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Micro sword plants?

15K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  SinCrisis 
#1 ·
Hey :smile: i am planning on planting some micro sword plants in my aquarium the aquarium has 2 tubes 20 watt each of 6500k lighting it is a 30 gallon aquarium so i have roughly 1.4 watts per gallon would this be ok to grow them i wanted a carpet plant and i love this one..... my tank is heavily planted and its an amazon biotope with a Ph of around 7.2... will this plant do well in my aquarium also i am going to get some root tabs in a week or 2 along with liquid fertilizer. thanks for the help :smile: also any information or advice on keeping this plant is welcome.
 
#2 ·
I like the microsword, but have never had any luck with it. It grows really, really s-l-o-w-l-y and needs pretty good light. Most I know who successfully grow a "carpet" of microsword use pressurized CO2. Since giving up on microsword, I'm using dwarf sagittaria and it grows really well (fast), although it does tend to be a little taller and broader-leafed than the microsword.
 
#3 ·
Agree. Another good "carpet" type plant is the pygmy chain sword that should stay fairly compact under your light. It does in my 70g. I also happen to have microsword in this same tank, and it is struggling at best. Here's a photo taken last week.

Byron.
 

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#5 ·
This is my experience too. I can't even see the microsword in that 70g, and the plant in my 29g is no better. The pygmy chain sword is thriving though, as the photo shows.
 
#6 ·
thanks all of you :) in my area one cannot find the pygmy chain sword so i just got this. im not sure it is the micro sword anymore because as it was growing runners even in my lfs and they did not have any light in that aquarium..... ill post a pis soon because my aquarium is currently cloudy since i put in some sand it'd be great if you could hep me identify it. thanks for the pic byron beautiful aquarium u have there:)
 
#7 ·
here are the pics id be really grateful if someone could identify which plant it is and tell me its needs too :) all the info on my tank has already been mentioned... Plant Grass Aquatic plant Grass family Flowering plant


Grass Plant Aquatic plant Grass family Flowering plant


Leaf Plant Flower Terrestrial plant Grass
 
#8 ·
Pygmy chain sword, Helanthium tenellum. Info in the profile, click the shaded name.
 
#10 ·
I was being clever. When I planted the foreground on my 20 long I put the Pygmy chain sword next to some microsword. As the micro sword gets consumed by algae (or if it does) the pygmy chain sword will take over! I had some in my 55g with low light and no ferts and while it stayed tiny, it still grew like wildfire. The army should make tanks out of this stuff.

At any rate, its one heck of a plant. It grows like crazy, and looks great. I think you will be pleased :)
 
#11 ·
thanks beetlebz :)its still not growing to fast but i can see some growth :) i guess it is still suffering from the transplanting.... good to know. i hope it does as well in my tank as it did in yours :)
 
#12 · (Edited)
I added the micro sword to my 65 gallon hexagon which is a very deep tank. This plant has been in now for 4 weeks and it seems to be doing rather well at this point. After I planted it I root tabbed the substrate with Flourish brand tabs which this plant will require from what I have read on the net. Also while researching this plant after it was planted I found out that it should be planted leaf by leaf with a spacing distance of the width of a leaf. After planting and the root tabs let this plant establish it self for about 4 weeks. Then trim it down. The trimming is what will make this plant spead and give the lawn effect we are after. I trimmed mine for the first time tonight. I let the trimming float to the top and then just skimmed them off of the surface with a net. I also dose my tank with flourish comprehensive weekly. My lighting consists of (3) 15 watt T8 6500K bulbs. I also have duckweed for a floating plant that gets quite thick and blocks the light even more. Again from what I read on the net they couldn't stress trimming this plant enough to get the lawn effect. Also everything I read about this plant it was stated that algea was quite quick to grow on it but that should go away over time. Luckily I was fortunate and didn't get this problem yet (Knock on wood). I am also thinking that I planted the micro sword last in the tank and the fact that it is already an establish set up is the reason I didnt get the algea out break on this plant. But that is my opinion and not fact. I hope this helps.
 
#14 ·
From the pictures posted before, I do not think that is pygmy chain sword. I have both pygmy chain and brazilian microsword in my tanks and that picture definitely looks like brazilian microsword.
Although I suggested H. tenellum originally, I wouldn't argue:). Whatever it is, this is the emersed form, and the two plants are very close. Submersed they differ quite a bit.
 
#15 ·
That's true, they are incredibly similar in the emersed form. I only believe its brazilian microsword because of the runners shown in the picture. in my experience, DCS usually sprouts multiple leaves per nodule and the nodules are a little farther apart. Brazilian micrsword usually sprouts 1-2 leaves per nodule and they are all very close together.
 
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