# Micro Chain Sword Turning Brown



## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

OK, so my chain sword is growing like crazy yet the main plant has started to turn brown while all the runners look great....
Any ideas?
I am using DIY c02, EI fert method, and have 2 watts/gallon.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

This is just a guess, but what if all the runners are draining the mother plant of nutrients. 

Maybe if you separated the runners from the mother plant and see what happens.


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

I've heard a few plants called micro sword, so I could be off base here, but if you're speaking of E. tenellus, it can get a brownish red hue to it under some water/lighting conditions.

I had a little tank in my office that did this. It didn't die off, and new growth still came in green, but as the plant aged it slowly turned a reddish colour. Shattered's theory is interesting, because I can tell you that it was a pretty tangled mess of old growth and tons of runners when the colour change started to happen.


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## desjardo (Aug 30, 2008)

Well I think shattered theory is correct. I started think the same thing a week ago so I pulled all my runners and put them on here. Plant greened right up.
Thanks guys.


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## Shattered (Feb 13, 2008)

I have been trying the same thing with my chain swords. I got the idea from the guys who grow giant pumpkins etc... they separate all the fruit but one from the mother plant so that it gets all the nutrients. 


@Mr. Fishes: The ones you sent me, have already traveled around my tank and are climbing up my swords and ferns...


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## pat3612 (Jan 29, 2008)

Do you think it could be the light also I have a plant that all the top growth is nice and green but the old stems are turning brown.


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## Mr Fishies (Sep 21, 2007)

Shattered said:


> @Mr. Fishes: The ones you sent me, have already traveled around my tank and are climbing up my swords and ferns...


Tell me about it...last week I found a runner wrapping itself around the leaf of a C. balansae and headed for the surface - it was about 6-8" above the substrate.

I know a lot of the plants in our tanks are tropical and wouldn't survive the winters here, but man oh man, I can see how important it is not to release them into nature with how invasive these plants could be "in the wild" when the conditions are right. Water weeds!


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