Re: [APD] Re: Amazon Swords -- or - Boarding House Rules

["S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>]

If you can notice the growth on anubias plants, they are
doing fine, I'd say. They grow so slow under even the best
and most encouraging circumstances, one sometimes wonder if
they are growing at all, especially if they start
collecting algae like an old indolent sloth collects, well,
algae.

I know a number of folks will find their Java turning like
yours when put against the big eaters -- they seem to want
more food than they can get.  

Whatever plants you have to frequently mow down are big
eater. Your swords are an exeception only in that they
aren't growing fast but should be. Once they are better
established and larger, they'll give the val a real run for
its money -- you'll want to keep an eye on both.

On the swords, I would trim back any funky leaves -- gently
peeling/pulling them away from the base -- I would have
trimmed about a third of the leaves and root ends before
planting them, too -- maybe you did. 

Increase the N,P,K and change to 3 times a week dosing and
see if that doesn't sate all the boarders. I've found that
the easier swords will do fine at very moderate lighting
levels, but they don't seem to lose quite as much appetite
at lower light levels as one might expect. If you are
running 3 wpg of good lighting, that should be enough to
keep the swords happy so long as they get all the nutrients
they need. Lots of CO2 at that lighting level, and NPK and
traces too.


The "microsword" and hairgrass don't grow so quickly that
they easily keeps ahead of algae growth. They more
problematic plant for some gardeners, especially those of
us that don't want to spend too much snipping and
replanting stringers or combing detritus out of the nap 
;-) . Once lilaeopsis gets going it can *seem* to grow
relatively rapidly as you snip and replant to maintain an
area of thick ground cover. But it generally counts as a
slow grower.

If, as you ask, you move the slow growing plants to another
tank, you could maintain them with lower nutrient levels
and lower lighting but the fast growers left together in
the first tank will still need a big meal every few days.
Otoh, if you leave them in the same tank, you can let the
big eaters shade the slow plants -- they will enjoy the
shade and won't eat more than they need. 

Scott H.
--- Robert Zink <bonsai at hrcreditunion_net> wrote:

> 
> This sounds like what happened to me as well. Bought a
> nice, big sword at a
> LFS and within a short time all the big leaves melted --
> "no problem, it's
> adjusting to immersed growth," I thought. However, some
> months later now,
> it's still stunted.
> 
> > Still
> > they will soak up nutrients faster than many other
> plants
> > under that same lighting level. 

> 
> Is that why my Java's are so black-blotchy, holey and
> stunted?
> In the same tank is Vallisneria, Anacharis, Rotala,
> various Crypts, all
> doing excellent. . . .I would be glad to know which of
> these
> are particularly
> aggressive consumers of nutrients.
> 
> Besides the Sword and Java Fern, there is also some Hair
> Grass that is
> slowly wasting away and some weak but persistent Micro
> Sword (Lilaeopsis
> novaezelandiae). Anubias barteri, newly introduced, has
> sent out new leaves
> about half the size, but seems to be OK.
> 
> I'm running about 3 W/G on this 20G, dosing fertilizer
> 2x/week.

> 
> Alternatively, I could take the weak performers out and
> put them in another
> tank without the fast eaters, right?
> 
> Or is the sword just having a difficult time getting
> established?
> 


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