Keeping Amazon Swords

fishboy7

fishboy7

Amazonian Specialist
Jun 12, 2010
623
0
0
Okay, I now plan to plant my 36g bowfront sometime, and when I do, I want to get amazon sword plants because they fit in with my amazon biotope. I want to get two big ones as centerpieces and then a bunch of smaller grassier ones, but how do I keep the grassier ones small? Also, i plan to keep my sand substrate because I read they aren't very picky about substrates, and they should help clean up my substrate. Also, I read they aerate the tank very well, so I won't use my sponge filter, I will just use my Eheim 2213 Canister Filter. For fertilizer, I will use API Root Tabs because they are rich in iron, which Amazon swords need a lot of. The lighting is the only thing I'm not sure of. I did a lot of research, but I didn't find much on lighting. I already have the light and lighting compartment which came with the Aqueon 36 gallon Deluxe Bowfront Aquarium Kit. Will this be okay or should I get different lighting for the plants? Also, would a starlight BN pleco be okay with the plants or should I get 12 otos instead? Finally, do I need CO2 or will my stocking more than suffice?
 
12 otos is pushing it depending on the stock you have, 5-6 is a much better option
 
just keep pulling the leafs off. or stick to like a tropica sword. which stays small and looks like a amazon. most likely the lighting needs to be upgraded. if you retro fit it with 3 or so cfl bulbs it would work or get a new fixture. co2 isnt needed. bn pleco is fine but not really much of a cleaner. otos will eat some algae. shrimp and cories are the ones who good with food on the bottom.
 
Okay, I'm glad I don't have to use CO2. Also, I forgot to mention I would drop my tetra level to 12 so I could keep 12 Otos, or would 12 be too many? So would otos be better than a pleco for algae control? Also, what kind of light and light housing should I get? (the tank is 30" long)
 
I would still keep a max of 8 ottos then, as they are hard to feed compared to other fish. If you want to do DIY Co2, you could, IDK if it would work for your size tank, but you could still get like some Co2 in there.

http://www.plantedtank.net/articles/DIY-Yeast-CO2/7/
http://www.gpodio.com/diy_co2.asp

For lighting, if u r doing DIY co2, I would get a 2X24 T5 HO like here
http://shop.ashevilleaquarium.com/30-Nova-Extreme-Fw-2x24w-T5ho-Strip-CU01138.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Fresh...787O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1307678892&sr=8-1

If no Co2, I would still get the same lights, except run them for shorter periods of time. You could also find a cheaper T5 HO 2X24 online if price is an issue.
 
fishboy7 said:
Okay, I'm glad I don't have to use CO2. Also, I forgot to mention I would drop my tetra level to 12 so I could keep 12 Otos, or would 12 be too many? So would otos be better than a pleco for algae control? Also, what kind of light and light housing should I get? (the tank is 30" long)
Click to expand...
better to balance the tank vs trying to get a fish to handle the algae. There are many kinds of algae and most "algae eaters" only handle one - two kinds of algae.

as for the hood you could do this
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?123794-DIY-Perfect-A-Hood-MKII

or get a 55w cf or get a 30 inch fixture http://www.fishneedit.com/30quot-2bulbs-fixtu302.html
 
Instead of doing the work of trimming the amazons for a grassy look you can try a different plant like Dwarf Sag.
 
I found a lighting strip I can buy: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754543 What do you think of this? It will go in place of my original light strip. Also, petsmarts website kind of stinks when it comes to light bulb options. Does anyone know the name of a bulb that would fit in the lighting fixture above and would give the swords the lighting they need?
 
I did what you want to- I started with 2 large amazon swords in my 36. What I do was use the baby plants (and my swords produce them like crazy) as foreground plants. Whenever I had new baby ones I'd replace the current ones with the babies, and sell the ones I was replacing. worked fine for me. Or you can get a different plant like hairgrass or something for foreground.

AFA lighting- I did a DIY retrofit and use 4 CFL bulbs in mine (basically what mgamer linked to), it was cheap and pretty easy and works well for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom