what is eating my plants? UPDATED 4-14-07

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JDogg

Aquarium Advice Addict
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
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Location
Rapid City, SD
what what is eating my plants?

plant affected = Ozelot sword

tank inhabitants = MTS, Ramshorn snail (the plant friendly kind), 6 neon tetra and one male apisto
 
It doesn't seem likely that it would be one of the fish given what you have in the tank. Is it possible that there was something going on with that leaf and the ramshorns got ahold of it?
 
SparKy697 said:
It doesn't seem likely that it would be one of the fish given what you have in the tank. Is it possible that there was something going on with that leaf and the ramshorns got ahold of it?
as far as i know they are healthy leaves... i have diatoms in the tank, but that is it that i know of.
 
No experience with the snails, but from my experience, I think neither neon tetras nor apistos should be considered suspects.
 
More food needed for the snails then maybe?

I have quite a few ramshorn and pond snails but so far no signs of feeding on my plants.
 
It looks like the leaf had started to die back some and the snails ate the portion that was no longer healthy. Is it just the older leaves that are affected?
 
Probably a Nitrate and/or Phosphate deficiency. Since it's just the sword that's being affected, it could be as simple as adding a root tab under the plant. Another option would be to increase your Nitrate and Phosphate dosing slightly.
 
Purrbox said:
Probably a Nitrate and/or Phosphate deficiency. Since it's just the sword that's being affected, it could be as simple as adding a root tab under the plant. Another option would be to increase your Nitrate and Phosphate dosing slightly.
the sword has a root tab (only about 2 weeks old) plus i have eco compleat, dosing 1/4 tsp CSM+B, 1/4 tsp NO3, 1/4 K and 1/16 tsp PO4 in a 10 gallon... with weekly 50% pwc.

this should put me at 21 ppm NO3, 6.5 ppm PO4(perhaps way to high) and 36 ppm K
 
With the amount of Phosphate that you're dosing, you probably don't need to be dosing any more. However you could easily need a bit more Nitrates. Have you tested lately to ensure that your levels aren't getting too low? It's possible that your plants are consuming more than you realize.
 
i can test tonight, it is only a moderatlhy lite tank... 2 - 15 watt T8 lights over a 10 gallon

Test Results
dosed on sunday, here are tonight's (wednesday's) levels
NO3 = 20 ppm
PO4 = more then 5 ppm but less then 10 ppm (AP Test :roll: )
 
Just for the heck of it, I would go ahead and try dosing a touch more Nitrates for a couple of weeks. Since your Nitrates aren't overly high, you have some room to play. If the Nitrates happen to be a bit lower than the testkit is indicating (possible with hobby grade kit that hasn't been calibrated) the increased dosing will help you to determine whether low Nitrates is the problem. You shouldn't see a significant increase in the Nitrates as long as you keep up with your weekly 50% waterchanges. Try this for at least 2-3 weeks to see if there is any improvement in the sword.
 
ok totaly different tank and totaly different plants and all that, but i thought, why make a new thread when i can just add to an old one...Reduce, Re-use and Recycle ;)

75 gallon tank, w/ CO2, EI dosing and ~2.56 wpg of T8 6500K light

plants effected...Hygrophila polysperma v. Sunset and Bacopa caroliniana

possible eaters...
3 Angles: Pterophyllum scalare
2 Bolivian Rams: Microgeophagus altispinosa
4 (2m/2f) "Orange Flash" Cockatoo Cichlids: Apistogramma cacatuoides
1 male Apistogramma sp. "Steel-Blue"
7 Rummy-nosed Tetra: Hemigrammus rhodostomus
6 Cardinal Tetra: Paracheirodon axelrodi
5 Julii Cory: Corydoras julii
1 Rubberlip pleco: Chaetostoma thomsoni
3 Oto: Otocinclus mariae
Malaysian Trumpet Snails: Melanoides tuberculata
Rams Horn Snail: Planorbis corneus
there is also at least one, ~1 inch long, shrimp in there some place, i see if from time to time, i have added Amano, Cherry Red and Ghost shrimp to the tank at one time or another, all i though fell pray to the rams, but there is at least 1 "brown" shrimp running around :?

here are some pictures...just did a pwc so excuse the bubbles :D
img_795535_0_f8d3bbbc896e9bb09d466dff361a2f4d.jpg

img_795535_1_19924b9889a76cc815cc1ad443e45d0a.jpg

img_795535_2_eb3e05af3b4833776ff16b35e185d12c.jpg


EDIT: forgot to mention that all these plants are on the left side of the tank :? the same plant on the right side of the tank is un-effected :?
 
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