I have 2 red melon swords in my 10 gallon tank and they are hogging up a lot of space. I would like to relocate one of them to another tank and replace it with something smaller. I dread this as I think all the debris in the bottom of the tank will be churned up and make a mess. Any advice on how to do this with as little a mess as possible? lol My thoughts are to lower the tank water, vacuum, pull the sword out as slowly as possible. I have no idea how big the root system is, so I could be pulling up something huge or something easier to deal with. OR, should I just leave it and not disturb the environment?

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AVATAR: Wallace's Flying Frog: a moss frog found from the Malay Peninsula into western Indonesia.
Their webbed feet are their "wings"!

I pulled out two huge Amazons that had been in one of my tanks for more than a year and it really didn't make as big of a mess as I thought it would. There was a little cloudiness that took about 10 min to clear. I pulled slowly and shook the plant at the same time to get the roots moving. It will vary slightly depending on the tightness of your substrate - mine is mostly eco-complete. I didn't do anything special for it at all. The roots were about 14-15 inches long - most of them.

When you replant, cut the roots to about 1 inch long. This will seem extreme, but if you try to plant a mass of roots, chances are you will damage them and they will just rot from there. I do this with every plant I plant or re-locate, so I know the plant will not be harmed by it.

Yikes! If the melon roots are even close to that length, it would be a mess! The corner of the tank it is currently in, is a triangle about 5 inches on 2 sides and 6-7 on the inside edge. It is in a corner with driftwood boarding the edge toward the center of the tank, so the roots could extend under the driftwood and further into the center of the tank. (10 gallon) The substrate is rather loose so that might help. What if I trim the roots after pulling it out to the 1 inch mark? If the roots left under the substrate rot, wouldn't they just become fert. for the other plants?

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AVATAR: Wallace's Flying Frog: a moss frog found from the Malay Peninsula into western Indonesia.
Their webbed feet are their "wings"!

I had small plants and wood right next to mine and it didn't budge them at all. Once the roots start moving a little they come out very easily.

I think it would not be very good to cut the root and leave all that behind. Chances are you're going to be leaving some already. Better to minimize it. I wouldn't want anything rotting in my substrate if I could help it.

Thanks Ben! I will be looking for a good replacement plant and was wondering if there is a source you would recommend? I have gotten mine from AquariumPlants.com and they were pretty good, especially the swords, the anubias and the cryptocoryne lutea and parva. The shipping was $45 for 2 day delivery (non-negotiable) ~ is this typical?

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AVATAR: Wallace's Flying Frog: a moss frog found from the Malay Peninsula into western Indonesia.
Their webbed feet are their "wings"!

$45 with 2-day...that's BS. I like those guys but haven't used them in a while. I go to plantedtank.net and aquariumplantcentral.com to pick up most of my plants as of late. Most will only charge $5-7 for 2-day priority USPS shipping. There are hundreds of plants for sale daily between the two places.

Boy, do I feel ripped off! What a crock. I could have spent that much more on plants! However, with your recommendations, I will shop elsewhere immediately! thanks!

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AVATAR: Wallace's Flying Frog: a moss frog found from the Malay Peninsula into western Indonesia.
Their webbed feet are their "wings"!