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Re: Aquatic Plants Digest V1 #19



> From: CrypDude at aol_com

> I was wondering if you could all give me a suggestion about a problem I'm
> having right now.  Along with many other plants, I have a few varieties of
> anubias in my 40 gallon tank.  Unfortunately, one of the fish in my tank is
> nibbling away at the new leaves.  One of my favorite plants, a.coffeafolia
> grows well, but each new leaf grows jagged and deformed because someone
> nibbles on it while it's still a shoot.
> 
> I have the following fish in the tank.  Suggestions on which one is the
> culprit.  I have my own suspicions:
> 
> 6 SAE (siamese flying foxes, crosochelius siamensis) (1.5 in.)
> 5 ottocinclus affinis (.75 in.)
> 1 peckolita (clown pleco) (2 in.)

Doubtful it's these three.  The SAE's and ottos have never destroyed 
plants in my tank.  The peckoltia might rasp the anubias, but in that 
case you'd be getting little anubias leaf skeletons.  It could be the
peckoltia, though.

> 2 sturisoma (7 in.)

Maybe, but doubtful, if these guys are anything like farlowellas.

> 2 apistogramma agasizzi (1.5 in.)

Too damn peaceful!

> 2 aequidens dorsiger (2 in.)

I theorize say these are your culprits.

I had to completely remove all anubias from one of my tanks because my 
congo tetras loved to destroy the baby leaves.  A friend of mine has the
same problem with some cichlids.

> Without knowing which was the primary factor behind it...I now have the most
> phenomenal specimens of cryptocoryne wendtii you'v ever seen.  Among others,
> I have two plants in the front which are now 8.5 in. tall with 40+ leaves
> each.
> 
> I believe a majority of the factor behind their phenomenal growth is the two
> halogen flood lamps that I hung over the front of the tank (in addition to
> the 2 x 40 watt flourescent Vita Lights) and of course CO2 fertilization and
> daily (not weekly) addition of small amounts of Kent fertilizer.

I found my wendtii loved light, CO2 and fertilizer.  They even loved my
heating coils.  Used to do exactly what you describe, grow 8-12" high 
giant ruffled bronze leaves...<sniff> runners everwhere... Bless their poor 
melted hearts.  (Actually in the one week plus since I sent that message,
new shoots are starting to come up.)

Neil Frank has mentioned that C. wendtii is one species of crypt that does
seem to like CO2 and light.  He also said it's the "easy crypt".

    - Erik

---
Erik D. Olson                		Job-O-Meter:
olson at phys_washington.edu             	YES!