[CKJ]

Somebody in my tank is eating my anubias plants. Have never noticed fish eating them but one of them has got to be the culprit and i'm hoping there is something I can do about it? the tank has been extablished for a few years now but the inhabitants are new to the tank and have only been in ther for a month except pleco and neons that we got 4 days ago. So all the eating started 4 days ago when I put those plants back in.

The fish really couldn't get to them as there was too much java moss around them before the rescape. Gonna be really upset if there's not much I can do about it cause these plants are a good few years old and actually survived and were getting new leaves and I had hopes that they'd get nice and big again and hopefully make more of themselves. My java ferns, java moss and anubias are the only plants i've been able to keep alive lol don't want them to die now.

I have a 55gal and the inhabitants are:
5 neon tetras
1 long fin danio
2 rainbows
2 buenos aries tetras
2 cories
1 pleco
1 otto
1 kuhli loach
1 golden gourami
1`white cloud

Thanks for the help

 

[demonr6]

I caught my Otto suckering the heck out of mine.. not chomping though, but did cause some damage.

 

[CKJ]

Hope you can see in the pics of the damage.

 

[bpb]

Hope you can see in the pics of the damage.

It is undoubtedly your Buenos Aires tetras. I have them in one of my tanks and they have literally eaten everything green in the tank without the name "java" in the title. Notoriously voracious plant eaters.

 

[EntoCraig]

Sponge Bob did it...

 

[CKJ]

And the previous owner of the fish wondered why he could never seem to grow any plants. UGH!!!!

Wondering if there's a place I can put them where they'll be too hard to get too so they can be left alone.

Wasn't spongebob it was Patrick Spongebob has at least 1 broken arm. lol

 

[bpb]

If it's that sparsely planted, then not likely. The only way I was able to get mine to stop eating new growth on my java fern, and to stop eating my anubias was to just bunch everything as densely as possible amongst some rocks. The BA Tetras don't much care for mature java fern leaves, so if the new growth is at the bottom of a tangled mess of rhizomes, usually the leaves have a fighting chance to firm up some before they are eaten. My BA tetras have completely eaten at least 20 anubias leaves, a medium sized amazon sword, ricca moss, pennywort, wisteria, watersprite, chain sword, crypts...and I think that's all I've tried. If I had less of a heart I would dump them in the creek and say good luck, but I can't bring myself to do that. So, for now, I am just sticking with java fern and java moss. They're only about a year old so I've got a while with them.

 

[kuni]

If it's that sparsely planted, then not likely. The only way I was able to get mine to stop eating new growth on my java fern, and to stop eating my anubias was to just bunch everything as densely as possible amongst some rocks. The BA Tetras don't much care for mature java fern leaves, so if the new growth is at the bottom of a tangled mess of rhizomes, usually the leaves have a fighting chance to firm up some before they are eaten. My BA tetras have completely eaten at least 20 anubias leaves, a medium sized amazon sword, ricca moss, pennywort, wisteria, watersprite, chain sword, crypts...and I think that's all I've tried. If I had less of a heart I would dump them in the creek and say good luck, but I can't bring myself to do that. So, for now, I am just sticking with java fern and java moss. They're only about a year old so I've got a while with them.

Don't
dump
them
in
the
creek!

They'd likely be invasive in Texas. They can take temperatures down to 50 degrees and they have a close relative that's actually native. If they're truly driving you up a wall, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer, which will put them to sleep then kill them, or overdose them on Finquel medication, which also puts them to sleep.

 

[xmas_one]

buenos aires...

 

[2in10]

Buenos Aires tetras are known plant eaters. To a LFS with them.

 

[CKJ]

Well, I don't have the heart to off mine lol So if I want to save those plants those fish need to go somewhere.or those plants need to go somewhere. I hate to take those plants our of that tank as it's the big tank and you see it right when you walk in the door. Do you think those two tetras would be ok in a 10gal?

And actually ideally i'd love to set up the 20 and 10 gal tanks put the two tetras in one and one of the rainbowfish that keeps getting picked on in another. If my 20 gal tank light still works would a piece of plexiglass work as something stable and then put the light on that? The 20 gal doesn't have a good hood and my cat has fallen in it a couple times.

 

[ua hua]

Don't
dump
them
in
the
creek!

They'd likely be invasive in Texas. They can take temperatures down to 50 degrees and they have a close relative that's actually native. If they're truly driving you up a wall, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer, which will put them to sleep then kill them, or overdose them on Finquel medication, which also puts them to sleep.

I think they were being sarcastic. And what do you mean by putting them in the freezer will put them to sleep then kill them. When you think they are sleeping their actually dead.

So don't put fish in the freezer to get rid them! It is a cruel way to kill (I mean put them to sleep)

 

[driftwoodhunter]

I almost bought some Buenos Aires tetras when I first set up my 55 - is there a sticky anywhere here that lists fish that are hard on plants? It would be a helpful resource for us noobs...

 

[Freebird11]

Basic plant care tips

Before planting, remove any decaying or yellowed leaves. Decaying leaves are a drain on the plants nutrient supply.Remove any dying roots, as these will rot in the substrate. These will appear limp and brown, healthy roots are normally pale and more rigid.For stem plants, remove the bottom few leaves. These will receive little light and a new cutting will not have an adequate root system to support a full complement of leaves.Tubers should be planted at an angle in the substrate, with the growing tip exposed.Some plants require attachment to rocks or bogwood to thrive, rather than planting in the substrate, these include Java Fern and Java Moss.

 

[bpb]

Don't
dump
them
in
the
creek!

They'd likely be invasive in Texas. They can take temperatures down to 50 degrees and they have a close relative that's actually native. If they're truly driving you up a wall, put them in a plastic bag in the freezer, which will put them to sleep then kill them, or overdose them on Finquel medication, which also puts them to sleep.

Oh I won't be dumping them anywhere. I have read plenty of horror stories about invasive species destroying ecosystems and altering native balance. I won't be offing them either. I euthanized one a week ago, but he had gotten into a fight with someone else in the tank and was really beat up bad. It had to have been either another BA tetras, or maybe a tiger barb. Woke up one morning and fins were gone, lots of missing scales, actual bleeding spots on his body, big portion of upper jaw bitten off. Someone did a real number on him. I'll just keep the rest throughout their lifespan. They actually have helped keep me from dumping more money into plant equipment upgrades ha ha.

 

[CKJ]

Poor guy really got it. Was good to end his pain.

Do you think the two buenos aries tetras I have will be ok in a 10 gal?

If so i'm glad I kept a coule fake plats as that's what those two will be getting.