View Full Version : are cicilids eating my plants
nativelady76
12-02-2004, 12:25 PM
in my tank i have about 6 tall plastic bright plants and in looking in my tank lastnight i noticed that my plants have some tears and holes in them that i never noticed before could it be that my fish are eating them or is that just what happens to the plants...and should i even have plastic plants in the tank to begin with?
I would say yes to the question.but i have a few for you. How many times a day are you feeding your fish, and how much?See what happens in my tanks is that if i laps in my feeding habbits my fish get so hungry that they''ll start to eat or just shreed my plastic plants up.I don't see why you can't keep the plants in your tank.try too feed them at least three times a day. :dance
nativelady76
12-02-2004, 2:15 PM
I feed them 2 times a day but i just got rid of half my convicts (use to have 19 now i have 10) so i think there was a lack of food . thanks for the advice.
J03M4M4
12-02-2004, 3:00 PM
I have 2 oscars that will eat anything you put in the tank or near it. I have one plastic fake "ganja" plant that stands about 10 inches tall, they will pick at it until they prune it nice and clean. Then they will pick it up and move it about the tank, from side to side, depending on where they fell their bed is most comfortable. The oscars are every bit 10+ inches themselves. I also have a Red Devil who has a "ganja" bush, both this fake plants are rooted with glued together gravel at the base and the bush doesn't have much to bite at w/out being poked by a plastic weed leaf edge. 7 sides to get stabed by. lol. So the RD doesn't enjoy this and he will bury this object first when preparing his terriitory. The oscars and RD are seperate. Its very fun to see the oscars fight over who controls the tall weed plant though. All the time I'm picking groups of plastic weed leves out of the tank and having to stick them back on the stems of the ornament.
-keep cloth and towels away from holes in the lids. Don't be cheap like me and put a thick towel over a hole in the lid that you cut for some tubing but don't use. I did this and they actually (w/out me knowing) at night would pick at the towel relentlessly, never actually pulling it into the water, but sure enough ripping holes in the towel. And oscars don't have teeth so to speak. This towel got very moldy and I suggest nobody do that, just replace the plastic on the back of your tank lids.
~*LuvMyKribs*~
12-02-2004, 3:52 PM
nativelady76,
you have africans in your tank right? and i assume your feeding them regular cichlid flake food? i mentioned this in one of your other topics... but mbuna are VEGETARIANS and are most likely looking for proper food, and in doing so they are trying to eat your plastic plants. which is very sad, IMO.
i would either have convicts or africans, and not both because they cannot be successfully kept together. this is because of different diets and water chemistry.
and a 30 gallon tank can really only house a pair of convicts plus maybe a bottom feeder or two... maybe some dithers... but any more than that and you are looking for trouble.
i hope you take this advice....
-Diana
nativelady76
12-03-2004, 6:13 AM
no i am feeding them pellett food
N8DOGG
12-03-2004, 9:50 AM
no i am feeding them pellett food
what Kind?? Is it just cichlid pellets or is it ment for VEGETARIANS? That why your other fish died, its not getting the proper diet.
nativelady76
12-03-2004, 10:13 AM
ciclid pellets...and it had nothing to do with the food it was unhealthy to begin with ...very skinny and small...
N8DOGG
12-03-2004, 10:47 AM
nativelady76,
you have africans in your tank right? and i assume your feeding them regular cichlid flake food? i mentioned this in one of your other topics... but mbuna are VEGETARIANS and are most likely looking for proper food, and in doing so they are trying to eat your plastic plants. which is very sad, IMO.
i would either have convicts or africans, and not both because they cannot be successfully kept together. this is because of different diets and water chemistry.
i hope you take this advice....
-Diana
LuvMyKris knows a lot about africans but its up to you to take the advice given.......
sorry to hear about your loss.but you have to be kidding me. You have 19 south amaricans in your tank.hummm.You coldn't get ridd of more then that huh.I know most of the lps here in my area won't buy convicts my brother had a hard time of traiding his off.but 19 in a 29 thats murder.lets think of it this way,(hipothetical)you have a one room apt and your family needed a place to stay and their were 18 of them.now you have a total of 19 people in a one apt and it starts to snow it snowed soo much that everyone was stuck their all at once for at least a week. Now you have no food and your windows are stuck so you can't get any air nor food.How would you feel