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Other thank plastic, are there any plants that fish don't particularly like to eat?

My first problem are the loaches (queen & yoyo) in my 29g, who munch anything except hornwort, java moss, and java fern The other is my 75g SA cichlid tank. My original plan for the tank were Amazon swords and anubias, but both have become between-meal snacks.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, I really don't want to go with fake plants. Lighting is low, low-medium.

Thanks

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There is water at the bottom of the ocean

i have my yo-yos in with a few swords, and while they do nibble, they never damage them. One thing may be to feed them more plant matter foods like algae wafers.

As for plants, I don't think you can do better than Anubias. If they've been munching on barteri v. nana, try using larger varieties such as Barteri, congensis or gigantea. They're all beautiful and large-leaved. Plus, their leaves are waxy and thick, so fish can't reall eat them. PLUS, they work great in any sort of aquascape. Here's a pic from a few weeks ago of my shellie tank - the Barteri is in the middle, congensis on the right side of the rockwork:




NowherMan6 attached this image:


Last edited by NowherMan6 at 09-Jun-2005 10:17[/font]

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Back in the saddle!

I have run into the same frustrations that you are having. I have clown loaches in my 55 gallon discus tank. I had wanted to put broad leafed plants to provide sufficient hiding places for the discus, but every broad/large leaf plant that I've ever had them with in both tanks they've been in, they destroy because they poke little holes all over the leaf. To add your your problem my loaches also enjoyed unplanted any plant that had not suffienciently rooted itself. Which made it VERY frustruting when adding new plants. I've never had any experience with your type of loach but it sounds like they have similar problems as my clowns. Very frustrating in a planted aquarium to say the least. In fact, I wish I still had the link where I read this, but on a clown loach reference page I read once, the person reported that loaches poked holes in large leaves (I believe they specifically named Amazon Swords) for FUN. I kind of find it hard to believe that it's "for fun", so I even tried supplimenting their diet with algae waffers (which they LOVE BTW judging by how loud they "click" But still... the holes.

I have a giant Hygro in that tank right now as really the only broad leafed plant, they are still picking at this, but slower than Amazon Swords. To provide enough cover for the disus I've made a little "forest" of italian and cortotion vals, along with bacopa and (I forget the full name) frills. All three of which have worked great in 3 of my 4 planted tanks for low-medium light and I have readily found available at my lfs. Good luck, I'd love to hear an update...

Oh... and the picture that Nowherman6 posted, I believe it's one of my "I have no idea what kind of plant that is because it came in a bundle" that I have had with my clown loaches and they left that one alone because the leave were too thick, so that's a good one too, also good low-medium light plant.

IMO you could manage an aquascape with even just java ferns. Okay please dont take my forum away, I'm not compleatly nuts .
I know there are @least two different types of java. The normal one you usually associate with as java fern, and lace.
Have crypts been consumed? I have tall regular java fern in the back left corner of my 20 with the shorter lace (I have a feeling it might grow taller though now I've been giving it CO2 *lol) on a small piece of driftwood in the front.

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