# need help with my Alternanthera Reineckii...



## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Looks like something is eating it, snails, shrimp, SAE? I have had my cherry shrimp all of a sudden start eating my downoi, and yatabeanus. Looks a lot like that above


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

i got all those but the SAE, its a shirmp/snail only tank, but if that were the case, why only chew on this plant and not others? the star grass looks better to chew on then the a. reineckii imo, hee hee, but i will try to give them a bit more food and see what happens...


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

this pic was taking on 2.7.08








ph 7.2
kh 120 ppm
gh 75 ppm
no2 0
no3 less then 10ppm
and zero chlorine


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## loachlady5 (Dec 9, 2007)

Mine has holes in it too. I think it might be tastier than some plants. The other strange thing I've noticed is that my female cherry barbs keep flashing against it - very odd.


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

i still think the star grass and the banana plant is tastier...


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## efish (Apr 23, 2006)

Did you ever figure out what is/was wrong with your A. Reineckii? I went against my better judgement and bought another stem from a LFS. This was after my last few stems lost all their leaves and slowly died. I'm running 6700k lights at 3.25WPG with 2 DIY bottles and ferts 2x per week.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

Do you have Cherry shrimp?

If you do....there's your culprit!


Mike


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

I usually get those when i don't dose enough MG


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

I have never specifically dosed Mg and have never had that happen to Alternanthera or any other plant for that matter.


Mike


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## frozenbarb (Dec 16, 2006)

It happens to me often because my water is super soft. I get some melting effects too.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> why only chew on this plant and not others?


Something about it gets Cherry Shrimp going. 

I had the same problem yeras ago. In fact, I have reference to it somewhere here on the forum (My journal? - I'll try and find it). I looked and looked. I even staked the aquarium out at night looking for some suspicious larve. Then I saw them! The Cherry Shrimp! They had suddenly developed a taste for that plant. They touched nothing else, only the Alternanthera. 

I tried to explain this to a few folks, but had my claim dismissed, until finally I spoke to Jeff Senske about it at a DVAGA event and he verified he had had the same thing happen to him.


Mike


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

My earlier thread:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/g...oles-my-alternanthera-reineckii-leaves-2.html

(Pictures don't seem to be available anymore unfortunately)


Mike


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## bigstick120 (May 23, 2005)

Momotaro said:


> I have never specifically dosed Mg and have never had that happen to Alternanthera or any other plant for that matter.
> 
> 
> Mike


That was my first suggestion as well Mike. I dont know why, I even feed mine. What is strange in my tank is they seem to only attack the light green colored plants. Downoi and Pogostemon Yatabeanus are the ONLY plants that ever get eaten. Its not all the time, just every so often, and they plants dont even have any algae on them.


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## NeverEndingNinja (Jan 4, 2008)

Softer leaf matter would be my guess as to why they eat them and not others.


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## dr.tran (Oct 8, 2007)

My cherries never eat mines. Is it often occurance?


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

hmm... i still never really found out what was wrong, i think it was the snail, i had around 20 of those apple looking like snail with white shell black strips, they were the only thing that hangs out on the plant all the time...


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

> Its not all the time, just every so often, and they plants dont even have any algae on them.


Maybe that's your problem! Perhaps you need to start goofing up a little and grow some algae for those little buggers!  

:hihi: :hihi: :hihi: 


Mike


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

I thought lack of potassium caused holes in the leaves?


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## mahoro (Dec 18, 2007)

but is it only in this plant or all? this is the only plants i have with holes that appear out of no where


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