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Herbivorous odessa (sigh)

BexM

BexM

Member
Joined
4 Jan 2015
Messages
127
Location
Peterborough
My Odessa barbs are driving me nuts! I really love these fish, they are beautiful, fast and interesting but they keep destroying plants.

They munched my Heteranthera zosterifolia, pulled up the lilaeopsis mauritiana and are constantly picking at everything in the tank.

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This is the aromatica. It's the new submerged growth they are attacking. It has only been in there for a few weeks.
Not sure if I should trim it, leave it and give it time or just try something else?
 
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I've actually used them "professionally", to keep underwater-grown moss free of algae AND trim new growt, to promote division of "strings".
Worked like a treat - but it's a fine balance of plant-mass and fish-population. This was actually dificult, since the Bast... breed like rabbits.....:meh:
 
i have a tank with odessa, gold and rosy barbs and if you think odessas are bad you should try the others. I have tried feeding spirulina granules in the hope of sating their desire for greenery but not seen much difference. Plants they do not destroy include anubia, giant vallis and crypts, contrary to popular belief mine have a taste for the new leaves of amazon swords but the plants are just about keeping up though a number of central mid-ribs and nothing around them doesn't make for good asthetics. Having said all that they are lively and attractive fish so I have learnt to live with their foibles.
 
Rasbo said:
i have a tank with odessa, gold and rosy barbs and if you think odessas are bad you should try the others. I have tried feeding spirulina granules in the hope of sating their desire for greenery but not seen much difference. Plants they do not destroy include anubia, giant vallis and crypts, contrary to popular belief mine have a taste for the new leaves of amazon swords but the plants are just about keeping up though a number of central mid-ribs and nothing around them doesn't make for good asthetics. Having said all that they are lively and attractive fish so I have learnt to live with their foibles.
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Oh my! I suppose they are not so bad after all. My sword is still intact.

I may try adding a leaf of spinach and see if they go for that instead.
 
Maybe do a little research on fish, before buying.............😳
Barbs are generally more or less herbivores, I think !
- this is why I never choose those, for Expo-scapes, actually. Nice, lively, easy and colourfull fish........but not really plant-safe !!
 
Mick.Dk said:
Maybe do a little research on fish, before buying.............😳
Barbs are generally more or less herbivores, I think !
- this is why I never choose those, for Expo-scapes, actually. Nice, lively, easy and colourfull fish........but not really plant-safe !!
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I did read up about them first (obviously not enough) but nothing I read mentioned their plant destroying antics. I initialy wanted Buenos Aires Tetras but read that they would decimate a planted tank so I chose these guys instead....typical!

Luckily the tank isn't an carefully planned acuascape, just a planted tank aspiring to be something better so I'll let them off. 🙂
 
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BexM said:
I just having a moan really 🙂
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- learning by doing.............or ........try and error !!
We've all been there (though not all willingly admit, I suppose) - and we are all still learning (I hope) :thumbup:
 
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