# Plant-Eating Fish -- Help!!!



## CLoach (Mar 29, 2005)

I've got some mischevious fish in my tank who seem to enjoy a nice snack of Amazon Sword! I'm not sure who the culprit is, but here are a list of the possible suspects:

3 Clown Loaches
2 Siamese Algae Eaters
3 Rosy Barbs
2 Turquoise Rainbowfish
1 Golden Tinfoil Barb (??? - Not exactly sure what this guy is, but he looks similar to a tinfoil barb, a little more streamlined, a pinkish-orange color and growing very quickly!)

Any ideas on who might be munching my plants? I'm to the point that I'm willing to exchange any/all of these fish with plant safe fish, so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. By the way, it's a 46 gallon aquarium.

Thanks!!!


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## a1matt (Mar 13, 2006)

CLoach said:


> 2 Siamese Algae Eaters


FWIW I think it is NOT the siamese algae eaters. I have 4 of them in my tank with a few Amazon swords and they keep them spotlessly clean whilst never harming the plants themselves.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

I would venture to guess the Rosy barbs or the large barb out of what you listed there.

If the Sword has some algae on it, it could be almost any of them in the tank trying to pick off the algae and getting a little carried away.


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## erik Loza (Feb 6, 2006)

Tinfoil Barb... I would bet $$$ on it.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I bet with erik i think it is the Tinfoil Barb as well. I had a few when i started the hobby and those things ate my hygrophilia sunset and other plants. They like munching the new tender growth. >:O


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## CLoach (Mar 29, 2005)

That's exactly what's happening!!! They eat the nice new leaves that are coming in, but leave the old ones alone. It's frustrating because I want to watch the plants grow, but the new leaves are the fun ones to watch.

That's kind of embarrasing, isn't it? "What do you do for fun?" "I like to watch plants grow."


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Haha, no more embarrassing then seeing your title "Plant-Eating Fish -- Help!!!" and nervously cracking up b/c i have been there


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## CLoach (Mar 29, 2005)

Well, I've done a little more research and found this (http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9709/msg00269.html):

"A while ago I promised to post a list of plant eating fish. Here is what I
discovered based on the posts I received and my own experience.

Fish Plants attacked

Angels: Vals
clown loaches:	red mellon sword
rainbowfish: Mexican Oak Leaf, soft plants
Congo Tetras:	Anubias spp + red plants
Ancistrus: Anubias spp
Kribensis: Anubias spp
SAEs: Anubias spp, mayaca, rotala wallachii
elephant nose:	anything, pokes holes in them
emporor tetra:	duckweed

What I gleaned From the Responses
Several of the posters experienced problems when the fish were not fed for
a long period. Most people report a reduction in damage when cucumber or
lettuce is given. Some have also said that the damage did not always start
immediately the offender was placed in the tank. Sometimes for as many as a
couple of years there has been no damage and then it suddenly starts. 
There are many people who keep these type of fish with plants and do not
experience such damage that the plant can't outgrow it.

Barbs were not mentioned in the posts. I have heard that they are plant
eaters. If anyone can shed some light on barbs or any other plant eating
fish send me a post. I will update information periodically.

David Brooks"

Well, that pretty much covers every fish I have!!!

I've decided that I'm going to start removing fish from the tank, one at a time, starting with the barbs, and see when the munching stops. I just pray that it's not the Clown Loaches.

Since I'm going to be replacing the bad fish with more plant-friendly fish, any recommendations would be appreciated. I'm thinking of maybe some Rummy Nose Tetras and Cardinal Tetras to replace the barbs. Maybe some Platys and Guppies?


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## standoyo (Aug 25, 2005)

hi Cloach,

not all barbs eat plants. barbus pentazona or the more friendly one b pentazona pentazona would leave plants alone from experience.
[avoid fish with whiskers ala carp!]

regards

stan


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## Skelley (Mar 4, 2006)

For what it is worth, I had a couple clown loaches at one point. Though I never caught them in the act, my plants have looked much better without them in the tank. I also have an angel and a pleco. The pleco has been great and though the angel had an occasional snack of java when he was young, he no longer bothers. Sorry I have never had barbs...


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Hi CLoach,

Cherry Barbs will not harm your plants and they are nice to look at. They may get scrappy amoungst themselves; so keep them in pairs and life will be good.

I read the list you posted and have never had Angels bother my Vals. My Ancistrus is the sword culprit in my tank and I can't catch her. She leaves my Anubias alone. She also goes nuts at feeding time and barrels thru the Bacopa and uproots several stems each time. 

Livebearers and Cardinals, Rummies like very different water parameters. You can get the guppies to adapt to soft water but will have a hard time with the swords - my experiences, anyway.

I suspect the current Barbs you are keeping. Try a varied diet for your fish.


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## CLoach (Mar 29, 2005)

I've returned all the barbs and I'm noticing new growth on the plants!!! I should have removed the big guy first as he was probably the culprit. Now I'm not sure if Rosey Barbs are okay or not.

Newt, thanks for the recommendations on the Cherry Barbs, maybe I'll give them a shot!


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

How are things with the tank?

Is the F.Excel doing any good?

Do you have the new light yet? How's it look (make the tank look)?


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## CLoach (Mar 29, 2005)

Newt,

Thanks for asking. The plants are getting some new growth, but it's slow (maybe an inch per month on most). I guess that's to be expected without CO2 supplementation. I need to post this in another thread, but I'm noticing a lot of algae growing on the plants. I checked the nitrates and they were practically off the scale. I did a 50% water change and they're still over 40ppm. I'm going to keep doing 50% water changes every few days until I get it back down to about 10 ppm. The new lights look great, the plants are nice and green! 

Just to keep things on topic, how are mollies in a planted tank? I saw a couple of balloon mollies here in at the office and they are the cutest fish I've seen in some time. Chubby little fellows! I would like to get some easy to breed fish for the fun of watching for fry, as long as they're plant friendly!

I bought some harlequin rasboras to replace the barbs. They were mentioned quite often in the thread about good schooling fish for a planted tank.


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## CLoach (Mar 29, 2005)

Newt,

Thanks for asking. The plants are getting some new growth, but it's slow (maybe an inch per month on most). I guess that's to be expected without CO2 supplementation. I need to post this in another thread, but I'm noticing a lot of algae growing on the plants. I checked the nitrates and they were practically off the scale. I did a 50% water change and they're still over 40ppm. I'm going to keep doing 50% water changes every few days until I get it back down to about 10 ppm. The new lights look great, the plants are nice and green! 

Just to keep things on topic, how are mollies in a planted tank? I saw a couple of balloon mollies here at the office and they are the cutest fish I've seen in some time. Chubby little fellows! I would like to get some easy to breed fish for the fun of watching for fry, as long as they're plant friendly!

I bought some harlequin rasboras to replace the barbs. They were mentioned quite often in the thread about good schooling fish for a planted tank.


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## Newt (Apr 1, 2004)

Nitrate at even 40 ppm can be deadly to fish. It can also begin to form nitric acid and lower your pH.

I've only kept Black Mollies and they look great in a planted tank against the green plants and they are good algae eaters. However, they like hard alkaline water and even somewhat brackish conditions. How hard is your water? Harlies are a nice schooling fish. I kept some years ago. I'm more of a tetra guy, now. 

Glad to hear you like your light.

You really don't need CO2 injection with the level of lighting you have. The Excel will provide enough carbon to do the job. Patience.


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