What Is Eating My Amazon Swords?

[Araxen]

I have a chinese algae(1), 5 Tiger Barbs, 3 Corys, and 3 Polka Dot Loaches and I can't figure out what he eating the leaves on my swords. No co2 injections, I have a philips 15 watt plant/aquarium bulb and haven't put any plant food in yet.

It's only a 15 gallon aquarium(high) which I intend on upgrading very soon as I'm overstocked atm.

Here is a pic of the plant:

Should I just cut off the leaf or is the plant pretty much dead?

 

[jarmado]

snails???

 

[Araxen]

I don't think it's snails. I have a sand substrate so I would see them around somewhere and my loaches would have taken care of them. I had another leave get devestated overnight. I'm wondering now if maybe one my tiger barbs is laying eggs on the leaves and eating the eggs and ruining the leaves. They have been pretty friendly to each other latley but I haven't seen anything abnormal about them otherwise. They haven't looked fat with eggs or anything.

 

[Bloo]

I've heard some plecs have a taste for swords, so I'd think your chinese algae eater is likely the culprit.

The CAE is a Cyprinids not a plec/catfish.
I had a CAE in my tank with Polka Dot loaches and lush Amazon Swords (never a bite mark in sight), so can't imagine it's either of those. Corys wouldn't do that either. Yet it doesn't look like Tiger Barb bites either. So I'm not sure really

Observe your tank closely - especially at night, to find out who it is. And feed some algae wafers as supplement to hopefully stop whoever is doing that.

 

[Phoenixfish]

i know you said you dont have snails but thats the tell tale sign of snails you sure

 

[Araxen]

I've heard some plecs have a taste for swords, so I'd think your chinese algae eater is likely the culprit.

The CAE is a Cyprinids not a plec/catfish.

DOH!!!!

I reaaaaallly should stop posting in the middle of the night.


Araxen, maybe it IS snails. Hunt them down. Keep your aquarium in the dark for 2 hours (absolutely no light), then turn it on and check. They're usually clinging on the glass by that time.

I will check tonight.