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Hi everyone. just a quick question about my swords. They are in a 29 gallon tank with good parameters 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and nitrates about 10-20 depending on the water changes. pH is right around 7.0, maybe off by a point or so and the temp is at 78. So far they have been growing very well, but lately they have been looking kinda sick. Brown and yellow all over the leaves, which seem very thin and almost transparent. Everything else in there seem just fine, but I would like the swords to get better. lighting is at about 1.5 wpg for about 8 hours a day. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Hi,
Swords are called "heavy root feeders" in that they derive
most of their nutrients from the substrate. Yours sound
like they have one or two problems.
First, you should get your Watts/gallon (wpg) light up to
around 2 - 2.5 for most of them.
Second, the yellowing and transparent leaves are indications
of a plant that is lacking is specific nutrients.
For instance, iron. The use of a substrate such as flourite
would resolve that.

Check out this site for how to "read" what your plants are
telling you:
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua/art_plant_nutrient.htm


Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 24-May-2005 16:05

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

First of all, get your Swordplants identified.

Second, if your Swordplants are Echinodorus brevipedicellatus, look for signs of a fungus disease called Aphanomyces.

Aphanomyces can affect other swords, but strikes particularly virulently against brevipedicellatus.

The leaves turn net-veined and transparent, and rot at the petiole (leaf stalk).

TFH covered this in one of my 1970's back numbers. It's not pleasant when this strikes your Swordplants.

There are various species of Aphanomyces, most of which affect land plants, particularly sugar beets and alfalfa. But there are aquatic species, and Aphanomyces invadans is also known to cause diseases in fishes - see this article for more information.

If Aphanomyces is not an issue, or your Swordplants are a species other than those affected (brevipedicellatus is the most susceptible by far), then consider an iron supplement. Especially under intense lighting.




Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

Second, if your Swordplants are Echinodorus brevipedicellatus, look for signs of a fungus disease called Aphanomyces.

Breviwhat.....?????????? a disease called Aphan.....uh ?????

Cal,
The chances that we are dealing with a very rare sword here or a fungus disease of any type are extremly remote. Lets get real, niether of these things are likely to be found in the average LFS tank, or even likely to be found in the Amazon River for that matter.Propbably not going to be found outside the pages of a 30 year old magazine :%)Divertran rushing off to see if the plant is a Breviwotsit is going to be a waste of time.

Most of the common swords available to the hobbyist have pretty similar requirements.

This sounds like a plain old lighting issue and if it is no amount of ferts are going to remedy that.

If you wish you can try some root tabs, but make sure it's very well buried so as to keep the nutrients out of the water column. It may not help much. Make sure the plant is in the brightest part of the tank.

One other possibility, is this a new plant ? Most swords are grown emmersed and when placed in the tank the old leaves will die off (turning yellowish brown, transparent and rotting) but will be replaced by new submersed leaves. For the first couple of weeks the plant can look really lousy and will seem like it's dying completely leading some to throw it out, but will usually recover.

Last edited by bensaf at 25-May-2005 22:14

---

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 all. I agree with you Bernard, don't think gonna find anything rare or exotic at petsmart. just the plain old amazons, i think. not too new tho, prolly a few months old. gonna try root tabs and soon upgrade the lighting. I agree that swords need stronger light and now(I just checked the bulb) they're getting less than 1 wpg so its prolly that. gonna hit up menards this weekend for a stronger bulb. Thanks again all

I understand your thinking Bensaf, but brevipedicellatus isn't a rare Amazon Swordplant. Certainly not if my LFS can get it, and that establishment is a small shop in a medium-sized town that usually deals in 'bread and butter' fish and plants. I actually had one of these Swords as a teenager, and it was, in those days, the Amazon Swordplant until Aphanomyces reared its ugly head and caused it to be replaced by the very similar bleheri. Moreover, brevipedicellatus has been making something of a comeback here in the UK of late. I'm sure I could get it with relative ease if I ordered it specifically from an aquatic plant nursery - much easier than the likes of Glosso.

However, after reading the above, lighting and the possibility that the Swordplant was grown emersed before being sold (and is now re-adapting to submersed existence) are two issues that are higher up the agenda. Bear in mind also that I've had Amazon Swords of one kind or another for something like 20 years in different aquaria, which was part of the driving force behind my original post.


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002