Destructive Guppies

[BeautMonster]

I recently added 5 guppies to my planted tank and they have started shredding my Utricularia Graminifolia. They’re not eating it. I’m constantly scooping shreds of it from the water and cleaning it off their filter. The guppies are ignoring the other plants I have in there.
I’ve googled all day trying to figure out if it’s a food/behavior problem, but I can’t find this issue anywhere else. Should I pull the plant to keep the fish from ruining it and their filter further?

 

[ZxC]

Are you physically seeing them go after that plant?

UG is one of the hardest plants to grow in planted aquaria, you hardly see people growing it successfully. Heck I have some that is barely hanging on, no fish are nipping at it, it simply just does not grow roots and floats up over months of sitting there.

 

[BeautMonster]

Are you physically seeing them go after that plant?

UG is one of the hardest plants to grow in planted aquaria, you hardly see people growing it successfully. Heck I have some that is barely hanging on, no fish are nipping at it, it simply just does not grow roots and floats up over months of sitting there.

I’ve sat here and watched them rip it apart. They aren’t eating it. They are just ripping and spitting it out then ripping another strand out. They’ve utterly destroyed a two inch spot in less than a day.

 

[ZxC]

I’ve sat here and watched them rip it apart. They aren’t eating it. They are just ripping and spitting it out then ripping another strand out. They’ve utterly destroyed a two inch spot in less than a day.

What is your setup like? Lights, CO2, fertilizer, water change schedule, water parameters, tank size etc.

 

[BeautMonster]

What is your setup like? Lights, CO2, fertilizer, water change schedule, water parameters, tank size etc.

Basic LED lights on the tank but it gets indirect sunlight for at least 8 hours a day, fertilizer is the Flourish undergravel tabs, changing 25% once every 4 days (cause my driftwood is STill staining my water), 20 gal tank, nitrate and nitrite at 0, ph 6.5, GH 30, everything pretty much within tolerance

 

[ZxC]

Basic LED lights on the tank but it gets indirect sunlight for at least 8 hours a day, fertilizer is the Flourish undergravel tabs, changing 25% once every 4 days (cause my driftwood is STill staining my water), 20 gal tank, nitrate and nitrite at 0, ph 6.5, GH 30, everything pretty much within tolerance

Well, in both my experience and my opinion I don't think the UG will have a chance of making it, regardless if the fish are pecking at it or now. It requires extremely high light, very good CO2, decent ferts and essentially no nitrogen (it is a carnivorous plant up taking its N from microbes so the N in our tanks are toxic even at "normal" levels)

 

[BeautMonster]

Well, in both my experience and my opinion I don't think the UG will have a chance of making it, regardless if the fish are pecking at it or now. It requires extremely high light, very good CO2, decent ferts and essentially no nitrogen (it is a carnivorous plant up taking its N from microbes so the N in our tanks are toxic even at "normal" levels)

So probably just pull it and find a new low plant? Any suggestions?

 

[ZxC]

So probably just pull it and find a new low plant? Any suggestions?

Flame moss would be partly similar, you would have to manually create the carpeting effect. For low light, low tech there isn't very many plant species that will be similar to UG.

Maybe glosso? Marsilea hirsuta, hydrocotyle tripartita

 

[BeautMonster]

Flame moss would be partly similar, you would have to manually create the carpeting effect. For low light, low tech there isn't very many plant species that will be similar to UG.



Maybe glosso? Marsilea hirsuta, hydrocotyle tripartita

Thanks! I appreciate your help!