Would adult emperor blue hooks (8-10 inches) eat plants mainly robust plants like anubias and Java fern
Maybe add some moss on the wood
Maybe add some moss on the wood
Emperor blue hooks and plants
- Thread starter Essaf Victor
- Start date
I have only worked with Metynnis silver dollars, and only with 4 species of that genus. Never had blue hooks and I do not know of anybody who has been able to consistently keep them in planted tanks.
"Myleus schomburgkii" (including emperor blue hooks) are mostly rheophilic, and feed on both aquatic and amphibious plants growing on rocks (in rapids), or on other substrata. They also eat insects, worms and other inverts, seeds, fruit, roots, and everything in between. Very opportunistic.
If I were to try having plants with them (don't know that it will work to any extent), I would try first with a few plants known to be non-palatable to similar fish (i.e, other SDs) - Java fern, java moss, Pothos, Cryptocoryne spp. Note that all those plants (except Pothos) are NOT neotropical but from the old world (Asia, Africa).
With Metynnis SDs, I have had reasonable success with the plants listed above + Anubias + Hygrophila sp. + Nesaea sp. + floating plants placed there with the specific intent of serving as forage food. Which brings to the topic of feeding - The fish's dietary needs would need to be fully met if there is any hope they will leave the plants alone.
The other thing to consider is that it is not only the eating of the plants what makes SDs and plants a tough combination. There is the bulldozing effect and the constant browsing on surfaces, particularly green things. So they dislodge everything just by moving around, whether they eat it or not. So plants need to be well protected from the bulldozing effect, which is not easy.
I would be very interested to know if you try it, and of any any success you may achieve. My guess is that there are ways to accomplish some of it, within reason (i.e., this is not going to be a display 'Tropica" tank); instead it may be a matter of identifying one or two plant species which can work, and the best manner to accomplish it, and then take it from there ifffff it works.
Good Luck!!!
In the photo above, 3 species of Metynnis. The 4th species I have tried is the tiger SD's (M. fasciatus), and these too can be kept with plants, by my sucess has been with only 2 species of plants so far (Java fern and Hygrophila sp.).
"Myleus schomburgkii" (including emperor blue hooks) are mostly rheophilic, and feed on both aquatic and amphibious plants growing on rocks (in rapids), or on other substrata. They also eat insects, worms and other inverts, seeds, fruit, roots, and everything in between. Very opportunistic.
If I were to try having plants with them (don't know that it will work to any extent), I would try first with a few plants known to be non-palatable to similar fish (i.e, other SDs) - Java fern, java moss, Pothos, Cryptocoryne spp. Note that all those plants (except Pothos) are NOT neotropical but from the old world (Asia, Africa).
With Metynnis SDs, I have had reasonable success with the plants listed above + Anubias + Hygrophila sp. + Nesaea sp. + floating plants placed there with the specific intent of serving as forage food. Which brings to the topic of feeding - The fish's dietary needs would need to be fully met if there is any hope they will leave the plants alone.
The other thing to consider is that it is not only the eating of the plants what makes SDs and plants a tough combination. There is the bulldozing effect and the constant browsing on surfaces, particularly green things. So they dislodge everything just by moving around, whether they eat it or not. So plants need to be well protected from the bulldozing effect, which is not easy.
I would be very interested to know if you try it, and of any any success you may achieve. My guess is that there are ways to accomplish some of it, within reason (i.e., this is not going to be a display 'Tropica" tank); instead it may be a matter of identifying one or two plant species which can work, and the best manner to accomplish it, and then take it from there ifffff it works.
Good Luck!!!
In the photo above, 3 species of Metynnis. The 4th species I have tried is the tiger SD's (M. fasciatus), and these too can be kept with plants, by my sucess has been with only 2 species of plants so far (Java fern and Hygrophila sp.).
if anyone else go any opinion keep the thoughts coming
nice fish U got in the picture
I think I would just rehome them and keep the tank to the arowana and the azul peacock bass pair
better safe than sorry, it would be a headache to get them out of a 600 gallon tank with a lot of wood
if anyone else go any opinions keep the thoughts coming
Thank you for the very detailed response
nice fish U got in the picture
I think I would just rehome them and keep the tank to the arowana and the azul peacock bass pair
better safe than sorry, it would be a headache to get them out of a 600 gallon tank with a lot of wood
if anyone else go any opinions keep the thoughts coming
of your tank.
That reminds me that I actually don’t have any full portraits of the tank will take some today and upload ??
Very nice tank, and I love your arrangement of wood/rocks. I see there are no blue hooks in it yet. So you have the blue hooks in another tank and were thinking of bringing them into the pictured tank?
Seeing the manner the driftwood is arranged amongst the rocks (or viceversa), it makes me think that you may be able to start with several small bunches of Java Fern, particularly attaching them so they don't protrude beyond the wood. In other words, sort of snick them in kind of thing, in a manner that the blue hooks can't fully get to them due to interference with the wood. Over time, even if they eat some of it, you may be able to produce a certain level of 'carpeting' with java moss, just below the surface of the wood. I would start putting the java fern before introducing the blue hooks, to get the plants a chance to fully attach.
It you could accomplish that, it would be awesome and the look of it superb!!!! Don't give up. I think you have a good chance. And your set up is certainly giving me ideas...and making me dream of a big tank.
Seeing the manner the driftwood is arranged amongst the rocks (or viceversa), it makes me think that you may be able to start with several small bunches of Java Fern, particularly attaching them so they don't protrude beyond the wood. In other words, sort of snick them in kind of thing, in a manner that the blue hooks can't fully get to them due to interference with the wood. Over time, even if they eat some of it, you may be able to produce a certain level of 'carpeting' with java moss, just below the surface of the wood. I would start putting the java fern before introducing the blue hooks, to get the plants a chance to fully attach.
It you could accomplish that, it would be awesome and the look of it superb!!!! Don't give up. I think you have a good chance. And your set up is certainly giving me ideas...and making me dream of a big tank.
your theory sounds good tbh, but I think I just value the look of the plants over the ebh they are not main attraction in that tank so I don’t mind rehoming them even for the sake of freeing some bio load to add some more bichirs
after having a proper scape and plants in there I can’t see it without plants so can’t take that risk after keeping that tank As a bare bottom without anything and now seeing the fish interact with the scape and act way more naturally than before I don’t want to give that away
as in that small Datnoid for example used to always hide in the corner now he’s always out and about same with the bichir always swimming in and around the wood perching on the plants and even the arowana likes to go in between that top wooden arch I made there
so no way am going back to bare bottom again, and as of now I have around 200 dollars in plants in a holding tank to add to the main tank so I am already invested in that plants side of things
