Just learned the hard way again.

AsianDragon · Post by **AsianDragon** » Mon May 21, 2007 8:58 am

Well silly me! I know from experience and have been told many times not to place live plants in it's tank. But I just love the look and texture of living plants. So I when to the LFS and went crazy I purchased about $150 worth of live plants(sprite and horn wort) and Chemical support. Got home set the bag in the tank, took the pooch out and came back too start arranging the plants. Well it took me about 2 hours to finally get it the way I though would look the best (trying to achieve a realistic surroundings). I cleaned up, put back the lids and turned on the light. I stepped back, sat in my lazy-boy and tried to enjoy what was left of the evening. Well 'Buddy' my Fahaka was swimming around exploring it's new surrounding, thinking it would enjoy and appreciate like I would. Well kinda dozed off and then woke up to go turn in for the night, I didn't even bother to look at tank. I woke up this morning to a green tinted aquarium. I turn on the light to find that Buddy had spent the night shredding everything I worked so hard for and spent lots of money on, he had demolished in a few hour and in the dark. I was really upset with Buddy but I can only blame it on myself .

So i tried to laugh it off.

Well I just learned the hard and expensive way again.
Just wanted to share that with you guys.
Thanks

Boxermom · Post by **Boxermom** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:13 am

I deleted your double post.

Some are able to have plants, some aren't. Personally I'm not even going to try it, as I definitely don't want to stick my hand in to do any gardening as he grows. He already thinks my fingers are nice, juicy shrimp and makes a run for them when he can. The less I can stick my hands in his tank, especially when he gets even bigger, the better.

PuffTheMagicFishy · Post by **PuffTheMagicFishy** » Mon May 21, 2007 6:14 pm

Even my little 1-1/2 inch irrubesco does that! I bought $30-$40 worth of plants for her tank, but she bit so many holes in the poor things that I moved them to my community tank. The bristlenose pleco decided they were tastier than algae wafers and zucchini, so I'm down to one Anubias nana he can't seem hurt. The puffer also kills off the duckweed I put in there by biting off the roots.

kimmers318 · Post by **kimmers318** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:45 pm

I have this mental picture of your fahaka running around in his tank shredding all those plants like a puppy left home alone too long who proceeds to trash the house running wild and chewing up everything he finds!!! Guess I am glad I suck at keeping plants so I won't ever be disappointed.

manutius · Post by **manutius** » Tue May 22, 2007 1:52 am

thats such a shame, but its what gives your puffer personality. Much better than a plec that hides under the wood and you get to see its tail once every two or three weeks

Ariadne · Post by **Ariadne** » Tue May 22, 2007 2:25 am

oh man what a bummer, i think i might have had myself a little cry after that

live plants are my favorite part of freshwater tanks.

Much better than a plec that hides under the wood and you get to see its tail once every two or three weeks

word.

Troender · Post by **Troender** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:36 am

manutius wrote:Much better than a plec that hides under the wood and you get to see its tail once every two or three weeks

Hey! Don't talk like that about my beloved plecos! Plecos have personality as well! And hiding? Most of my plecos don't. Only my most expensive ones

I just looooove catfishes

They are my first love

PuffTheMagicFishy · Post by **PuffTheMagicFishy** » Tue May 22, 2007 2:10 pm

Plecs are awesome! I consider my bristlenose to be the "centerpiece" fish in my community tank, not the gourami! I love it when he sits in his little cave and flexes his cheek-spines at everyone.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue May 22, 2007 2:50 pm

My GF allegedly has a bristlenose, but I haven't seen him in nearly a month, lol.

Belack1120 · Post by **Belack1120** » Tue May 22, 2007 8:17 pm

My sister's old pleco left a terd more than a foot long in her community tank and it hid all the time so she took it back because it made her tank so dirty. Now her tank is fine

PuffTheMagicFishy · Post by **PuffTheMagicFishy** » Tue May 22, 2007 10:22 pm

Pleco poop adds class to a tank, man!

manutius · Post by **manutius** » Wed May 23, 2007 2:21 am

Troender wrote:
manutius wrote:Much better than a plec that hides under the wood and you get to see its tail once every two or three weeks
Most of my plecos don't. Only my most expensive ones

Thats my point I have 6 different plec and I only see the chepa less pretty ones

Troender · Post by **Troender** » Wed May 23, 2007 3:49 am

PuffTheMagicFishy wrote:Pleco poop adds class to a tank, man!

I think I have 13 or 14 different species of suckermouths right now (counting quickly in my head - no they are not inside my head). Of course my most expensive ones, the zebraplecos, are pretty shy, but I know where they use to stay, so I see them quite often anyway. But I have love for so many. "Småen" (means little one - he looks like an giant ancistrus

Actually he is a kind of ancistrus, L-182) has the most beautiful forest of bristles on his nose. He is also nicknamed "The Forest of Askim"

I just love bristles, the more the better! But many of my favorite suckermouths are quite common fishes. One of the suckermouths I've had an almost close relationship (no, don't think your dirty thoughts here), was a common twig catfish. Unfortunately she died on my birthday in March

But I can tell you they have different personalities. Not as visible as in puffers, of course, but pretty much really. Some are whimps, some are the quite opposite. And of course you have someone like little Jesus (for the people who has read about my bad day). How can you not get found of a fish who raises from the dead? BTW, he is back in his tank now, and doing quite fine, I think. No more icecream for him

PuffTheMagicFishy · Post by **PuffTheMagicFishy** » Wed May 23, 2007 5:18 am

Troender wrote: "Småen" (means little one - he looks like an giant ancistrus Actually he is a kind of ancistrus, L-182) has the most beautiful forest of bristles on his nose. He is also nicknamed "The Forest of Askim" I just love bristles, the more the better!

I love the bristles too! My pleco's name used to be Sideshow when I first bought him--he only had small bristles around the edge of his face so I thought he was a she. I named him that because he made me think of the "bearded lady" sideshow. Now that he is definitely a he, with a thicket of bristles running up his nose, his official name is his old nickname, Carpet Monster. He looks like his natural habitat should be in a fuzzy rug somewhere, ready to pounce on unwary toes.

Plecos have so much personality if you take the time to find them and watch them. They're not in your face like a puff, they're very aloof and independent fish, but they're still quite the characters!

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Just learned the hard way again.

Just learned the hard way again.