[WallaceGrover]

I am planning for my South American clearwater biotope right now in a 29 gallon, so I would reall appreciate any comments or help I can get.

I want the right of this tank to be a real thick jungle with the amazon sword, then have it thin out with the parviflorious a little bit, and finally transition to a tenellus "lawn" and then just the substrate. So, do you think this is a good plan I drew up? I am a bit worried just one amazon sword plant on the right isn't going to give the effect I want of really dense foliage...

 

[2in10]

You are right about it not getting as dense as you would like on the right side. You will have an inverted cone shaped growth pattern from the plant.

 

[WallaceGrover]

Is the solution to add maybe 2 more amazon swords? It seems like a lot but, I really want it thick there...

 

[OverStocked]

In a 29g tank, amazon swords are going to do one thing: Fill it all. There will be no aquascape.

 

[WallaceGrover]

In a 29g tank, amazon swords are going to do one thing: Fill it all. There will be no aquascape.

So, should I do only one sword or choose another plant for the right?

 

[2in10]

You will want to choose another plant for the right to meet your plans.

 

[WallaceGrover]

Hmmm, it needs to be a sword if AT ALL possible (or Camboba, but I think a forest of camboba would look ugly). What about cordifolius?

 

[2in10]

That will grow out of the tank literally. A large sword like you are contemplating will take up 1/3 to 1/2 of the tank.

Check out this link, there is a mother plant bleheri near the bottom of the page to give you and idea of the size it will grow to. http://www.aquariumplants.com/Swords_s/32.htm Get the 'Vesuvious' to get a forest feel.

 

[Kathyy]

Use the Cabomba for height with the parviflorus surrounding it? That will cover up the Cabomba legs and give the tank another texture as well.

Something like vals or giant hairgrass might give a dense tall look. Vals would run around and definitely thicken up the jungle!

Aren't there smaller growing swords like melon that might grow more upright if crowded?

 

[kuni]

Why not start small? Get ONE sword (uruguay swords have the nicest underwater foliage) and some sand and rocks. Put some root tabs under the sword. Instant, no-fuss biotope. Just make sure to put the sword at the golden mean and it'll look great.

Another thing - "lawns" and "biotopes" generally don't mix. The plants people use for foregrounds grow in moist soil out of the water most of the time. There are exceptions, but not many.

 

[wetworks]

I recently added some Argentine Sword (Echinodorus argentinensis) to one of my tanks and I really like the way it looks. I don't know a bunch about caring for this particular plant, but most of the info I have read say that the max size for it is about 18". If you have a 29g, this would fit your tank well, and if you get enough smaller plants to put them into a dense grouping, I think it would look nice. I have a lot of it in my tank and my tetras love to swim through the stems and leaves. Sorry I don't have more info at the time, but I think that based on what I do know this plant would be a good one for your needs.

 

[kuni]

Max size for Argentine Sword is 4 meters.

 

[wetworks]

Max size for Argentine Sword is 4 meters.

Wow, really??? I read on another site that they only got to 18 inches. But, I also posted earlier today that I was not able to find any reliable info on the species. Can anyone possibly direct me to a place where I can get good species info for the Argentine Sword? I don't want to thread-jack, so I will sign off now, but if someone has info please let me know.