55 Gallon Tank Is my tank suitable for an amazon sword?

I'm thinking of getting an amazon sword for my 55 gallon in the place of an aponogeton I currently have. I like how it is a heavy root feeder (using root tabs) since it won't compete as much with my floating water sprite that is choking out my aponogeton and other fast-growing plants. However, I read that amazon swords need 10-12 hours of light, and I am afraid this will cause an issue with algae in the tank. Even though my water has very little nitrates (going to 5 ppm within 48 hours of using ferts) due to that water sprite, which covers over half of my 55 gallon, there is still a persistant dark green algae that grows on my plants. Do the swords really need this much light? Is there another plant similar to an amazon sword that would work better?

 

I haven't heard that swords need that much light. I have them in two tanks, with lights on for 8 hours in one and 12 in the other. They're doing fine in both tanks.

 

IME, Swords are much more reliant on nutrients in the substrate than light. Obviously they need both, but we used to grow Swords in tanks with incandescent bulbs when I was a kid. Almost nothing grows under those crappy things, lol.

Regular lighting at regular times should be enough.

 

I haven't heard that swords need that much light. I have them in two tanks, with lights on for 8 hours in one and 12 in the other. They're doing fine in both tanks.

Thanks! Maybe I'll bump it up to 8 (currently at 7 hours) if I run into any issues then.

 

I had not heard that one either. I have a really big one in a tank with lights on for 7 hours, and a smaller one in tank with low lights on for 10 hours.

 

I have a massive Amazon Sword (over 12 inches) that I bought from my LFS, it gets 8 hours of light from my cheap off brand light. The substrate is just sand and I supply it with root tabs. It continues to grow humongous leaves at a regular rate, and its root system has spread to a large radius around it.

 

I have one that's been alive for about a year so far and I have the lights on for 8 hours and used to for only 6-7 hours. It's a cheap light also.