Stop ripping up my plants!

[Hobsyllwin]

I have a 240 liter freshwater aquarium filled with different types of fish. I have clown botia, 2 eels, algae eaters, zebra danio, leeri, a blue shark, moonfish, a firetail labeo and several other species. (no over crowding I promise ) I used to have two lobsters in the tank as well...however...

So here's my issue. I enjoy grasses in my tank. I had a Dwarf Hair grass in my tank and all of the follicles were ripped up until only the roots were left. So...I tried a different type. I believe it's a Japanese Rush (though the leaves are more floppy). When I started finding leaves clogging the filter on a daily basis, I blamed the lobsters and took them out (putting them in a different tank). Well...it obviously wasn't the lobsters, because within a week all of the leaves were floating up at the top, the entire plant was ripped up, leaving just the base. I loved that plant!

Who is ripping my plants apart? I have been vigilant, but no one seems to be touching my plants....except when I'm not looking. Several other of my plants have been destroyed, but the grasses are like special enemy number 1. STOP TEARING UP MY PLANTS! I refuse to buy fake plants, but I am tired of replacing my plants every week or two. Whoever it is tore half of my ferny-like plant up (sorry I am bad with names, when I go to the fish store I will get the names for you) and now are going after my red/green broadleaf plant.

Who is the culprit and what can I do to make them stop obliterating my tank flora?

 

[Lupin]

:welcome: to AC!

First of all, crayfish (not lobsters) are incompatible anyway with the fish so good move to remove them out of the tank. Besides, crayfish are often involved in rearranging plants around.

Second, could you please provide pics of some of these fish mentioned as 2 eels, algae eaters, leeri, a blue shark, moonfish, a firetail labeo and several other species? I assume the firetail labeo is a red-tailed black shark (Epalzeorhynchus bicolor) and then algae eaters as Gyrinocheilus aymonieri, correct? I am puzzled with the rest. Common names aren't always reliable.

Clown loaches, on the other hand, can be counted as possible culprits. It has been my experience they will uproot new plants along with small foreground plants with relative ease. How many clown loaches do you have? Please bear in mind almost all botias prefer the company of the members of their own species with 5 being the minimum number for best results. Soon enough, you will need to upgrade the tank size as sub-adults tend to reach 6 inches and over.

 

[Hobsyllwin]

The Leeri

Wimpelaal (Dutch names, sorry, don't know the english translations)

Bottom Feeders

Moonfish

Labeo

Blue Shark

Others:

I have 6 small botias (and a new bigger tank will come before they get too big). And english translation for the crawfish is lobster, sorry

 

[Hobsyllwin]

And the plants were being destroyed before the wimpelaals were added...so it's not them. They just enjoy sneaking into my filter -.- how annoying. I've doctored the filter...no more tricks!

 

[Squeakfish]

Plecos are known to chow on certain plants.

 

[Lupin]

The Leeri

This is a pearl gourami. That's the common name anyway. Wipe this off the list of possible culprits.

Wimpelaal (Dutch names, sorry, don't know the english translations)

Ropefish (E. calabaricus). There is a chance it can uproot plants thathave not firmly anchored themselves to the ground.

Bottom Feeders

Kuhli loach (Pangio kuhlii). Not a suspect. Wipe it off the list. For more information, please keep 5 minimum. These are sociable fish and I would suggest rehoming them to another tank. Your ropefish and iridescent shark will attempt to eat this one.

Kuhlis aren't happy with the presence of boisterous fish such as the clown loaches either.

Hmmm..Not sure of the exact ID of this pleco so I'll pass this. I suspect Ancistrus dolichopterus though.

Looks like a Pterygoplichthys pardalis to me. If you have plecos looking like that, it must also be rehomed as those of Pterygoplichthys group tend to reach 12 inches and over in size. They are also possible culprits for uprooting plants.

Moonfish

Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare. Not a problem.

Labeo

Epalzeorhynchus bicolor indeed. Not a possible culprit.

Blue Shark

Iridescent shark (Pangasiodon hypophthalmus). Rehome this fish. Max size is 3 feet.

And english translation for the crawfish is lobster, sorry

In our vocabulary...
lobster=SW
crayfish=FW

 

[Hobsyllwin]

In the above post (with all the pictures) is everything I have in my tank.

 

[Kuhlifan]

My Kuhli loaches have done an excellent job of uprooting my banana plants. I don't think they would tear a plant apart, but they are good uprooters.

 

[Lupin]

My Kuhli loaches have done an excellent job of uprooting my banana plants. I don't think they would tear a plant apart, but they are good uprooters.

Are the plants even firmly anchored to the substrate? How deep is the substrate?

 

[Kuhlifan]

The substrate isn't extremely deep, maybe an inch and a half. It is, however, gravel, so it's hard to get the banana plants in and secure. I've actually given up on them in the kuhli tank. My first two kept getting tumbled around until they eventually put out roots and got anchored, but I changed jobs and moved the tank, which broke them loose again, killing them eventually. I could never get them reset in the substrate. I bought two more, and even tried piling a rock on top to hold them down, but I'd come in to an uprooted plant and a guilty looking beady little set of eyes.