platies and plants

[Kittycat]

I feel really stupid asking this, but do platies eat plants? I have had my platies with amazon swords and e. macrophyllus for many months with no problem, then I bought an H. corymbosa and I noticed after a day that a couple of leaves of so had a chunk bitten out of them. I suppose it could have been snails, but far as I know, I don't have any in my tank. Only other inhabitants are guppies and shrimps...

 

[Angry_Platy]

I see my platies grazing the plants, for algae I assume. I have never seen them take chunks out of them. That said, some of my plants have had missing bits from time to time.

And really, platies eat everything else I put in the tank..why should plants be an exception?

 

[GSD]

my platies have eaten my amazon swords too!

 

[B75]

All my platies eat at my amazon swords aswell, to get the algae I presume.

 

[colegamby]

platies eat plants that they happen to like the taste of. They like veggies in their diet and plants are the natural way to get it.

 

[Def]

Yes, I've had platys totally strip some plants and leave others alone...

 

[Kittycat]

OK, thanks, now we've solved the mystery and found the culprits i'll keep an eye on the new plant and see if more is getting eaten...maybe they were just tasting it and decided it wasn't that good, hehe.

I do feed them spirulina occasionally for vegetation in their diet. Too bad, though, I was thinking of putting up a planted tank and keeping the platies there.