guppies decimating cabomba

flyingfish

flyingfish

time to play!
Dec 26, 2004
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:rant: My guppies are making quick work of my cabomba. When I first put the cabomba in it was growing nicely and putting out roots, etc. The guppies picked at it but weren't really eating it. Now it looks like someone reached in and randomly snipped with blundt scissors. I also have swords(planted) and Watersprite(floating Ceratopteris) in my tank which the guppies aren't hurting yet. I noticed this change soon after I quit feeding them 3 times a day. My fry are much bigger so I now only feed once a day - I don't like how quickly I need to change the water when I feed too often - there was food left over when I fed 3 times (though it wasn't much). I have to buy RO water so changes get expensive. My tap water is completely unacceptable, the only fish I've ever lost were when I was treating tap to use. What are my options? :confused: Is cabomba a bad choice and are there other fine leafed plants I could use? I have soft water, 2 wpg, try not to fertilize, warm tank (75 - 84).
 
My fish have always gobbled up my cabomba too. For a while, I was replacing the cabomba every two months or so, that's about how long it would take them to munch it down to bare stems. I gave up.

I'm having a similar thing happen with the anacharis now. The moneywort is faring better, you might try that. The ludwigia repens looks unscathed as well.

I am thinking of giving up on the anacharis and trying something like vallisneria instead.
 
flyingfish said:
:rant: My guppies are making quick work of my cabomba. When I first put the cabomba in it was growing nicely and putting out roots, etc. The guppies picked at it but weren't really eating it. Now it looks like someone reached in and randomly snipped with blundt scissors. I also have swords(planted) and Watersprite(floating Ceratopteris) in my tank which the guppies aren't hurting yet. I noticed this change soon after I quit feeding them 3 times a day. My fry are much bigger so I now only feed once a day - I don't like how quickly I need to change the water when I feed too often - there was food left over when I fed 3 times (though it wasn't much). I have to buy RO water so changes get expensive. My tap water is completely unacceptable, the only fish I've ever lost were when I was treating tap to use. What are my options? :confused: Is cabomba a bad choice and are there other fine leafed plants I could use? I have soft water, 2 wpg, try not to fertilize, warm tank (75 - 84).
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Instead of Cabomba, Try hornwort. It is a nice floating plant. As for your Cabomba from my expereince it tends to be a tough plant to raise. DO you use C02 in your tank? what kind of lights are you running? Guppies are basically eating the alage on the plants more so the plant itself.
 
I have the lights that came in my Eclipse hood (they're old) which will be replaced by two new 15watt bulbs as soon as I get a paycheck that has something extra in it. I think I will probably try the Ludwigia idea, I'll try to find one of the narrow leafed ones. I'll wait till I replace the lights though. No CO2 - I'm horrid with chemicals, and I'm working on Half a shoestring budget, I'd probably blow up my house by accident if I tried to DIY.
 
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flyingfish said:
I'd probably blow up my house by accident if I tried to DIY.
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I was a little concerned about my DIY skills so i got the Hagen Natural Plant System. expensive (although I got it for under £10 in sale) but if yr not confident like myself it's a good option. It's a fermentation system and includes the reactor chamer, tubing, bracket and bubble ladder.

just my .02!
 
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