What is this growing out of my plant

[bcyork]

I think this is an amazon sword but not 100%. Does anyone know what this is growing out of the left plant in this photo and what its purpose is?

http://www.brnyrk.com/fish/a1-march09.jpg

Thanks
Brian

[smaug]

Yes that does appear to be an amazon sword.That is a group of baby plants.Let them mature till they get roots about 2 inches long and about 5 good leaves,then bend over the stalk and fasten the babys to the gravel with a small stone or the like.Leave the mother attached till the babys take root then cut the stem.

[bcyork]

I think it looks really amazing just growing like it is personally? thumbs2: Its kind of like the Spider Plant (a house plant) in the fact that the baby plants really enhance the way the plant looks. Is it possible to just leave it or does it consume most of the nutrients from the mother plant causing it not to grow? What causes this to happen? I recently (3 weeks ago) installed CO2 but the best of my remembrance this had already started growing by then.

The original amazon sword plant was 3 years old and I originally purchased one and when i went to move it to a new tank after a year it looked as though the roots could be separated because there was 3 distinct clumps. However in the past two years since none of them have produce any other root divisible clumps. Now I have this on the plant I want the other two to make these things!!!

(Plants in the tank were recently trimmed fairly heavily.)

[smaug]

It could have been the trim job that did it.This happens about twice a year in my tank and I do not know what mechanism causes this.I have them right now aamof,because I have no room to fasten them to the gravel I have been just letting them float.

[bcyork]

Well I have plenty of room to plant them. One last question. Do they grow faster on the mother plant or cut?

Thanks for the info thumbs2:

:goldfish: :fish: :goldfish:

[Algenco]

leave them attached until they have good roots, I usually wait until they're around 6"