# Fish and Plants (Destruction)



## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

hi everyone im a new member here and would like to discuss the current problems im experiencing with my fish and the destruction of my plants.
i currently have a 2.5ft tank with many plants of which im unsure of their names.
this tank contains 2 angel fish,3 penguin tetras,2 bristle noses a mollie and 2female + 1 male gourami.
over the last few weeks i have been adding a substantial amount of plants to teh existing aquariums plant sculpture but have noticed day after day i wake up and one of my fish keep cutting them fair in half(not even eating them just chopping them).
this has become over frustrating as now i have spent way more on plants then fish itself and as of yet have not found the culprit.
this has been going on for a few weeks now and is making my tank look bare and disgusting is there anyone out there that can fill me in maybe on my species or the likely suspect as this is starting to cost me a mint and is quite depressing to the scenary!

thanking you
scott granger
[email protected]

ps . i can take and supply pics if needed.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

If you are 100% sure that the fish are doing it, it might be the angel fish.

A picture would be very helpful and more information about the tank setup. What kind of lights, fertilizers, how many weeks has this been happening over?

Also knowing what the plants are that are being destroyed would be helpful since not all plants that are sold in pet shops as aquatic plants are actually aquatic, so they die underwater and the fish (plecos) eat them.

Have a look through the plant database and find what the names are.

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/all.php


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

ok tank setup is a 2.5ft tank ,using aquaone 500l/h filter internal , light is a cheap generic light no print on any of it,masterpet heater ,cheap stellar pump connected to an air wall.
using ferreal + spureal concentrated iron fertilizer.
this has been happening nearly daily for 2-3 weeks now i have not introduced any new fish just the same old ones just adding new plants.
ill add the photos of my plants i have also replanted any torn /cut plant bits in hope of new growth.
i also have riccia in the tank under gravel but is fine.
i will attached pics of my current plant types.just have to meet the upload requirements as they are currently 490kb pics.
thanks.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Is it possible the plants are in need of light and macro nutrients (N-P-K) ? If the new plants you've been adding are one that require more than very low lighting, this may be the case. The lights that typically come with aquariums are great for fish, but barely meet the lowest lighting threshold for low-light plants.

-Dave


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

not sure there mate the best way i could explain it is like some1 is cutting them in half with scissors , otherwise new growth everywhere no real decay or anything like that


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Can you take a better picture? The flash is blocking most of the picture. Try setting your camera to "Macro" mode (usually the small green flower on the camera) and don't take a picture directly straight on. Angle the camera slightly so the flash doesn't bounce back to the camera.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Hey Scott, first off welcome to apc. I am not familiar with the fertilizers you're using there, and your pic isn't very clear. In any case, if you're starting out with plants, here's a couple of references which might help you in regards to growing them:

http://www.aquatic-plants.org/articles/basics/pages/index.html
http://www.rexgrigg.com/


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

thx Bert my fertilizer is made by aqua medic , its a German brand like Eheim.
i have better pics with no flash and are adding them now u will see on the stalks were they have been stripped dry, in other cases completely cut into 2 bits and i have replanted them in hopes that they will take off again.


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

also another question i have is with the gravel and all the ornaments / plants wats the best way to clean the fish poop out of the rocks without disturbing the enviroment the most .
i would hate to have to take everything out then use a suction gravel cleaner. thx


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

Looks like you have quite a few non-aquatic plants in there, (red and green caladiums, white and green). They will not survive. The parrot feather plant gets leggy like that and the new growth keeps reaching for the top.


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

just so u all know note in picture 3 i have posted the water level and tank all the green/white and red/green are actually a backdrop picture


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

If you really think a fish is eating or cutting them up I would pick the gourami. They are bubble nest breeders. They chomp on the plants and collect pieces up at the water level. When they have enough up there they start to blow bubbles in them. I've had males do this with no female present. Do you see plant bits floating?


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

yes there was a lot of plant bits floating and no obvious signs of blowing bubbles like a Mexican fighting fish would. i placed half a polystyrene cup floating in water and it seems there not using it but as u said plant debris everywhere. i guess this could be the posibilitie lets hope so i hear they can have somewhere into a thousand young.


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## Tex Gal (Nov 1, 2007)

I've never heard of the cup thing before. I had a pair of dwarf gouramis that would regularly do the spawn thing. I would even see the fry. They were minute. They never survived as it was a community tank. They always had a nest going. There was much more plant mass than bubbles.


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

ok then well when the whole plant matter / bubble thing starts to take place ill shoot some shots to post so we can see whats going on 
thanks for the advice u have been very helpful


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## csaxe21 (Nov 25, 2008)

I completely agree Tex, and I do think what she said is the problem, but just to add in. Bristlenose Plecos shouldn't be kept with any plants that have softer leaves (So, if you have any...), because they could tear them up very easily.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I want to second csaxe21's statement about Bristlenose plecos and plecos in general. While a lot of plecos don't eat the plants directly they do tend to rasp on the leaves and cause damage over time. I had several clown plecos and they ended up devastating my anubias as they scraped them for algae.


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## scottyg (Jan 12, 2009)

went to the pet store today he also agrees that the male Gourami is the culprit and tonight i witnessed it in action for the 1st time in weeks of owning these fish i guess he is getting quite frisky.
i also purchased two axolotyl's but they are in a seperate tank now i need to build a housing enviroment for them to have fun in.
thanks again for the replies as u guys have been great help .


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## csaxe21 (Nov 25, 2008)

Axolotl's are AWSOME !


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## ShaneS (Jan 14, 2009)

Well glad you found out who it was, i agree about the axolotl's!


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