# Help with Amazon Swords



## endlerman (Jun 30, 2005)

I have quite a few amazon swords in a few different tanks, and I like to have some advice. I have a 75 gallon tank with no co2 and low light. I have soilmaster as a substrate. It has quite a few fish in it, and a whole bunch of plants. The swords do ok, but i'd like them to grow a little bit ,and achieve their true color. The other plants are doing just fine. I do not fertilize this tank at all. I was told maybe root tabs and more light. What kind of tabs and where would I get them? And any other suggestions would be helpful. I also have a 29 tall tank with 2 large swords in it and some angels. The plants are in planters with soilmaster and rocks. What would be best for them, also? Thanks in advance.

Wayne


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

How much is low light?

If you have a glass top, you could buy some of those inexpensive shop lights at home Depot discussed a few weeks ago in this forum. They have electronic ballasts. I forget the price but I think it was less than $10 for the fixture. We sit ours on top of a glass top 55 gallon. Watch on the bulb pricing though! There is a different UPC code for a pair of them but it's not printed on the bulbs, so if you don't know better, you'll pay about $10 instead of $6 or $7 for a pair.


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## Troy McClure (Aug 3, 2005)

What kind of wattage and type of lighting are you burning over the 75gal? T12, T8, PC, etc.? Don't shoplight suggestion is a great way to add more light if that's the problem, but we won't be able to determine that without more specific info.

btw, Wayne...do you have any black veil angels? I saw some at Monfort Aquarium the other day and thought they had beautiful finnage even though they were really curved (poor water quality when they were young?)


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## endlerman (Jun 30, 2005)

Thanks guys. I should have mentioned that I do have the shop lights on top of the tank. I use the lights that are labled- sunshine. I do have some black angel veils that will spawn long veils but no long veils on hand. The curved dorsals come along with the breed. I kind of like them. A very knowlegeable person told me that if one was to clip the dorsal off when they are young that they will grow back straight. I'm going to give it a try. If you'd like some of the blacks Erik, I can bring them with me to the meeting.


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## orlando (Feb 14, 2007)

Cut the fin off? nutts


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## endlerman (Jun 30, 2005)

Awhile ago I had some angels in a tank with some cichlids. They did a job on the angels. After I removed them and put them in another tank. All the fins grew back. nutts to you.


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## Jack W (Apr 8, 2005)

Nutts to you,

Isn't that what the American General said to the Germans during the battle of the bulge ?


I like nuts.


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## jonathan03 (Oct 20, 2005)

Before I knew anything about plants, I was growing amazon swords in a cichlid tank with low light. I added iron tablets from Petsmart and they seemed to do ok. The plants did ok until the cihclids got bigger and started beating them up. The tank was full of the agressive central american cichlids like red devils, texas cichlids and jaguars so its not much of a suprise. It seemed like high nitrates and iron were good enough for swords in low light. Just make sure your adding your traces and you should be fine. There is probably iron in your substrate too but I'm not familiar with soilmaster.


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