fish eating plants

[mom2reds]

i have 6 benous Aries tetras (sp) that are eating my plants no mater how much or what I feed, but before I take them back to the LFS is there anything I can do?

 

[joy13]

When I was setting up a tank last year I seriously considered buying them after researching them I found out they ate plants so I ended up with bleeding heart tetras instead.

 

[FishEggs]

there are lots of things you can do b4 taking them back to the lfs. my wife always suggests the dishes. ba dum ching

they are like cows no matter how much you feed they will still keep grazing. when my flag fish gets to hungry he will take off the tops of my vals. i'm lucky he doesnt graze like cows.

 

[meegosh]

I've heard substituting some lettuce will sometimes curb a fish's appetite for plants. It could be worth a shot at least. I don't know if that's what you meant by "no matter how much or what I feed". If so, kindly ignore me.

 

[mom2reds]

thanks I have tried lettuce so I guess they are going back.

 

[somecallmedaniel16]

have the fish grazed so much that they have nearly stopped plant growth? This is just a question out of interest.

 

[mom2reds]

yes they have actually killed some of my plants.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Id eat em. popcorn tetras.


Seriously is get rid of them, its easy to find someone to take fish at the LFS.

My LFS took some 9 or so tetras from me that I bought from her store and cycled 3 tanks with they are still doing great and are the largest tetras she has including same species, she gave me store credit for it, shes a manager so she has that perk of the job but it doesnt hurt to ask for that either.

Youve worked hard on that planted tank, its a shame some pesky fish destroyed some of the plants.

 

[mom2reds]

yes they are going back on friday, the next day I am off, unfortunately my lfs is only open untill 6pm and I don't get off untill 730pm. I am lucky that my lfs also gives store credit for anything that I bring in including plants that are outgrowing my tank or that are just taking over.

 

[FishEggs]

nice that they take plants too.

 

[Fromthelbc]

get less delicious plants.

 

[mom2reds]

get less delicious plants.

 

[timwag2001]

funny but true. there are some plants that fish tend to not eat like anubias and i think maybe java fern. you could rescape. plus they are less demanding plants

 

[mom2reds]

They are easting the anubias and the java fern they are going back to the LFS in the AM.

 

[mom2reds]

well i took back the plant eaters and picked up some pretty von rio tetras. I hope they will do well. so now i have
9 red sarpe tetras
6 neons
6 von rio tetras
2 pearle opline gouramies
1 flying fox
2 clown plecos
3 albino cory cats
2 black neons
3 molies
5 amomn shrimp
if you have any suggestions of fish to add let me know.

 

[joy13]

Keep an eye on the flying fox some have had problems with them eating young leaves of certain plants.

 

[FishEggs]

only problem i have with my flying fox is it chases any fish that sort of looks like him. which means the SAE and surprisingly the emperor tetras. i guess anything that has a dark stripe down the body. so i have a flying fox up for grabs if anyone wants it lol

 

[mom2reds]

I have had my flying fox for 5 years I got him when he was less than a inch long now he is around 4inches. i have never had a problem so far but I will watch him. Thanks

 

[Fromthelbc]

did you change your feeding patterns? my friend changed his and his fish decided it would be a good idea to eat half of his anarchis...

 

[mom2reds]

no i did not change my feeding pattern, I had only had those fish for about 1 month, I thought it was my snails that were eating my plants but I got to watching closely and saw the beuno aries tetras eating them. I am hoping now that I took those fish back that my plants will start looking beter.