Gah! Look What He's Done!

[SouthernCross]

I just went and looked in my tank, and carnage has been done to one of my plants overnight!

I look closer and I see my bristlenose is on one of the leaves -I've never seen him on the plants before, only on the floor, his piece of bogwood, the ornaments, or stuck to the glass. He shouldn't be hungry, he had a whole algae wafer to himself last night. Is it possible for him to have done so much damage to a plant just overnight??? I added this plant about three weeks ago (blue stricta), and he's never shown any interest in it before - could he have just discovered that he likes it? He's not even a mature bristlenose, he's only just starting to get bristles, I bought him as a juvie smaller than a cory about four months ago maybe...

My whole tank before the incident, with the plant in question and the prime suspect circled!

The suspect up close:

The evidence - what he's done to the leaves! So many just overnight! Excuse the light reflections of the windows, I usually take pictures of a night but this couldn't wait! Looks like he's gone for the biggest, broadest leaves, most of which are up near the top (also unusual territory for him)

My gouramis are displeased!

Does everyone agree that I'm right in thinking my BN has done this? Not something else? I've just prodded him off with the end of a filter cleaner but obviously that's not gonna make him stop! Any suggestions? I just can't believe what's happened to it overnight when he's never touched plants before..... It looks really ugly too. It was such a nice plant. My cardinals like to hang out and sleep in it...is there any chance it will recover?

 

[kribensis12]

Looks bad! It might get better, adn i think that it was the BN, as you saw it on the leaves of the victim( i mean plant!). It might recover, but i suggest moving the BN. I would also wait till someone else reply's becasue i dont have any experience.

 

[darknirvana217]

I've never had any luck with a plant that took that much damage. i'd remove the pleco if you hope to have a planted tank that isn't constantly used as a salad bar.

 

[SouthernCross]

Looks bad! It might get better, adn i think that it was the BN, as you saw it on the leaves of the victim( i mean plant!). It might recover, but i suggest moving the BN. I would also wait till someone else reply's becasue i dont have any experience.

I just went and looked in the tank again, and saw him back on the plant . I've put another algae wafer in, might keep him occupied... I don't have anywhere to move him, I have a 5 gallon betta tank with fake plants but I think that's too small for a BN...

I've never had any luck with a plant that took that much damage. i'd remove the pleco if you hope to have a planted tank that isn't constantly used as a salad bar.

I'd read mixed results about bristlenoses going for plants when I was doing research before I bought him. Seemed they mostly went for amazon swords, I have a small one of those which he hasn't touched. Just this one. There are a few leaves he hasn't gotten to yet...mostly new ones down the bottom of the stems...

I don't understand why he suddenly has gotten a taste for plants overnight! ANd that one little pleco could do THAT much damage only in one night! I mean it when I say he's never been on the plants before!

 

[PRW1988]

I highly doubt that a BN did that over night, especially one that small.

 

[SouthernCross]

I highly doubt that a BN did that over night, especially one that small.

Well what do you think has happened??? He's a bit shorter than my index finger now sizewise... The full tank shot was taken 3 weeks ago maybe, you can see how big he is in relation to the tank and plants in that one...he's been a fast grower.

 

[Straydum]

i agree with PRW1988. its not like you starved the bn or anything. and it probaby for for cucumber more than your plants