who is eating my plants?

[Martin in Holland]

lately I found some plants being eaten...actually not really eaten but mostly the leaves bitten off

A few days ago I put 2 Siamese algae eaters in the tank and I suspect them but I've never been able to catch them in the act as it seems to happen only at night....could it be something else? ...maybe a snail?....although I haven't seen snails at all ....or is it some kind of disease?

 

[Michael W]

Snails don't usually attack healthy plants but instead ones that are doing bad in the first place but since you don't see any its possible that its not the fault of snails. Those marks on the leaves does look like its been bit. I have never seen Siamese algae eaters attack plants before, but that does not mean they don't. Are you sure you don't have the false algae eaters etc. What other fish do you have?

 

[Martin in Holland]

other fish in the tank are: red noses, cardinals, cherry barbs, otos and2 puffer fish also some amano and tiger shrimp

 

[Michael W]

I believe Amanos are known to attack plants if underfed but I can't be sure maybe others can help.

 

[squid102]

Looking at a couple of leaves on the plant just below the middle of the picture, it looks more like a bit of melting going on. It looks exactly like what happened to mine. A little bit of melting which the snails take advantage of, just eating the decaying tissue. This then leaves a smooth curve that looks like a bite.

 

[NatureBoy]

I agree with squid, most likely would be CO2 that they are needing, as this can happen when plants begin to grow and block flow to some leaves, almost like suffocating them out, a victim of success in a way. You get it when you grow a lawn sometimes. Also see some green spot coupled with some yellowing on older leaves so wonder if the plants may need a touch more macros?

 

[Martin in Holland]

thanks for the tips....I think I will give a bit more macros ...today and yesterday I didn't find floating leaves though, but that doesn't mean it won't happen again