RTR, hate to bust your bubble, but depending on the circumstances, Amano do indeed eat healthy plants. I say this only because
I have seen it with my own eyes.
I had (emphasis on the "had" part) a actual
field of lobelia cardinalis, 2 ft by 9 inches wide, almost 180 individual plants. I stocked my tank with too many adult Amanos, about 1.75 per gallon (I can now only recommend 1 per gallon or 1 per 4 liters). Once they did a number on any detrius and long algaes I had in the tank, they took to scavenging for food. They do this 24/7 FYI... they're like little horses.
It took about a week, but they found the softest plant species in the tank and wiped it clean: began clipping the stems at the top, removing unwanted leaves and working their way down. I was not happy... I finally was able to catch and move enough of the shrimp to keep them from doing any more damage, but now I am left with only about 5 whole stems of lobelia.
I think they were too many, too big, too hungry and too good at their jobs. I was not supplimenting their food source, and they let me know about it. My recommendation for Amanos is around 1 per gallon, maybe even less, and let them dictate to you how many need to be in your tank. If you have to give them additional food, then you might have too many.
I know this info might make a couple of you unhappy, but I can assure you it happened, I watched 190 shrimp destroy $1000+ in plants.
I am NOT saying it is commonplace or that it
will happen to you, but it certainly did happen to me. Just a heads up.
