Fish are eating my Java Fern!

[Beckaboo]

Hello,
I have searched the Internet and keep coming up with the answer that fish do not eat Java ferns. I can assure that my fish do. I have a pleco, platties, a gold dojo loach and an albino Ruby shark in a 45 g tank.
The main culprit seems to be the Ruby shark, although I have seen some of the platties munching away at it. They also seem to peck at the Java moss, but they may just be picking fallen food out of the moss. It's hard to tell.

I feed my fish a variety of vegetables, algae wafers and flake food.

I had recently moved and lost my plants during the move, so the ferns and moss are new to the tank, under one week. This is the first time I have introduced these particular plants to these fish, although I have always had some kind of plants in the aquarium. It has been set up for years, although, as mentioned, it was torn down for a move a few months ago, which caused the plants to melt, so I have started over. Many of the fish are a couple of years old, with of course some new additions, as the platties are live breeders.

You can see the munched portion of the farm from the attached photo, and I can vouch that I've seen the fish eating it, it's not a matter of rot.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to prevent the fish from destroying the plants? I would love to try to keep my new additions from being obliterated.

 

[myswtsins]

Can't say I can see where the plant has been eaten. Could you point it out or get a close up? Just about every species you have will eat algae, it is likely they are picking algae off the plant not eating the plant itself. Your ruby shark is know to be a bit rough when removing algae and may damage the plant as a result. although java ferns are pretty tough to damage. Actually looks like a pretty healthy fern there beside a few black spots which are common in java ferns, especially newly added ones.

 

[Beckaboo]

Thanks for the quick reply. I am unable to get another picture at this moment, but it's the very top leaf that seems to be eaten. Perhaps you are right, it could indeed be the Ruby just being a little too rough. It is quite a large one. I will keep an eye on things and see if it gets any worse for the Fern, or if in fact, I'm just worrying too much.
Thanks again!

 

[myswtsins]

I see a lot of baby ferns on the tallest (top) leaf, is that what you are referring to? Babies circled in pic.

 

[Aquaticfrog32]

I recently read an article of TFH, and I think the culprit may be your pleco.

Here:

6. The Common Pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus)

While some of the smaller omnivorous and carnivorous plecos can be kept in planted tanks with careful attention to plant selection, the common pleco is far too large and clumsy to make a good planted tank candidate. As an omnivore, this fish will nibble at tender plants and rasp sturdier plants with its sucker mouth. It can also reach an alarmingly large size of about 18 to 20 inches (45 to 50 cm) in length.

The common pleco (Hypostomus plecostomus).

It’s a nocturnal fish that shies away from observation during the day but roams at night, bulldozing the décor along the way. Plecos like to create hideaways by digging beneath objects. Male plecos frequently signal to females and make territorial displays by wagging their tails with fins fully extended. While a 3-inch (8-cm) clown pleco doing this is harmless, a foot-long (30-cm) common pleco’s wagging will sweep away substrate in wide swaths, which doesn’t contribute to a plant-friendly environment.