Buttikoferi and pothos roots

[mattybecks]

So I could find literally zero info about Buttikoferi and pothos roots and whether or not they would eat/shed them.
I looked for Buttis and planted tanks online, also very little info besides they are a cichlid that likes to dig and so will uproot plants. But there was never mention of them eating the plants.

Now my pothos obviously is not planted, and the roots are currently growing in a pipe near the surface. I did this as I used to have silver dollars and this kept the roots safe from being eaten. Now that I have recently sold my SDs, I can have the roots free dangling in the tank/flowing in the current as I like this kind of look.

Do you think the Buttikoferi will eat/destroy the roots? (I know they are omnivorous in nature) or they will ignore them and continue just digging with geos.

 

[mattybecks]

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

If I was a betting person, I'd bet they will destroy the roots sooner or later (as they grow) or anything that they can chew, rip, etc. They are IME very destructive. Jeff Rapps told me the same from his experience personally.

I placed two medium density 1" thick filter matts at the two ends of one of ours 240 gal to cover the entire 2'x2' end. They have been chewing and ripping them with purpose and ferocity for no sensible reason whatsoever.

 

[BichirKing]

i'm surprised you have 2 butts let alone with 5 geos and no aggression issues so far. id bet they will eat those roots eventually.

 

[duanes]

i'm surprised you have 2 butts let alone with 5 geos and no aggression issues so far. id bet they will eat those roots eventually.

The OPs butti's are still young, I believe once they hit a certain age, they will kill all the Geo's over night, and unless they are a mated pair, one will kill the other.
They are also "not" strict carnivores, I have seen films of them eating feces as they are excreted from hippos.

 

[BichirKing]

mine is about 6" and took out everyone in a 150g. he's by himself now.

, I have seen films of them eating feces as they are excreted from hippos.

that is a hard bioscape to recreate !

 

[The Morning]

I have kept Buttis in the past. Super aggressive. Started with 5 or 6 and a common pleco in a tank. Ended with one really big fish. Got rid of him when he wouldn’t let me clean the tank. Took a chunk out of the back of my hand. I couldn’t keep anything in the tank. Fish or decoration.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Wow. I didn't realize at all. I kept a quartet for 8 months. They have gone from 2" to 16". I guess it was good in a way that the Florida Wildlife Commission had me kill them off.

 

[The Morning]

How big was your tank? This was pre-internet days and I didn’t do enough research. I believe I had them in a 75 which looking back is far too small for even one of those.

 

[BichirKing]

thebiggerthebetter lives up to his name....