Planted Tank Problems, Please Help

CarloM12

Fish Fanatic
Joined
Oct 12, 2017
Messages
61
Reaction score
3
I have two swords and a red melon and in my 75 gallon tank with a fluval plant LED light, eco complete substrate, fertilizers root tabs the whole nine yards, When I first got them they had huge adult leaves, which died off within weeks due to the change in water and a new environment. It’s been months I believe half a year, and I’m still left with a plant that has a ton of short leaves and just refuses to grow upwards. I really don’t understand, everything else in the tank is doing fine except for these. 10-12 hours of light per day as well as everything mentioned above. Tank is 83 degrees, PH of 7.5, water changes once a week.

Here is a video of the tank:
 
People are tired of hearing it from me..but I had the same problem..and for over a year. Then I started to use seachem iron,and the Sword just took off...grew large leaves,flowered and made like a half dozen new plants. My mistake? I traded all the new plants...and the old sword then grew smaller leaves. I guess I should have planted the young ones as the older one's growth was like a last reproduction effort. It's still a dark green!..but smaller.
A lesson.
 
People are tired of hearing it from me..but I had the same problem..and for over a year. Then I started to use seachem iron,and the Sword just took off...grew large leaves,flowered and made like a half dozen new plants. My mistake? I traded all the new plants...and the old sword then grew smaller leaves. I guess I should have planted the young ones as the older one's growth was like a last reproduction effort. It's still a dark green!..but smaller.
A lesson.
Funny this is I am using seachem iron and doing all the necessary things, it feels like we've been stuck in a time warp for the last year. Some people claim you have to raise the light to let the plant grow towards the light but I don't know how much you can believe that. I just don't understand if it wasn't healthy it wouldn't be putting out all these leaves, despite them not having long stems. I got two swords and they're both doing the same thing, how can that be a coincidence.I honestly am just lost, its always me that gets some odd issue that nobody else can explain or find answers to
 
Sometimes plants just don't work. I tried for months to grow brazillain pennywort and it failed each and every time. Perhaps its time to move on to a different plant. Another kind of sword or maybe an aquarium lily
 
How deep is the substrate? Could do with being 2-3 inches for swords to develop a good root network. I think they tend to grow short and wide if the substrate is too shallow
 
Last edited:
How deep is the substrate? Could do with being 2-3 inches for swords to develop a good root network. I think they tend to grow short and wide if the substrate is too shallow
It is probably about 3 inches or so, it had so long to develop the roots by now it is probably anchored in there. Unless I'm missing something, there really seems to be no logic why none of these leaves wanna grow up. It's really a stem problem, not a leaf problem
 
I am not an expert but my Amazon sword is doing very well. For what it's worth, I have pretty deep substrate (at least 3 inches), a bunch of root tabs and I use the Aquarium Co Op fertilizer every week. I assume you have a good light. Sometimes you just get unlucky with the plants. Maybe get one from somewhere else if nothing seems to be working?
 
I am not an expert but my Amazon sword is doing very well. For what it's worth, I have pretty deep substrate (at least 3 inches), a bunch of root tabs and I use the Aquarium Co Op fertilizer every week. I assume you have a good light. Sometimes you just get unlucky with the plants. Maybe get one from somewhere else if nothing seems to be working?
I was going to make a huge order from aquariumplants.com not sure if you heard of them but they have so much selection compared to the LFS. I just wanna make sure something isn't wrong with my tank that I'm not realizing. Light check, fertilizer I believe is a check, I don't have C02 but I was under the impression it was a waste and you don't really need it.
 
Looked at the vid- they look perfect! I wish I had that center sword..is that the melon?
If you want them bigger..you need to double up the lighting. They are as big as they are going to get on one 30 watt(?) light.
You could try root tabs..maybe force growth.
I expected some stunted worn swords..then looked at the vids and they are better than 90% of the swords out there. Maybe,when you bought them they had their emergent growth? Growers do that because plants grow faster and no algae or snails of course air grown. Emergent foliage can be much different..longer petioles,leaves a different shape.
 
You don't need CO2. If the light and fertilizer are in good shape, that's usually the key point I find.
 
Looked at the vid- they look perfect! I wish I had that center sword..is that the melon?
If you want them bigger..you need to double up the lighting. They are as big as they are going to get on one 30 watt(?) light.
You could try root tabs..maybe force growth.
I expected some stunted worn swords..then looked at the vids and they are better than 90% of the swords out there. Maybe,when you bought them they had their emergent growth? Growers do that because plants grow faster and no algae or snails of course air grown. Emergent foliage can be much different..longer petioles,leaves a different shape.
Yes, that is the melon. I agree they look good but it's no use if they stay that low and I can't see them from far away. The light is 60 watts it's a Fluval 3.0 plant spectrum. I do the root tabs already. When I bought them they had huge leaves and stems, which died off in less than a month. I thought that it was undergoing the process of emersed growth at first, but it's taken way too long to believe anymore. I have no problem going out and buying more, but I don't want it happening to other amazon swords that I buy as well.
 
On a side note, anyone have an idea why this anubias is kind of discolored with a few holes in some of the leaves? Possibly too much light?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6067.jpeg
    IMG_6067.jpeg
    227.9 KB · Views: 56
  • IMG_6068.jpeg
    IMG_6068.jpeg
    182.4 KB · Views: 56

Most reactions

Back
Top