Little plant problem

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romosoldier

romosoldier

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 28, 2008
316
1
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USA
i guess the aquascaping world would be the best to ask about problems with plants. sorry if i miss placed this thread.

i've been having a few problems with my plants, currently in my 55g, something keeps nibbling away at them, and former lush and big plants are shriveling away, i know something is eating them but im trying to figure out what, now usually i would blame the snails for this, but my snail population has decreased alot recently, and i've been suspecting that my 3 clown loaches are nibbling away at the plants... they even have what appear to be bite marks. i wasn't quite sure, so i wanted to ask around and get some opinions.

55g stock
angels x2
common pleco x1
albino longfin BN pleco x4
gourami x1
clown loaches x3
snails x? (small ones that usually come when you buy the plants and don't rinse them out properly =/ )


Thoughts?
 
Loaches can punch holes in plants. BN plecos can "rasp" to the point that leaves get holes in them.

Are you offering veggies weekly?
 
if there are not that many snails it wont be them

i would say it was the plecos. they also have a bad habit of digging up the roots of the plants so they float to the top
 
i've watched them for a while, and it can't be the plecos, they usually keep near their cave (thats where i put the waffers too when i feed them) so it is definitely the loaches then, the plants do seem to have holes in some parts, but for the most part they look like bite marks on the leaves. ill see if i can get a picture up here later.
any idea's why they might be doing this?
 
ill get a picture up tomorow, took one with my phone (bad quality probably) but we'll see how it turns out.
 
A photo would be best, but I highly doubt the problem lies with your fish. What type of plants do you have, and what kind of lighting and fertilizers do you use?
 
a before and after pic, moved the rocks a little recently, and i dont use any fertilizer for the plants, but they dont appear to be rotting, so im guessing it is fish that are eating it, its been going on a while and i havent adressed the problem so, it got bad.



BEFORE
DSC_4291.JPG
AFTER
Photo0140.jpg
 
Maybe it's a lack of ferts that's softening parts of the leaves and making them tastier for the fish.
Try feeding a little bit more, maybe it'll curb their appetite [if there is one] for the plants, and it'll offer more ferts for the plants.

I'm no expert just my 2 cents.
 
Looks like nutrient deficiency more than anything else. Start dosing some fertilizer with iron and potassium in it. Test your nitrate level, if it's low or not registering at all you may need to does a source of nitrogen as well.
 
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