# Melon sword not getting enough light?



## jaydoubledub (Jun 28, 2011)

I have a melon sword in my main tank and I'm not sure if it is getting enough light. I have a single 24" Coralife 10,000K High-Intensity Purified Super Daylight lamp installed. My anacharis seems to be doing great. I have had to trim three leaves in the last two weeks from my melon sword though. is that due to insufficient lighting or because the other leaves are blocking light?

I should mention that there are a lot of fish for waste. I also to not really vacuum where I know the roots are. I simply pass gently over the rocks there. Lastly, I do not have flourite or any type of ferts for it. 

The anacharis grow effortlessly. I read that the sword would too. I have a bamboo shrimp and that is why I haven't added any ferts. I have read the plant ferts can kill inverts...

Thank you in advance for your help!

This is one of the first pics I took of it...

and this is now...


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

What type of light is your 10kK? T8? T5HO?
How big is your tank? How deep?

Initially, I would ask if a melon sword is a fully aquatic plant. Secondly, I would ask if you bought it immersed or growing in the air. The reason I ask this is because if the plant is a bog plant (as many sold in pet stores are), it will grow leaves out of the water as well as in the water. However, if you grow a bog plant out of the water and then immerse it, the leaves will suffocate, turn yellow, and "melt" away while the plant puts out new leaves that are suited to its new underwater environs.

Yellowing leaves is also, as you say, an indication of lack of light (highly unlikely, if you ask me, judging by the amount of light visible in the pics at the substrate level of your tank), but it is also (more likely) an indication of iron or other nutrient deficiencies. Shrimp can tolerate many fertz (I dose my tanks regularly), so I would suggest buying some root fertilizer tabs and a liquid plant food. If you're still worried about overdosing on fertz, just do a half dose of the liquid food, but the root tabs shouldn't bother shrimp at all.


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## jaydoubledub (Jun 28, 2011)

Thanks! My tank is in my signature. I am using a T8 lamp. I believe the 40 tall is 16". I recently started using some liquid fert (a day after the OP). It may be just me, but, it seems to be doing better....
The sword was totally submerged when I bought it. I also had eyeballed it/them many times while visiting the LFS. So, I know they were thriving while completely under water.


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