# dwarf chain swords



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

for a number of years I have had these little plants growing in my tank. I thought they were miniture vals! I now think they are chain swords. The odd thing is that they grow in the gravel in one tank but in another tank they have decided to leave the gravel and grow in the water column chain by chain. they seem to be very healthy and are taking over.
Another thing I have noticed is that where I have java ferns growing I also have tons of java moss. I do not know where it came from either. Have had it for a few years.despite thinning it out it just keeps turning up again.It makes great shelter and harbors much food for fry.
I only bought the java ferns, vals and anubias yet have these other little plants too.


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> for a number of years I have had these little plants growing in my tank. I thought they were miniture vals! I now think they are chain swords. The odd thing is that they grow in the gravel in one tank but in another tank they have decided to leave the gravel and grow in the water column chain by chain. they seem to be very healthy and are taking over.
> Another thing I have noticed is that where I have java ferns growing I also have tons of java moss. I do not know where it came from either. Have had it for a few years.despite thinning it out it just keeps turning up again.It makes great shelter and harbors much food for fry.
> I only bought the java ferns, vals and anubias yet have these other little plants too.


Hi ms!

Are these *the plants* to which you are referring?

I unfortunately have el zippo experience with the chain swords but I can say that selected species of anubias, vals, crypts and swords will grow when floating (at least to some size which I not have yet determined).

WRT where the other plants came from I do not have a clue unless you purchased them from an individual.

TR


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

yes ,they are the plants. I have seen other pics of them with babies growing up from the centers as do the regular size swords. However mine have decided not to go that route.
I also have tons of java moss that I did not buy. I can only think that there were minuscule pieces stuck on the java ferns when i bought them. 
I also have one jungle val that has decided after 5 years to put out a new growth with spiral leaves!
These chain swords for the most part have stayed approx 1-2 inches high but on occasion have gone as tall as 5 inches. This is somewhat confusing when trying to track down what they are because I have been told they could also be a dwarf sagittarius.
I duuno but I have plenty of them!!
Don't really care if they are in or out of gravel as every tank has it's own flavour depending on whether i have heavy poopers in it or lightpoopers, adults or fry!!


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> I also have one jungle val that has decided after 5 years to put out a new growth with spiral leaves!


ms: *five years???* :lol: :lol: :lol: 

You just got to be kidding me here!

Are these your *jungle Val's*?




mousey said:


> These chain swords for the most part have stayed approx 1-2 inches high but on occasion have gone as tall as 5 inches. This is somewhat confusing when trying to track down what they are because I have been told they could also be a dwarf sagittarius.


ms:

I am not good at all in ID'ing plants (or fish for that matter) and despite my previous comments I believe that I may have several in my tank and they are indeed like 5" or more but I am experimenting with fertilizers and lighting but generally fairly high lighting.




mousey said:


> Don't really care if they are in or out of gravel as every tank has it's own *flavour* depending on whether i have heavy poopers in it or lightpoopers, adults or fry!!


Yes: each tank is it's own micro ecosystem! and you comments represent an excellent example.

TR


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

yup to the jungle vals.
And they are in a 15 gallon long so you can imagine they grow around the tank in loops until I trim them to water surface height!
That is my livebearer tank and everything needs to be cut back and thinned out every month.
Now the 20 gallon tall where the vals could have the height- well they plainly refuse to grow there! That is where the java ferns and anubias, hornwort are taking over.
check out sagittarius- they look ver much like " dwarf" vals, altho i am told there is no such thing. Apparently the edges of the leaves are hairy on one and not the other and the veins sit at a slightly different angle etc etc.
Sigh:chair:
What do you mean "5 years"? I mean the tank has been set up with this variety of plants for five years. The plants keep spreading and I keep thinning so it probably is not the original plant -- but for some reason it changed its type of leaves.:?:


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> yup to the jungle vals.
> And they are in a 15 gallon long so you can imagine they grow around the tank in loops until I trim them to water surface height


ms:

Once we trim a leaf on a Val it it no longer appears to grow and hence we trim at the approximate 1/3 depth of the tank in order to generate a dense growth near the tank bottom for the Pleco's and Cory's.

What am I missing here?

TR


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

???
What do you mean?


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> ???
> What do you mean?


ms: will try this again.

*Part One*

When the folks or I trim my Val's we do so at the approximate 1/3 depth of the tank. These "trimmed" leaves do not appear to grow although the untrimmed leaves do grow and the plant produces new leaves.

What am I doing wrong here (ie. why do the trimmed leaves not grow)?


*Part Two*

With the growth of the untrimmed leaves and the new leaves as well as the presence of the untrimmed leaves a fairly dense leaf mass if formed near the bottom of the tank.

My Cory's and Pleco's appear to enjoy these dense masses.

Also (and I could be really wrong here!) I believe that these masses cause significant propagation by the Val's (ie. if a Val has a dense mass it seems to generate fewer new leaves but propagate at an accelerated rate compared to a Val with no dense mass).

Hopefully I did a better job this time.

TR


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

jones57742 said:


> ms: will try this again.
> 
> *Part One*
> 
> ...


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

I guess I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THE QUOTE AFTER ALL!:-x:?:


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> I guess I HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT THE QUOTE AFTER ALL!:-x:?:


No but thanks for your response!

['quote']the text to be quoted[/'quote']
Your response.

but substitute quote for the above 'quote' ie.



> the text to be quoted


Your response

TR


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

so do you copy and paste the "quote" words or do you use a cursor in that area. 
Help!!
It does not make sense to me. I am better at things when i can see them done.


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> so do you copy and paste the "quote" words or do you use a cursor in that area.
> Help!!
> It does not make sense to me. I am better at things when i can see them done.


ms:

There is a button on each post which says QUOTE.

You click this button and a text dialog box will come up like the one to which you are accustomed when you click on REPLY as you have been doing except that the post will be formatted for quote presentation when displayed.

Also please note that at the bottom of the text dialog box immediately to the right of the Submit Reply button is a Preview Post button.

Clicking this Preview Post button will allow to the read the post but edit it in text dialog box prior to clicking the Submit Reply button.

TR

BTW: do you have a Spell Checker installed and are you using Internet Explorer?


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

yes I found spell checker and I am using IE 7.
When I click 'quote' everything goes into the blue box. How do you separate it into sections?


----------



## aspects (Feb 1, 2009)

those are great for a bed. i need to find some of those locally for my exodon tank


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> yes I found spell checker and I am using IE 7.
> When I click 'quote' everything goes into the blue box. How do you separate it into sections?


Copy the 
[QUOTE*= ...]
and paste.

Cut the text which want to quote and paste below the above.

Then add a [/quote*]

but do not add the *'s: I added them in order that the instructions would not look like

Copy the 


... said:


> and paste.
> 
> Cut the text which want to quote and paste below the above.
> 
> Then add a


TR


----------



## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

> Cut the text which want to quote and paste below the above.


Hey, When I opened up this page to reply to your note I found a bunch of things across the top--under fonts and size. I bet I can use them!! Will try-- the last little doey under the right curved arrow is a "quotewrap!"


> but do not add the *'s: I added them in order that the instructions would not look like


So let me see if this works


IT WORKS!!;-)


----------



## jones57742 (Sep 8, 2007)

mousey said:


> IT WORKS!!;-)


Joy!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

TR


----------

