Something eating my plants?

[tommymacc]

Hi I got some plants recently and they've all got holes in them. I suspect it may have been the pleco, and advice?

 

[Rivercats]

The plant with the purple leaves is a Purple Waffle plant which is not aquatic. It will slowly melt away if left in the tank. Also the pink plant in the front is also not an aquatic and should also be removed.

 

[tommymacc]

Thanks, but I bought it in a really good aquarium shop. Iooked up the plant you suggested and it's very different. The ref plant is not real

 

[Rivercats]

Hate to say this but many places, even good aquarium stores sell non aquatic plants. Those types of plants are semi-aquatic and only do well when roots are in the water. I've been in planted tanks heavily since the 80's if that plant is truly purple as it appears in the picture it isn't aquatic.

Are all your plants getting holes or just this new one?

 

[tommymacc]

One other plant is getting some holes also. I suspect it's the pleco. But I haven't seen him

 

[Rivercats]

If the holes begin as pin holes and then enlarge that indicates a potassium deficiency. Usually when a pleco bothers plants it's ones such as large leaf swords and you'll actually see rasp marks and not holes where the pleco sits and rasps algae and biofilm off. Smaller leaf plants are generally left alone by plecos. What other stock do you have in the tank? Also are you using any ferts?

 

[tommymacc]

I've Cooley loches, red tail
Shark gourami, neons, rummy nose, small catfish, tiger barbs, couple of platties. And I fertilise every day. Don't have any co2 pump only the air pump on my filter

 

[tommymacc]

Looks like bite marks

 

[tommymacc]

Pin holes ????

 

[Rivercats]

I'd guess at the tiger barbs or platies if there really is nibbling going on. I'd also say you have a nutrient deficiency going on. If nothing else you need to be using a fertilizer like Seachem's Flourish Comprehensive. If you begin using that and are still seeing pin holes developing in leaves you may have to see about getting another fertilizer that adds potassium to use as well.

 

[tommymacc]

Hi river cats, I've been putting fertiliser in every day. 2 drops as instructed on the bottle. Dunno what's going on. I'll look into getting what you suggested. Hopefully it will work. I've never seen any fish nibbling on the plants so not sure what's going on.

 

[tommymacc]

I just noticed a sail-fin Molly nibbling at the plant

 

[Rivercats]

Mollies often eat plants. One trick I've found over the years that often works is by adding something like blanched zucchini on a veggie clip every other day. I do this in my 220g angelfish tank as angels often love to nibble plants. When you add veggies to their diet it will often stop or severely slow down their plant nibbling.

 

[tommymacc]

I put a raw zucchini in wrapped to a rock with an elastic bland. The pleco, coolies , red tail are loving it. I don't have a clip to give the Molly some . But I'll get one.

 

[tommymacc]

I knew something was eating it. It just looks like bite marks on it. I wouldn't mind but he's spitting out tge bits and there floating around the top

 

[tommymacc]

Ha there all getting some