Angel's Devouring Hygrophilia?

lpsouth1978 · 10-03-2012, 01:14 AM

At first I thought that I had a defficiency of something, but now it is evident that something is eating my Hygrophilia Corymbosa. All of the fish have been in the tank for several weeks, except for the Angel's. A few days ago I noticed holes in my Hygro and now some of the leaves are all but gone. I figure it must be the angel's. I have attached some pics below.

Have any of you ever had this problem before? If I need a new plant, what should I get. I want a large plant that grows pretty fast.

Tank inhabitants:

2 - Ottos
21 - Cardinal Tetras
3 - Boesemani Rainbowfish
3 - Angelfish

The Alleged Criminals:

stevenjohn21 · 10-03-2012, 02:15 AM

I have a 75 gallon tank with 6 Angels and the only plants inside are Hygrophilia Corymbosa and ive never had a problem . Im not saying its not your Angels but id be pointing my finger at the other fish 1st ;-)
If you do want to change plants then i would recommend Argentine Sword.

**Cboss** · 10-03-2012, 02:35 AM

I've had angels eat plants before. I didn't have hygrophilia, but they ate all of my stargrass.

lpsouth1978 · 10-03-2012, 04:23 AM

The reason I think it is the Angels is that they are the newest additions to the tank. The other fish have all been in there for a few weeks. It seems that the holes started to appear within a day or two of adding the angels.

PlantedRich · 10-03-2012, 02:54 PM

While your logic sounds correct, I might look further. While there are areas which the fish could definitely do the work, there are areas in the center of the leaves which would seem to be more unlikely for the fish to pluck parts.

Before convicting the angels, maybe some more looking? I suspect snails. Snails may not be seen as they often come in as eggs and only come out at night. Maybe some eggs came with the angels?

How about waiting until the lights have been out for a couple hours and then use a flashlight to carefully look for a hoard of monsters raiding your garden?
Maybe rabbits with scuba gear?

Maybe snails starting a hole which the angels then expand?

lpsouth1978 · 10-03-2012, 03:01 PM

I know that there are a couple of snails in the tank, but they are not capable of this kind of RAPID damage. The leaves are being eaten between the "veins".

I have now witnessed the carnage myself. This morning while watching the tank my 2 marbled angels began eating the hygrophilia. I tried to record them, but as soon as I got close to the tank, they stopped and swam to the front glass right in front of them. I will try again later.

**mistergreen** · 10-03-2012, 03:37 PM

Common pond snails don't eat healthy plants. The marks on the leaves are from big mouths not snail mouths.

Look at the angel's poop to make sure. If it's green,.....

Feed them greens like blanched lettuce & spinach. Hopefully they'll leave the delicious hygro alone.

10-03-2012, 01:14 AM	#1
lpsouth1978 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 106	Angel's Devouring Hygrophilia? At first I thought that I had a defficiency of something, but now it is evident that something is eating my Hygrophilia Corymbosa. All of the fish have been in the tank for several weeks, except for the Angel's. A few days ago I noticed holes in my Hygro and now some of the leaves are all but gone. I figure it must be the angel's. I have attached some pics below. Have any of you ever had this problem before? If I need a new plant, what should I get. I want a large plant that grows pretty fast. Tank inhabitants: 2 - Ottos 21 - Cardinal Tetras 3 - Boesemani Rainbowfish 3 - Angelfish The Alleged Criminals:

10-03-2012, 02:15 AM	#2
stevenjohn21 Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (11/100%) Join Date: May 2012 Location: Atlanta Posts: 1,049	I have a 75 gallon tank with 6 Angels and the only plants inside are Hygrophilia Corymbosa and ive never had a problem . Im not saying its not your Angels but id be pointing my finger at the other fish 1st ;-) If you do want to change plants then i would recommend Argentine Sword. __________________ “We didn’t underestimate them. They were just a lot better than we thought.” -Bobby Robson “Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans win.” -Gary Linekar "Some people are on the pitch! They think it's all over! It is now, it's four!" -Kenneth Wolstenholme

10-03-2012, 03:37 PM	#7
mistergreen Bow ties are cool (View User Tanks) PTrader: (12/100%) Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 12,949	Common pond snails don't eat healthy plants. The marks on the leaves are from big mouths not snail mouths. Look at the angel's poop to make sure. If it's green,..... Feed them greens like blanched lettuce & spinach. Hopefully they'll leave the delicious hygro alone. __________________ DIY High Tech Tank forum http://aquatictechtank.net A forum dedicated to design and program aquatic tanks

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10-03-2012, 02:35 AM	#3
Cboss Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (13/100%) Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Fort Collins, CO Posts: 337	I've had angels eat plants before. I didn't have hygrophilia, but they ate all of my stargrass.

10-03-2012, 04:23 AM	#4
lpsouth1978 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 106	The reason I think it is the Angels is that they are the newest additions to the tank. The other fish have all been in there for a few weeks. It seems that the holes started to appear within a day or two of adding the angels.

10-03-2012, 02:54 PM	#5
PlantedRich Wannabe Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Pflugerville, Tx Posts: 1,513	While your logic sounds correct, I might look further. While there are areas which the fish could definitely do the work, there are areas in the center of the leaves which would seem to be more unlikely for the fish to pluck parts. Before convicting the angels, maybe some more looking? I suspect snails. Snails may not be seen as they often come in as eggs and only come out at night. Maybe some eggs came with the angels? How about waiting until the lights have been out for a couple hours and then use a flashlight to carefully look for a hoard of monsters raiding your garden? Maybe rabbits with scuba gear? Maybe snails starting a hole which the angels then expand?

10-03-2012, 03:01 PM	#6
lpsouth1978 Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 106	I know that there are a couple of snails in the tank, but they are not capable of this kind of RAPID damage. The leaves are being eaten between the "veins". I have now witnessed the carnage myself. This morning while watching the tank my 2 marbled angels began eating the hygrophilia. I tried to record them, but as soon as I got close to the tank, they stopped and swam to the front glass right in front of them. I will try again later.