Rcs Eating Water Wisteria

[FISH-FRY]

All of my plants have been doing pretty good except for the Water Wisteria that keeps losing leaves because it's browning up and "decaying" away. I found the culprit today! Below is a Red Cherry Shrimp eating the Wisteria. I watched the little [bleep] tearing up a leaf and wanted to know if it's normal for the RCS to eat plants. I know they're scavengers and eat algae but is there a thing about this plant they they just have to have? Maybe it's just one of them that has this fetish.

Guess I'll let it have it's way and wait until the plant is no more and get something else. I dont' think I'm starving them and they're resorting to the sole plant.

Any ideas?

 

[Biulu]

Mmm, never seen my cherry shrimp eat plants! Sorry, can't help you any further.

 

[anshuman]

water wisteria is REALLY hardy plant, i think your water is missing some nutrients, i suggest you can try adding some liquid nutrients. Once water wisteria takes off, no matter what tries to eat, it will spread in your tank like weed.

I have it in my goldfish tank and i have trouble trimming it down every week, even when my goldies on their own pruning, it keeps growing.

 

[Aquaspot World]

Shrimps are natural scavengers and usually only feed on dying/dead material. If your plants are healthy, they will usually leave them alone.

 

[lljdma06]

Shrimps are natural scavengers and usually only feed on dying/dead material. If your plants are healthy, they will usually leave them alone.

Agreed. Based on your picture, it looks like your wisteria is changing from emersed to submerged growth. Many nurseries will have stemplants with emersed growth, cut the tips, and ship them. It will shed the emersed growth and the leaf shape will change quite a bit. The plant then goes through quite the ugly phase. Here is a photo of hygrophila difformis featuring submerge growth. Plant is to the right of this photo.

Kind of different, huh?

 

[FISH-FRY]

I've cleaned up the plant and nothing wrong with the leaves after I'm done. Then the next day there are scrapes and tiny holes in them and then they start to die out.

lljdma06,

That's the plant I'm used to seeing and wasn't too certain if I was sold a different plant but after doing some searches and reading your post, I'm looking forward to the change. Now will the transformation happen if I wind up only with stems and no leaves? Is it dead at that point?

I wound up with roots growing down from the side stems into the substrate and the bottom stems dying. I had to do some cutting and replanting. Is it normal for this plant? My other plants are doing fine as is.

Thanks

 

[lljdma06]

It is usually a more gradual change that happens from the terminal bud on top. The terminal bud will usually display the new submerged growth as the emersed growth is slowly shed. The process can take a while. Keep providing nutrients and it should make the transition fine.

llj