[DataGuru]

Would a red rubin sword get to large for a 29 gallon bowfront?

I'm considering planting it center and toward the rear and using Echinodorus parviflorus v Tropica as foreground plants since I can't seem to manage to find any decent foreground plants that do well under 2 wpg cept for e tenellus that ends up getting too tall.

Substrate is topsoil capped by gravel.

 

[cs_gardener]

It's supposed to get big, but I've never had any luck getting it to grow more than 7-8" tall. Different tanks, different substrates, more light, fert tabs, etc. I've had it about 2 years now and it's still the same height, just more leaves. Of course, if I wanted it to stay smaller it would probably turn into a tank buster.

Have you tried anubias nana petite or Marsilea minuta as groundcovers? I've had good luck with them as foregrounds in lower light conditions.

 

[DataGuru]

Anubias grow too slow and my little ones don't appear to wanna root like the larger anubias do.

I'll have to look into that. I have tried Marsilea quadrafolia (spelling?) planted in soil and in a 20 long about 6 inches below a screw in 20 watt daylight bulb and it just sat there.

My swords always get huge with the topsoil substrate. I have one green melon that's trying to grow out of the top of my 150.

 

[cs_gardener]

I have the darn red rubin with a soil underlayer, it just doesn't believe in growing tall for me. I've had mixed growth with swords, some will take over the tank and others like tropica, red melon, and Kleiner bar either stay small or are relatively easy to keep under control in my setups.

That's funny about the Anubias nana petite, I've traded in masses of it since it grows much faster for me than any other anubias. I've also noticed they don't root as well as the large ones, but I either weight them with a plant weight or tie them to a piece of rock or wood.

The Marsilea minuta took a bit of time to get started but it's growing well now. It's shown some difficulty adjusting to the single lobed leaves. I'm still getting some clover leaves even after 3-4 months but they look neat so I don't mind.

 

[DataGuru]

I'd really love it if it wouldn't take over the tank. I had a kleiner bar in a 20 tall and ended up having to remove it cuz it was shading everything else out. It's happily potted in soil now in my 150 gallon tank. I suppose I could do that if this one gets too happy.

On a side note, I'm so excited. All my NPTs are by south windows, so they only get direct sunlight in winter. Yesterday evening, I finally saw a sliver of direct sunlight shining in! I can't wait till they get full sun part of the day!

 

[chagovatoloco]

The biggest problem with the sward in my 29 gallon is the roots. They grow long and deep and will take over every inch of your aquarium. This doesn't seem to be a problem until you want to move a few plants and see you tank ripped apart.

 

[cs_gardener]

How about potting the sword so it can't send out roots everywhere? It might also limit the size the sword can grow. Of course, then you have to hide the pot.

 

[DataGuru]

It's not that bad if you're careful. I've pulled an established amazon sword out of soil tank before. A partial water change and sponge filter cleared it up just fine. Of course there was just sag left in there and I didn't really care whether that got disturbed or not since it's such a weed. LOL

Roots are good in a soil substrate.