Buenos Aires Tetras and plants

[maxthedog123]

One of my tanks is a 30g stocked with 10 Buenos Aires tetras. I love the size and schooling behavior of these guys. All of my tanks have live plants. After a lot of trial and error I've found that they will not eat my red crypt wendtii or hornwort. Anything else becomes bare stem within 24 hours. My 7 year old and I refer to H. polysperma as "salad bar" for the fish. If I trim another tank and put some in, the sight of 10 2"+ tetras all trying to get at a plant is pretty darn funny. H. polysperma lasts literally only minutes in the tank.

SO - my question for everyone: if you've kept BA Tetras and plants, have you found any plants they won't eat? I'd like to hear about other's experience with these guys.

 

[FasterShrimpo]

I doubt moss balls would be even touched, Dwarf Onions or even moss would do well in this condition.

 

[FSM]

I've got one, about 6 years old (it outlived it's buddies), in a 29 gallon tank with rotala, java fern, moss, and a bit of ludwigia and it doesn't bother them. Hygrophila gets eaten, but I think that may be the loaches.

 

[maxthedog123]

I've never seen my yoyos eat plants - interesting. My buenos aires definitely eat java fern and ludwigia. Maybe it's just luck of the draw?

I would like to try a moss ball - it's a good nitrate sponge, right? - but I have never seen that at any of my LFS.

 

[sCeRaXn]

I had 7 large ones in my planted 55, 5 of them are now in my 20l, and they didnt mess with any of my plants except the roots on my Anubias in the 55. They leave the Rotala alone, but my large Blue Gourami doesnt. I doubt theyd eat any kind of sword except for micro, and the same goes for any large broad leaf plant like the Anubias(as long as it stays rooted in the substrate).

My dad taught me to start BA Tetra off on meaty foods so that they wont have as much of an interest in live plants. Ive done this and never had any problems with them. They are one of, if the the most voracious schooling fish...and if theres food in the tank they turn into Piranha until its all gone lol

 

[maxthedog123]

My dad taught me to start BA Tetra off on meaty foods so that they wont have as much of an interest in live plants. Ive done this and never had any problems with them.

Do you feed them something meaty on a regular basis? What is your strategy with that?

 

[KarlTh]

The only thing mine have eaten was my Glosso (sniff!). They take the odd dying leaf off of other stuff, but generally leave the plants alone.

 

[maxthedog123]

I tried an experiment - I needed to trip a couple of leaves off of my sword in my 55g so I put them sticking up out of the gravel with the BA's. This morning the sword leaves had been about 2/3 eaten. I'd say that swords are not a good choice either.

It sounds like other people have had less voracious members that me! Any other ideas for plants that might not end up salad bar?