Amazon swords

[Deercutter]

I am having problems with my amazon swords . I have them in a 40 gal with fine gravel mixed with plant substrate about 2-3 in deep at 75 deg. They were doing great , sprouting new growth and nice and green . Now the new growth is starting to loose its green and getting kind of clear . What do I need to do to bring them back .

[talldutchie]

That's Echinodorus isn't it? Those things are real iron hogs. Do you happen to have a rusty nail?

[moghedan]

Oh Dutchie, please tell me it's not just that simple.

Do you just drop in the piece of iron and let it go under the substrate? Nothing toxic builds up?

[bethyMT]

Swords are really heavy feeders (to add to what talldutchie said). You'd do well to add a root tab near the root zone on that sucker. I have one, and it's never done well, because I have larger gravel and these guys need concentrated nutrients in the substrate.

Uh, the rusty nail in the substrate sounds dicey at best. I wouldn't do it. Maybe he was kidding? Darn internets...can't tell who means it and who doesn't.

[talldutchie]

Well, perhaps it's not for everyone. I've always placed a small piece of rusty iron in my tanks. Something I picked up from Dutch school keepers. (for those of us reading this thread and wondering what the **** that strange foreigner is talking about: http://www.aquatic-eden.com/2007/02/...aquariums.html )Challenge is finding something that's not been treated. My grandfather was a master carpenter and my dad kept some of his handmade nails. I've got a few. When I set up a tank I saw 2 or 3 small pieces off, say 6-8mm and bury these about an inch deep.

Did a quick google for you and it seems this isn't that strange. Apparently the rust in an anaerobic environment does slowly release iron in a form where the plants can use it. (Fe++ instead of Fe+++)

Of course, http://www.seachem.com/Products/prod...urishIron.html is another fine option.

[imma24]

Swords are really heavy feeders (to add to what talldutchie said). You'd do well to add a root tab near the root zone on that sucker.

I use a lot of root tabs myself - now I see that my gravel isn't helping any either : ( - the plants aren't exactly dying on me but aren't growing as quicky as I'd like - helps when the dying leaves are picked off.

[Deercutter]

I think I will try the tabs and then maybe the nails Lol . Thanks everyone

[madagascariensis]

what also has worked for me: take a flavor injector(for injecting sauce into meat), fill with desired amount of desired fertilizer, stick as deep as possible into the gravel close to the target plant
and inject. very handy when out of tablets and very little leaching. also disperses faster than tablets and especially useful if you have a plant substrate that absorbs nutrients

[FreakyFishie]

how deeply planted are they? It's possible to plant them too deep and they'll do great for a bit and then start to slowly die because too much of the stem is under the substrate and it starts to decompose. With swords you want only the roots buried with the entire plant base out of the substrate. if you can't see white at the bottom of the plant where leaves meet roots, it's too deep :)

[talldutchie]

If that was the case the whole plant would suffer, not the new growth