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Swords can have big root systems. I've found that it helps to cut around the plant with a plastic knife or scraper a few inches out from the plant before trying to pull it up, so that it doesn't pull up everything else in the tank.

Could be potassium deficiency which can cause thin weak leaves. If calcuim is lacking, magnesium may also be lacking. My water is very soft and I had the same problem with plant growth. Instead of trying to supplement calcuim, etc. I started adding RO Right with water changes which brings...

I don't know the scientific name off hand but it looks like something I've seen called Star Grass.

The UV bulb in the sterilizer can burn your eyes also. You should never have it turned on unshielded especially when it is close to your eyes.

About.com has some good articles about making your own tank. Here is a link. http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/diytanksrefugiums/

If it is a flat spiral, it sounds like a ramshorn snail. They don't get nearly as big as a mystery snail. I think it would be ok to leave it and watch it grow.

Sounds like a bad infection. You could try antibiotics like Maracyn 1 and 2 or kanamycin. Even if it is too late for him, I would treat the quarantine tank to keep the others from catching it.

American Flag fish (Jordanella floridae) and Ameca splendens also eat hair algae. I got Flag fish to eat hair algae and the even cleaned it out of the java moss. Flag fish do nibble plants though.

Lack of calcium causes twisted and curled new foliage and stunted growth. I had that problem with my soft water. Intead of tring to dose Ca and Mg separately I just started adding RO Right with the water changes to bring up Ca, Mg, and Kh in a balanced way. It worked great. I don't think that...

I've gotten mine to take freeze-dried bloodworms occasionally. They really go crazy for live bloodworms.

I made one out of PVC pipe. It is pretty easy.

I would trim off the old part at the bottom and replant the tops at least the first time so all the growth looks the same. Next time if you want new sprouts to plant, leave the stumps planted and new growth will emerge. Anacharis hits the top of my aquarium in about 1 week.

Nice start. The plant may be Hygrophila corymbosa. Also a background taped up on the back of the tank will hide your equipment. Solid black or blue will make the plantings really stand out.

Wouldn't it be great if there were such a thing as a cheap underwater light meter, then we could real standardize lighting requirements in foot-candles or lumens or whatever. Just daydreaming.

From what I have read, most fish are uncomfortable over light substrates. It makes them feel like easy targets for predators. They may hide more or be more jumpy, especially at first. They may get used to it with time however. Have you noticed behavior changes?

Good luck to you. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious. It is pretty rare in humans.

I've seen my ram's eat like that also. He grabs a large piece, chews it up and spits it out, then grabs a smaller piece and repeats the process. It is hard to tell if he actually eats any of it.

I've seen them in PetSmart occasionally too. They were called Dwarf Coral Sunset platies or something similar and none were over about 1/2 inch. Too cute :)

I agree. It's water wisteria (Hydrophila difformis?). I'm sure that is what Malkore meant.:) The leaves that grow out of the water look completely different from the submerged growth. When I first order some I was sure they sent me the wrong stuff.

I got one of those powerstip timers at PetSmart and it quit after a week. I always had trouble with those rotating types also. I finally got a nice digital one from WalMart that has worked well for years. It was a little difficult to program, but it keeps its setting even when the power fails...

Some crypts would make a nice tall background and most are easy to grow and spread quickly. Java moss or Christmas moss is easy to grow and could add some bush intrest in the forgroud or on driftwood. Larger clumps of small leaved plants tend to look best in a smaller aquarium. You might try...

Also, plants need the calcium and magnesium that the water softener removes in order to grow well.

I got some American Flag fish to eat hair algae, but when the algae was gone the started nibbling all the tender new growth off my plants. My big Rosy barbs also like topull on plants and uproot them but they can't really take a bite like the Flag fish.

Sounds great. Just realize that in 6 months you will have 20 platies with more on the way : (