Am I doing something wrong?

[MrsE88]

I got some amazon swords (can’t remember the exact kind) a couple weeks ago and noticed a leaf went transparent and died on one plant. A couple other leaves had some very small brown spots that got bigger over time as well.


You can see the two leaves with the brown parts. Should I pinch them off the plant?


None of my other plants are having these issues. Did I just get a sick plant? Or is it possibly from too much light? I have been leaving the lights on for 12hrs most days this week. Not on purpose, but because I’ve been gone all day. This isn’t my normal lighting schedule.

This time around I haven’t been feeding the plants either. So no fertilizers. Could this be to blame?
I just need some insight so I can hopefully fix the issue I hate losing plants.

 

[tlindsey]

I got some amazon swords (can’t remember the exact kind) a couple weeks ago and noticed a leaf went transparent and died on one plant. A couple other leaves had some very small brown spots that got bigger over time as well.
View attachment 1346006

You can see the two leaves with the brown parts. Should I pinch them off the plant?
View attachment 1346007

None of my other plants are having these issues. Did I just get a sick plant? Or is it possibly from too much light? I have been leaving the lights on for 12hrs most days this week. Not on purpose, but because I’ve been gone all day. This isn’t my normal lighting schedule.

This time around I haven’t been feeding the plants either. So no fertilizers. Could this be to blame?
I just need some insight so I can hopefully fix the issue I hate losing plants.

I had the same experience I thought not feeding wouldn't be a problem. After noticing a few leaves dying and becoming transparent. So decided to bury root tabs near the roots and noticed a turn around in growth of the one Amazon Sword. Amazon Sword are heavy root feeders from what I've read.

 

[kno4te]

Don’t think it’s the light. Maybe lack of ferts or not enough dGH. Or the calcium is getting used up since other plants in the tank. This can cause issues with swords.

 

[skjl47]

12hrs most days this week. Not on purpose, but because I’ve been gone all day. This isn’t my normal lighting schedule.

I haven’t been feeding the plants either. So no fertilizers[/QUOTE
Hello; Swords like light. I have my planted tanks on a timer and this may be worth considering. I have settled on a diurnal period of around 13 hours on and 11 hours off. I have gone up to 14 on and ten off but the risk of algae increases.

On ferts, swords are root feeders. The only ferts I use are some form of root tab pushed into the substrate right at the roots.

Hello; I am not positive but from the pictures you may have what I know of as a "brazillian sword". I lack experience with them but think maybe they are not the same as an amazon sword. Best I can recall is I tried one once many years ago with poor results so I am not sure about their needs.

A question. What is your source water? Tap, well or RO? If RO you may not have enough dissolved minerals.

The only other comment is about the substrate size. From the picture it looks to be fairly coarse but there is little to compare with. I find that the finer sands do not do so well with some rooted plants and that the larger gravels have not done well for me.
I use a gravel of about bb to small pea size. Does not pact too tight and does not have big gaps.

I also like the substrate to be about four plus inches deep.

Good luck

 

[skjl47]

Hello; I did a little search to confirm my suspicions before adding more comments. I was thinking the brazilian sword is not exactly a true aquatic plant. By that I mean it may be what I know of as an emergent plant. These plants live in wet places and may have the roots under water but do have leaves that grow out into the air. I found a link and will include it. Very likely you are not making any mistakes and thee plant is hit or miss in a tank.

https://www.aquariumcarebasics.com/aquarium-plants/brazilian-sword/

 

[Bonytang]

Could be too much light + now with the winter season coming it hasn't acclimated to indoor tank life.

 

[Gourami Swami]

Could be many factors, in my opinion Tlindsey is on the ball, swords never seem to do well for me without root tabs or rich substrate, they rely heavily on feeding through the roots

 

[Bonytang]

Making a similar comparison to a bunch of frogbit i picked up weeks ago when the wild stuff from outdoor grow came in and stuff i got here grown locally the outdoor stuff died in days while the stuff i got from a friend is in the garage pond, dying at a slower rate. Not the season for acclimating new greens unless you know where it comes from you could have better results.

 

[GreenAmy]

I got some amazon swords (can’t remember the exact kind) a couple weeks ago and noticed a leaf went transparent and died on one plant. A couple other leaves had some very small brown spots that got bigger over time as well.
View attachment 1346006

You can see the two leaves with the brown parts. Should I pinch them off the plant?
View attachment 1346007

None of my other plants are having these issues. Did I just get a sick plant? Or is it possibly from too much light? I have been leaving the lights on for 12hrs most days this week. Not on purpose, but because I’ve been gone all day. This isn’t my normal lighting schedule.

This time around I haven’t been feeding the plants either. So no fertilizers. Could this be to blame?
I just need some insight so I can hopefully fix the issue I hate losing plants.

I have hard water and high ph (8.4). My Amozon Sword grows out of control putting out new shoots and taking over the whole aquarium if I keep root tabs in the tank. If I don’t it does just what yours is doing. When I give them the root tabs I just keep them pruned to the size I want them and I can get enough New shoots off of them to fill multiple other tanks. When the leaves get to tall for the tank I just pench them off to make room for new ones to grow.

 

[MrsE88]

tlindsey kno4te Gourami Swami Thank you all for mentioning root tabs, I’ve never thought to use those and I do happen to have some on hand. I’ll put one under both swords and see if this sick one perks up.

S skjl47 So is this one a brazilian sword? It’s not a problem if it needs to have the leaves out of the water. I have multiple tanks I could move it to, but would first want to be sure I won’t kill it doing so.
As for the substrate, it is about the size of medium to large peas. Those larger rocks you see are just for visual appeal and some larger ones to keep the plant from being messed with by my crays.

Bonytang I definitely know what you mean about the die off. I’ve had that happen when bringing in plants for the winter. This was bought from a fish shop so I can’t say where they were originally grown.