Which Of My Fish Could Be Eating My Plants?

Hi,
I have a couple of holes in my L. Repens, and my Hygro Corymbosa.

The holes definitly look like something has been nibbling/chewing through them.

Up until now I haven't been able to notice who has been doing the muching.

So here´s my stock:
-Angelfish
-Ottos
-BN pleco
-Whiptail Catfish
-Corydoras
-Platy/Swordtail
-Mystery Snail
-Ghost shrimp
-Clown Loach
-Red Tail Shark
-Bolivian Ram
-Electric Blue Acara

Pls help me find out who is behind this. Any ideas which of these might be eating the plant leaves?

 

do you have any pest snails?

 

do you have any pest snails?

None. Clown Loach feasts on any if they exist.

Fahn Mcasella Intermediate_Aquarist WadeEH Pescado_Verde scarface
any ideas guys?

 

My three suspects are mystery snail, the pleco, and maybe the shrimp! Don’t underestimate how much the little shrimpies can eat! Have you seen your snail, or pleco near the plants? Or any other fish for that matter!


Try to add some algae pellets, or shrimp pellets. Any bottom feeder pellets should do the trick! Anything that is hungry enough to eat your plants, will love the pellets. Then they should be full, and won’t be so interested in your plants!

 

I have seen the snail on a leaf once. The BN is usually hiding and comes out at night. The ottos tend to stick around the gravel, hardscape, and glass. As for the shrimp, ive only seen them walking around the gravel, accosionally climbing the wood and stone. I will try to get a picture in a sec.

 

I've never had snails eat healthy live plants, but then again I feed my snails. not sure about the fish, sorry I don't have any answers, unless you've got something else in the tank you didn't know you had?

 

I've never had snails eat healthy live plants, but then again I feed my snails. not sure about the fish, sorry I don't have any answers, unless you've got something else in the tank you didn't know you had?

Thx. Every once in a while I throw in a cucumber/zuchinI slice(like 2x wkly)
I would rather rehome the fish/invert that is doing this, just to make life easier.






Lol, my EBA´s eye came out in the second pic.

 

Talk to your fish. Find the one who says he likes "art" films.

 

I’d rule out the oto for certain. I have my doubts about the bristlenose being suspect, as well, but I’m not certain.

 

Talk to your fish. Find the one who says he likes "art" films.

Sounds good. . . . . . I will brush up on my Spafish!

I’d rule out the oto for certain. I have my doubts about the bristlenose being suspect, as well, but I’m not certain.

Yeah. The otos stay strictly to algae. As for the BN, if only I had a nocturnal camera or something to record what it does at night I could know what he´s up to. I put cucumber at night and in the morning, all but the peeling is gone. Its really bothering me!
Could it be the Whiptail catfish?

 

What are you currently dosing in the tank? What is your substrate? May be a nutrient issue and not a hungry fish issue.

 

Yeah. The otos stay strictly to algae. As for the BN, if only I had a nocturnal camera or something to record what it does at night I could know what he´s up to. I put cucumber at night and in the morning, all but the peeling is gone. Its really bothering me!
Could it be the Whiptail catfish?

I find the whiptail to be even less likely than the bristlenose, but I’ve never had a whiptail. So I can’t really say.

 

Sorry, I can't add anything that hasn't already been suggested. I haven't had whiptail catfish or ottos, but I have kept all the others you listed and never had any trouble with them eating plants.

 

I'd guess at the mystery snails. Vegetables aren't enough for them. They need more meaty foods. They probably realize they're not getting what they beed and have started eating the plants even though plants don't provide a complete diet for them either.

 

What are you currently dosing in the tank? What is your substrate? May be a nutrient issue and not a hungry fish issue.

Hmm could be. Hadnt considered that since the markings on the plants clearly seem like bites. But it is possible. Currently I am not dosing anything. Substrate is a nutrient rich soil, clay-like, capped off by small grained river gravel. Lights are on 6hrs. 4x 10watt 6500K LED. Havent done a water change in a month. These are my test readings. ammonia: 0ppm, nitrite: 0.5-1ppm, nitrate: 20
I think the water quality has stayed good do to my over filtration, total I have 3000 liters per hr.
My plants have been way worse off in the past and have never shown signs of defieciency by holes. But if this is the case, I would like to find out.

 

The leaves look like shrimp damage (see it at petco all the time with the amanos), however the snails will also eat leaves if they aren't getting enough food (they normally go after the softest leaves first, though nerite snails will nibble clean through anubias leaves if there isn't enough algae).

 

Sorry, I can't add anything that hasn't already been suggested. I haven't had whiptail catfish or ottos, but I have kept all the others you listed and never had any trouble with them eating plants.

Thanks Wade, your angelfish in your profile pic looks buff, reallly nice

I'd guess at the mystery snails. Vegetables aren't enough for them. They need more meaty foods. They probably realize they're not getting what they beed and have started eating the plants even though plants don't provide a complete diet for them either.

I currently only have one mystery snail. This could be possible. I have a lot of green diatom algae, idk if mystery snails like it or not. I will rehome the mystery since you think its one of the main suspects.

The leaves look like shrimp damage (see it at petco all the time with the amanos), however the snails will also eat leaves if they aren't getting enough food (they normally go after the softest leaves first, though nerite snails will nibble clean through anubias leaves if there isn't enough algae).

Thanks! LFS told me some shrimp might go after my plants. I thought they wouldnt since when I feed my fish(flakes) the shrimp eat as well. So I thought they were getting enough food. In bolivia they don't sell algae wafers or algae pellets, the only vegetable based diet I could offer them is whatever is in the fish flakes and the occasional cucumber/zuchini. 2 of the shrimp have eggs, just thought id throw that in there just in case. Should I rehome the shrimp and mystery snails then?

 

If you can't get food for them (cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, peppers, even small pieces of sweet potatoes catch their attention and they will eat most of those) I would suggest it better to rehome them as they need a steady diet and not just flake food.

 

Thanks Wade, your angelfish in your profile pic looks buff, reallly nice

Thanks King o´ Angelfish. I have had him almost 5 years now. He is the King o' my 55g.

 

If you can't get food for them (cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, peppers, even small pieces of sweet potatoes catch their attention and they will eat most of those) I would suggest it better to rehome them as they need a steady diet and not just flake food.

Sounds good! Does this include the shrimp too? Because I do put in 2x 1inch thick sices of cucumber/zucchinI a week. Idk if that was enought for the BN AND snail. Woud the shrimp eat that?

 

Sounds good! Does this include the shrimp too? Because I do put in 2x 1inch thick sices of cucumber/zucchinI a week. Idk if that was enought for the BN AND snail. Woud the shrimp eat that?

My Ghost Shrimp eat cucumber and zucchinI all the time.

 

They like meatier foods but will eat veggie matter too.

 

The leaves look like shrimp damage (see it at petco all the time with the amanos), however the snails will also eat leaves if they aren't getting enough food (they normally go after the softest leaves first, though nerite snails will nibble clean through anubias leaves if there isn't enough algae).

Interesting. My amanos never ate my plants, but I fed them well. The love frozen foods and algae wafers.

Snails love algae wafers too. And sinking pellets.