# Micro Sword Help!!



## Agent69 (Oct 9, 2013)

Heu guys I recently got 2 pots of micro sword which I feel would make an awesome background plant in my 8 gallon nano but I've been reading up on the forum and everyone has negative experience with it. Some say it grows too slow, its an algae magnet, and the runners it produces are weak. What do you guys think? Is it a good plant to put in the tank or should I just return it and go with something else? If tou guys have pictures of it in your tanks thriving I would really appreciate if you could post them up please thanks

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## fish jihad (Mar 1, 2014)

My micro swords are barely hanging on. The runners dont want to go through the gravel and just float next to the plant. Planting deeper or moving them hasnt helped. Hardest plant to deal with so far.


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## Racedoc (Nov 18, 2013)

fish jihad said:


> My micro swords are barely hanging on. The runners dont want to go through the gravel and just float next to the plant. Planting deeper or moving them hasnt helped. Hardest plant to deal with so far.



+1. Micro swords have done the same for me. I've kept them in, but have been very disappointing. 


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## Agent69 (Oct 9, 2013)

Shoot this makes me very reluctant to put them in my tank. I might try them out in my high tech tank and see how they do ill post updates soon. Does anybody have a problem with them gathering algae? 

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## Steve002 (Feb 7, 2014)

I could be wrong but I don't believe plants cause algae. I think they compete with it and help prevent it.
Obviously some folks have figured out how to grow micro swords by all the nice tank pics available on the web.


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## trds (Jan 11, 2014)

everyone tank is different so don't be afraid growing the micro sword. I plant 2 pots of micro swords in my 55 gallon low tech tank under low to medium lightning, it takes 2 months to produce runners, it is a slow growing plants. i dose Seachem Excel 5ml daily also seachem root tabs are added to the substrate every two months to help promote root grow, so far i don't see any algae. i used Eco complete substrate, water temp 79F, PH 7 to 7.5 i hopes this help.


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## Agent69 (Oct 9, 2013)

Thanks guys I went ahead and put them in the tank. Man this was a hard plant to get to stay in the substrate lol. I will post updates of its progress 

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## THE V (Nov 17, 2011)

From my experience this plant like many other gound-cover plants like high light and CO2. I put it in a low tech/Low light tank and it just dies. Put it in a higher light tank with even DIY CO2 and it takes off.


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## awesometim1 (Oct 31, 2013)

One of the hardest carpet plants in my opinion. Failed in my 29 gallon. No co2 or highlight dont doit

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## jhays79 (Mar 28, 2012)

I have two bunches of micro sword in my daughters low tech dirted 10g. It grows very SLOWLY. It's sent out runners and they've been working their way through the substrate (safe-t-sorb) ever so slowly. I don't mind it, the bunches still look good it just doesn't carpet very fast. It's like the opposite of Dwarf Sag.


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## Smeagol (Mar 4, 2013)

I just pulled all the micro sword out of my 20g last night. I had it in there for about a year. It did okay. It had nice color and looked healthy, but it was pretty slow spreading. It grew taller than I wanted it to. I originally put it in as a carpet plant, but it was a full 6-7 inches tall in some places. I took it out because I plan on re-scaping that tank over the next several weeks.


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## newbieplanter (Jan 13, 2013)

I have my mico sword in a planter that i made from acrylic and it carpeted nicely.

How it looks today.
How it all started, that substrate is just floramax with root tabs an clay.

N here a few weeks later, i think.


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## bigblueallday (Mar 18, 2014)

I have micro sword in my 54g corner. It's only been a week since I planted it s I don't have any real experience to speak of myself but it seems to be doing well so far. It is much taller than i expected for a carpet plant though.


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## bigbites (Mar 4, 2014)

Mine is doing same as big blue...is it ok to trim it shorter?


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## newbieplanter (Jan 13, 2013)

bigbites said:


> Mine is doing same as big blue...is it ok to trim it shorter?


Yep it will just grow bushy.


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## bigbites (Mar 4, 2014)

cool.. another Microsword question..when the runners start to come out from the sides.. should the thin roots be pushed into the substrate ? or will they naturally find their way down into the dirt?

I have one that is spreading out.. but on top of the sub..


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## newbieplanter (Jan 13, 2013)

bigbites said:


> cool.. another Microsword question..when the runners start to come out from the sides.. should the thin roots be pushed into the substrate ? or will they naturally find their way down into the dirt?
> 
> I have one that is spreading out.. but on top of the sub..


Just push em in the substrate.


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## bigbites (Mar 4, 2014)

Tyvm


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