# Platies are eating my brand new plants!



## silva_unt (Apr 27, 2011)

I hope you get a response to this! I have a planted aquarium and was about to house 3 platies in a few weeks!


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## tjs22 (Jan 11, 2011)

Just wanted to throw in here that I have a planted tank and my platies don't eat my plants. Maybe it depends on the kind of plant?


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

How about feeding them some veggies? Cucumber and zucchini are nommed up here. I imagine leafy greens would be eaten as well. To keep the stinkers busy I will put in a piece of algae wafer and they will take an hour chasing it and eating it up.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

It sounds like they are hungry. Platys are omnivores IME. I started off with 8 and now have about 30. Platys eat anything and I mean ANYTHING I put in the tank. Do what Kathyy suggests and keep them fed and I think your plants will be safe.


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## BobR (Mar 28, 2011)

Kathyy said:


> How about feeding them some veggies? Cucumber and zucchini are nommed up here. I imagine leafy greens would be eaten as well. To keep the stinkers busy I will put in a piece of algae wafer and they will take an hour chasing it and eating it up.


I've always been under the assumption that underfeeding was better than overfeeding, but it seems to be working against me in this situation. Sounds like I better fill those platy bellys with some veggies! I bet I could put the veggies and/or wafers in there, and none of the other fish would touch them. I will say that the platys are the most aggressive eaters of all of my fish (the rest are tetras).

Two questions: Should the cucumber or zuch be prepped in a special way (cooked or chopped really small), and do algae wafers contribute to algae growth in a tank?

I was kind of hopeless, so I'm glad I posted this question, now I'm happy! I thank you, and my vals thank you :icon_smil.


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## Frisha (Jan 25, 2011)

I just wash then slice and drop in when I wan to feed the top feeders zucchini, stick a fork in larger pieces for bottom dwellers. My guppies love it as well as the pleco's. I generally have to leave it about 2 days though they are getting better at recognizing that it's food faster but...I personally think they are a little slow at times


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## Brownthumb07 (Dec 8, 2009)

Is it possible they are eating some staghorn on your plants or munching on the plants themself? I've never had mine eat my plants but they do eat staghorn every so often.


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## Kathyy (Feb 22, 2010)

MIne are definitely eating plants. They love hairgrass and red rooted floater roots. Mayaca is eaten and Myrio is pecked at so I wouldn't trust them around any fine leaved plants. They are busy grazers so give them something to do.

I know, it is better to underfeed so fish don't get fat and the water stays good but what to do about bored fish? Veggies won't make the fish fat, just remove any uneaten after a couple days so it doesn't degrade the water as leftovers rot.


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## PelicanFarts (Mar 1, 2011)

I guess it comes down to the individual fish. I have multiple platies, various fry. They have never eaten any plant in the tank. They do peck at various hair algae, though.


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## Mxx (Dec 29, 2010)

Mine have been decimating my dwarf hairgrass, though it seems they're mainly pulling it our rather than eating it. But the result is the same...


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## bpb (Mar 8, 2011)

Try to keep a boiled spinach leaf in there pretty much at all times. I've been fighting the same problem with my Buenos Aires Tetras, except they're bigger, faster, and love plants alot more than platys. I found that keeping a spinach leaf or a big leaf or romaine in the tank at all times has kept them from eating my java ferns. They ate the wisteria I tried planting unfortunately. 

Moral of the story: If your fish like plants, there is nothing you can to do get them to stop eating them. Once they get a taste, they will continue to nibble, hungry or not. Just try to keep something available for them that is more nourishing and palatable than ornamental plants (like spinach or romaine lettuce). That should help. It has helped me "some."


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