Amazon Sword and Anubias Questions - Aquarium Advice

mfdrookie516 · 10-04-2009, 03:52 AM

Ok got a couple questions for you plant people...

First- Can i separate amazon sword? Ive got two that are probably 4-5" tall now and one about 2" tall... The reason i ask is because i had them in my mbuna tank and needless to say, they ate one completely and the other two about half way before i caught it. Since i put them in my 10g and started adding ferts, they have perked up big time (i also have more light on them per say...). One was totally eaten, nothing but a ball of roots, the other two were about half eaten, maybe an inch tall all together. The one that was just roots has really taken off and grown big time. So i got to thinking, is it possible to cut the roots in half or something and start another plant?

Second- My Anubias has a brown spot on one of its leaves. It looks like what a leaf on a tree looks like after a bug bites it. All i have in that tank right now are a few ghost shrimp and tons of mts... Along with 3 amzon swords and a ton of MH... Everything else looks good (except some of the MH has some light tan coloring like its dying off)... I hadnt added any ferts for the last 3 weeks, could it be malnourishment?

Sorry for all the noob questions, ive just never had plants before and quite frankly, know nothing about them... Thanks

taylorodw · 10-05-2009, 02:43 PM

I am not familiar with sword plants, but I know that Anubias plants are susceptible to algae... That would be my guess. I've had algae cover entire leaves of my anubias plants and still had them live.

beglely · 10-05-2009, 04:00 PM

When I got my first amazon sword, a small chunck of the root system broke off while I was cleaning it. Curious, I planted both the plant and the root pieces. Within two weeks the roots had sprouted new leaves and is looking great now and the original plant is fine. So I know it can be done, but im not sure if it should be done that way.

mfdrookie516 · 10-05-2009, 10:00 PM

Well it doesnt look like algae, but more like a dead spot...

taylorodw · 10-09-2009, 11:29 AM

That's what mine looks like too, it's black. When I clean the tank, I just scrape it right off, it comes all in one piece usually.

meegosh · 10-09-2009, 11:54 AM

I too have broken the roots apart on my swords and made two plants from one. It took a few days for it to settle down and start growing new leaves. Both plants are doing great now, probably 15+ leaves on each and 5" tall. I think it is about time to break them apart again. I love swords!

mfdrookie516 · 10-09-2009, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meegosh

I too have broken the roots apart on my swords and made two plants from one. It took a few days for it to settle down and start growing new leaves. Both plants are doing great now, probably 15+ leaves on each and 5" tall. I think it is about time to break them apart again. I love swords!

do you ever get dead leaves on yours? i know my lighting isnt great (15w over a 10g, plus its a really shallow tank considering) and i plan on upgrading soon (suggestions are welcome) but i figured as fast as the small one shot up that the bigger one would be doing better. Ive noticed that there are two leaves that have just turned a real pale brown just like theyve died off... is that normal or could it be due to lighting? I dose with ferts every pwc and have my light on right at 10 hours a day

meegosh · 10-09-2009, 04:20 PM

I get a few, mostly after I move them around and upset the roots. I'd say in the past 2 months I haven't had any though. I also have them in a 10g with a 15w bulb. It is a plant bulb, not sure on the spectrum but I can check later. I got it at a LFS for I think $6. The plants took off after adding the new bulb and some root tabs. The bulb that was in there before was 2+ years old though.

mfdrookie516 · 10-09-2009, 08:07 PM

well ive got a phillips daylight bulb in mine... would you recommend something else.. ive got pfs in that tank, thought about using the plant substrate (sorry i forgot the name), especially considering that about 70% of the sand is covered with plants... Would root tabs be a good idea? Im using Tetra ferts every pwc... Ill try and get a pic of the anubias later and see what yall think, it looks like the entire tip of the leaf has died as it is yellow on the edge of the brown... thats the only reason i doubt its algae...

mfdrookie516 · 10-10-2009, 01:59 PM

Here are a few pictures of the plants... As you can see, none of them (at least imo) look good... You can see the amazon sword, the little one is the 2 week old "ball of roots" that i stuck in there, and then the anubias looks real bad. Would shrimp be the culprit? All i have in there are a few hundred (probably) mts, a ghost shrimp, and a mystery snail (found it out in a bucket of sand on the porch after a couple months of just sitting there in stagnant water, fiance DEMANDED that it be put back in a tank lol)... the anubias has a "split" on one of the leaves, and you can kind of tell on the middle right side of the plant the brown tip i was talking about...