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Do SAEs eat R. wallichi?



I put some Rotala wallichi in my tank about a month ago and it's having a
little trouble. When I got it, it had nice fluffy leaves from the top to
bottom of every stem. I planted it to the left and right sides of my tank,
where it put out new growth and looked nice on the tips but the leaves about
an inch down started to thin. I assumed it wanted more light so I moved them
toward the center of the tank where they wouldn't be shaded. They had set
lots of roots, which indicated to me that at least they were growing. After
being moved, the tops did look better, and new stems began to sprout from
the lower sections of stems, but the leaves from just below the tips
continued to thin until all that's left are short nubs. Further down the
stem, about 2 or 3 inches down, the leaves are still looking OK for the most
part.

A few days ago I noticed that all six of my SAEs were spending lots of time
"cleaning" the R. wallichi and generally hanging out around them. I watched
closely as they nibbled over the plants and noticed that they would
occasionally jerk their heads to the side, as if they were yanking something
off the plants.

Is R. wallichi tasty to SAEs?

Thanks,

Dan Dixon