Trimming time! And a couple of problem plants

[madfox]

I hate doing it. My aquarium always looks so much less... lush... when I'm done. But it was getting pretty jungly.

One concern I have, that's not related to trimming, though, other than discovering it while doing so, is that something seems to be eating the needle-like leaves off of my Stargrass and my Mayaca. Whatever is stripping the stems bare is leaving the Red Myrio alone, though. I've got rummynoses, neons, otos, and hatchets in there, along with a ton of bladder and ramshorn snails that have come in on the plants when I ordered them. I'm leaning toward the rummies, neons, or snails as the culprit. What can I do to get them to stop? Or can't I? If it's the rummies or neons, would adding a food with more veggie content slow them down? The stargrass they're eating from the bottom up, and the mayaca from the top down!! :help:

[Fish-Addict]

I would say the snails. My apple snail is a plant destroyer and my pest snails munch as much as they can.

[AshK]

I disagree completely. "Pest" snails such as the ones OP has will not eat healthy plants. I suspect a nutrient deficiency or lack of light. Maybe take a couple photos of the plants and tell us more about the specs of your setup.

[Bk828]

i would say either rams or rummies. I had rams destroy hygros, anubias and other plants. If you feed them more then they stop a bit.

[madfox]

i would say either rams or rummies. I had rams destroy hygros, anubias and other plants. If you feed them more then they stop a bit.
But if it's the ramshorns, won't feeding them more create a larger population of my pest snails, multiplying the problem?

*sigh* I'll have to go back to being super diligent about plucking out all the darned snails I see. Except for my new MTS' I got for aerating the substrate.

I can't do pics of the plants so you can see, since during pruning earlier I cut them back. Which required removing the stargrass and cutting off the bottoms, so it's all short now. :rolleyes:

Light is a 65W powerpaq (Sunpaq) flourescent over 20 high
pH 6.9 - 7.0 right after a water change (I turn the air on, low, after lights out, to help keep the pH in check so it doesn't drop too low from the CO2)
ammonia 0ppm
nitrites 0ppm
nitrates between 0 and 5ppm, typically
kH 8/9
gH 11/12
CO2 25ppm (today) using Nutrafin Plant System with regular yeast and baking soda
Eco-Complete substrate at 1.5" deep
Hagen fert sticks under the substrate
Dosing Seachem Flourish, Trace Elements, and Flourish Excel as directed on bottle
Organic detritus removal every four days or so

Thanks, guys!

[Bk828]

i wouldnt turn off the diy co2 at night and run the airstone.. The nutrafin is so small that its really hard to OD with it.
As far as snails.. start setting up traps to get most/all of them out of the tank.

[steveywinet]

I'm leaning towards a nutrient deficiency. I attempted stargrass a few years ago without success. What other plants are you having success with?

[Riiz]

I'm leaning towards a nutrient deficiency. I attempted stargrass a few years ago without success. What other plants are you having success with?


I'm thinking the same too, do you know what your phosphate levels are and do you dose potassium?

[madfox]

I have no idea what my phosphate levels are. I can't find a test for that around me. I'll order one from Big Al's or someone as soon as I have money again. They are getting whatever is in the Seachem Flourish bottles. I'll go grab those and see what's there...

Flourish Excel - polycycloglutaracetal, which is apparently a source of organic carbon ?

Flourish - iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium (0.0600%), inositol, choline, B12, biotin, and "other important elements"

Flouris Trace Elements - zinc, manganese, copper, boron, molybdenum, cobalt, rubidium, tin, and vanadium

The red myrio is going crazy and is one of the ones that needed trimmed back the most. The heternanthera roseafolia grew well and rapidly. The E. Osiris is producing at least two new leaves a week. The Brazilian Pennywort is really going, too. And the Frogbit is insane!! The microsword is getting a bit thinner, though, rather than filling in more. I've got some of that in my South East Asia tank, too, and it's thinning back there, as well. Not as rapidly, but definitely thinner. That was the most recent plant to go in, though, and I was figuring it was a typical acclimation thing and would pick back up after some of the leaves died off. I've had that happen in the past.

I've put a trap in for the snails. I don't have any cucumbers, so I'm hoping they like brocolli. I made the trap using a 20oz bottle, cutting off the top, putting the brocolli and some rocks in, then turning the top inside out and reattaching it. I keep going back to look, and being disappointed that there's nothing in it. I guess what I need to do is just ignore it for a while!

[wolf13]

I tried stargrass for a while and failed however, from the sounds of it, your lower leaves may not be getting enough light. if so, they will turn color, die and fall off or be eaten in short order leaving only the top.

[Turbosaurus]

"Pest" snails such as the ones OP has will not eat healthy plants. I suspect a nutrient deficiency or lack of light. Maybe take a couple photos of the plants and tell us more about the specs of your setup.

I agree...Same for the rams and tetras.

Is it only the lower bottom leaves that are effected? The tips still bright and healty? Or is it the tips? Myrio is a much tougher plant than either stargrass or myaca IME.

[Riiz]

Btw Madfox, Flourish Trace is really not beneficial, its really just Flourish Comprhensive extremely diluted. In the long run, its far cheaper to purchase dry Micronutrients and dose that way, since a 1lb bag cost about the same as 1.5 bottles of Flourish, but will outlast about 15+ bottles.

[madfox]

Btw Madfox, Flourish Trace is really not beneficial, its really just Flourish Comprhensive extremely diluted. In the long run, its far cheaper to purchase dry Micronutrients and dose that way, since a 1lb bag cost about the same as 1.5 bottles of Flourish, but will outlast about 15+ bottles.
Thanks for the heads up on that! :)