What should I do my fish eats my plants

[professorjimjam]

Dears,

Hope you are all doing well.

Please see photo. I buy these expensive plants and my fishes make holes in them, even though these fishes are always full. These are Congo potted puffers . What can I do so that they do not bite on the beautiful leaves of these plants?

Appreciate any suggestions advise

 

[phreeflow]

They’re probably biting on the leaves when they’re hunting the snails or shrimp are crawling on them. Not much you can do

 

[professorjimjam]

There is no snails or shrimps or anything for them on the leaves

 

[Milingu]

You saw the fish making the holes, or you just assume they did it?

The holes could be also caused by potassium deficiency.

 

[professorjimjam]

I see them everyday biting on the leaves

 

[HarleyK]

Gorgeous puffer! How long have you had the fish and the plants for?

 

[professorjimjam]

I have had these puffers since February 2020. And the plants I have them since 3 years and I don’t have a single plant without holes, . I had 3 puffers but now have two, one of them died on the pregnancy of having too many eggs.

 

[TwoHedWlf]

Do what I do.

1. Keep buying plants hoping one will make it, but instead they all become expensive fish food.
2. Wait for the plant eating fish to die.

 

[phreeflow]

There is no snails or shrimps or anything for them on the leaves

Are you sure you have no snails or shrimp in there? I see a shrimp sitting on the leaf of your plant in the upper left portion of your picture. There’s also snail shells on the substrate, indicating you might have snails in the tank as well.

I’ve had several species of puffers, including a large group of Congo Puffers and the only time I’ve seen them punch holes in the leaves of the plants like that was when they were hunting shrimp and snails.

 

[professorjimjam]

Thank you phreeflow

The snails shells are from the live snails I feed them daily and the puffers eat daily more than 20 snails and they are always kept full.

In tank there are some small shrimps but I have seen the puffers bite on the empty leaves even when there is no shrimp on it. They do not do this on the other pants those plants that do not have large leaves . So this could be a genetic behaviour for these fishes.