Plants Getting Chewed, But By Who?

[kaivalagi]

Hi All,

I have a couple of plants that something seems to have taken an interest in and is chewing, see pics:



Each day it is worse and I want to try and deal with it before the plants are ready for the bin...

I have the following in my tank:
1 x Bristlenose Pleco
1 x Firemouth
1 x Port Acara
1 x Blue Convict
1 x Geophagus sp 'red head tapajos'
4 x Peppered Cory
3 x Oto

I get the sneaky feeling that it's the BN doing it in the middle of the night. I added him a couple of weeks back. Maybe I need to feed him more greens?

The cories and oto have been in the tank for a while and although the plants were added recently I think they leave them alone...

Anything I can do to stop this or any easy to grow plants that don't seem to be on the lunch menu for any of my guests? My java fern is untouched but I don't want java fern all over my tank...looking for tall standing fast growing plants for sectioning off the tank areas.

Thanks in advance

 

[fishyfeet]

Bristlenoses dont actually eat plants in general, if they run out of algae they will scrap the top layer of the leaves of amazon swords and such, this would prob make a hole or cause the leaf to rot. Do you add veg regularly for the catfish, di

 

[fishyfeet]

looking at the picture again, im not sure it is him, do you see him on those plants, i wouldnt have thought the leaves were wide enough, i see my young b/n fry on stuff like that, you dont have any snails do you?

 

[Littlemonkey]

I'd deff rule out the otto's. They just keep the plants clean, nothing else.

 

[Truck]

They'll be your cichlids.

 

[minxfishy]

It will be the FM, Convict and Acara most likely, whilst they might not actually eat them, they will nip them and pull them up. The Geophagus are unlikely candidates though.

 

[kaivalagi]

Thanks for all the responses

I haven't seen the BN anywhere near the damaged plants to be honest, he occupies the other end of the tank mostly where the wood and the quieter end of the tank exists. The plants in this area of the tank are all fine and dandy.

Snails...I found any empty snail shell the other day, and although I haven't been looking for them I haven't seen any snails since then. Who would be eating/sucking them?

Truck, it must be the Cichlids destroying/eating the plants...lol...gotta love em

Only some plants are targeted, there is vallis and java fern elsewhere untouched.

Maybe I just need to give in and move the plants. What do you think?

 

[fishyfeet]

yes, truck must be right (for a change)

to be honest never had a lot to do with cichlids other than angels and suchlike, wasnt aware they did this to plants, cant you just let them have a few plants, its obviously in there nature, although i though cichlids were just kept with rocks, ah maybe thats why then?? di

 

[kaivalagi]

yes, truck must be right (for a change)

to be honest never had a lot to do with cichlids other than angels and suchlike, wasnt aware they did this to plants, cant you just let them have a few plants, its obviously in there nature, although i though cichlids were just kept with rocks, ah maybe thats why then?? di

Truck obviously knows the tell take signs of cichlid mis-behaviour, I am still learning

Yeah, I'll probably leave them, not expensive to replace (in a different place) over time. Might strip the Vallis down to 2, put 1 back and another somewhere else.

The african cichlids (old world) live in a mostly rocky habitat, lake malawi and tanganyika. I have cichlids from central and south america (new world), the habitats there have more in the way of plants I think

No biggy anyway, my cichlids can do as they please