Question about my amazon sword

Hey guys, i recently dirted my tank(1 week ago) and have a question about my sword. After dirting the leaves started melting, they just fell apart starting from the outsides working in. not all the leaves did this, about 50% of them. I trimmed the leaves and stems and have been getting new growth. the new growth however is looking different from the old leaves. they are longer and narrower with a bit of wavyness to them, the old ones were a bit more round, smooth and shorter. Im not concerned about the shape, the conern I have is all the veins on the new leaves are brown. they are lightening up a bit as the leaves get bigger but the brown isnt going away. Is this normal?

I have a 30g tank, one 20W florescent bulb and a Marineland singlebright 18" bulb(i think its about 17w) I havnt tested the water but Ive been doing about 25% water changes daily. the new driftwood I put in is leaching alot of tannins. I soaked the dirt for a week before I converted, changing the water daily. No algae growth that I can see, leaving the lights on 10-12 hours a day. Also my java fern is looking TERRIBLE since the convert, holes all over it but i think thats just from excess nutrients. The amazon sword has melted a bit but looks decent, java moss is growing like mad as always and my cardanine is growing like mad aswell.

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Permalink Reply by Rizal on February 21, 2012 at 9:02am

aquatic plant nurseries grow plants like swords, they're often grown with their leaves out of the water. This causes them to have a different shape, shorter and rounder than those grown under water. You might want to check the shapes of any leaves your plants may still have, as leaves grown above water will almost certainly die and rot once submerged. Again, it's just a matter of time until the new (aquatic) leaves start to fill in.

In order to for photosynthesis to occur, you do need to have the right type and right amount of lighting though.

.................lighting...............

You'll want something that will give around 3-4 watts per gallon (about 90-120 watts for your 30 gallon tank), although I've grown small swords under as little as 2 watts per gallon in a shallow tank. The farther the plants are from the light, the more intense your light will need to be. Lights that are made specifically for plants can look too "pinkish" to be aesthetically pleasing, but you can find bulbs labeled "full spectrum" which give a light similar to how natural sunlight looks. These are best for providing the wavelengths needed for photosynthesis. But other than intensity, I wouldn't worry too much about your lighting for a few weeks yet. Give your swords a chance to recover from being disturbed (twice).

................brown leaves...........

it sounds like a lack of light. In my experience, swords of all varieties need a lot of it. On the other hand, if the leaves turned brown so soon after you got them, then the plants probably weren't terribly healthy to begin with. If your light and CO2 levels are good, then don't worry; the plants will send up new shoots soon.