting them. I want to cut back on the amount of A. ambulia I have in there, but I'm looking to replace its place in the tank with a non-stem plant - something rooted so it's not perpetually growing to huge lengths overnight.

I've been looking around at different swords and crypts - are there any that are good to use as backdrop plants for a 46 gallon? I know regular amazon swords will take over a tank that size, so they're out. But I still want something that will grow tall enough to cover - at least partially - the back of the tank. Any suggestions? Thanks!


Rich

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Back in the saddle!

I find that the height swords and crypts reach is dependent on light. A lot of light they get bif a bit of shading not so tall.

The smaller swords easily available:
Marble Queen - Gets wide rather then too tall.
Narrow Leaf Rubin stays a nice height (normal Rubin gets HUGE)
Ozelots and Melon should stay managable.
Parviflorous might actually stay too small.

Most crypts won't get above 6-8". The only one I know that will is Balansae.

Another good bet is Aponogeton Crispus. Very easy and doesn't have a dormant period like most Apons

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Thanks Bensaf. I guess a follow-up question would be:

I don't have a special substrate (flourite etc.), just regular gravel.. and I know swords are heavy root feeders. What are your feelings on those root tabs/ spikes? I'm not really a big fan because I feel that, if they get pulled up somehow in a gravel vac, it's an algae bloom waiting to happen. But in this case I don't see any other way around it - what would you suggest, if you don't mind me asking?

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Back in the saddle!

If the gravel is well seasoned with plenty of mulm it may not be too muchof an issue. But for best growth some kind of root fertilization is welcome.

You can avoid the tabs getting into the water column and causing issues. Make sure to use aquatic tabs and not tabs for terrestial plants. To get the sword off to a good start you can put the tabs into the gravel in the same spot as the plant is going and plant the sword on top of them, this should keep it down. They are usually good for a month or two. After that bury them deep and close to the roots where you won't be doing heavy gravel vacs anyway to avoid damage to the roots.

I don't use them anymore. They were a bit too successful for me

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

i have red crypt wendtii that are easily 12+ inches right now. no ferts, just co2 and gravel substrate. the tank is about 18 inches tall, roughly 3-4 inches of gravel, and in this pic the water is about an inch low, so it adds up to over 12 inches:

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