Hi.

Can Whiptail catfish be verified to be plant tank safe? I've had one in my
plant tank for at least 8 months. He (I call him he.) has gotten quite
large...probably like 5 inches. I am starting to wonder if he is putting
some of the holes in my Sword leaves and munching on the new tender leaves
that are coming up from the middle of the plant.

Does anyone have experience with this catfish in a planted tank?

thanks.

My Whiptail is about the same size. and as far as I've seen there has been
no damage to my plants from him. I see him going after the green spot algae
on my glass.

Ian
"SlimFlem" wrote in message
news:lnJT9.13962$%n.3432@sccrnsc02...
Hi.

Can Whiptail catfish be verified to be plant tank safe? I've had one in
my
plant tank for at least 8 months. He (I call him he.) has gotten quite
large...probably like 5 inches. I am starting to wonder if he is putting
some of the holes in my Sword leaves and munching on the new tender leaves
that are coming up from the middle of the plant.

Does anyone have experience with this catfish in a planted tank?

thanks.

I would say the hole is potentially there at a weaken place of the leaf due to some
nutrition problem... Then some fish goes on it (Botia) and reveals the hole !

When healthy my plants resist Botia and Ancistrus.
When some deficient are there they show holes and break feeble stems.

I would add some tablet under the sword.


Philippe


"SlimFlem" wrote in message news:lnJT9.13962$%n.3432@sccrnsc02...
| Hi.
|
| Can Whiptail catfish be verified to be plant tank safe? I've had one in my
| plant tank for at least 8 months. He (I call him he.) has gotten quite
| large...probably like 5 inches. I am starting to wonder if he is putting
| some of the holes in my Sword leaves and munching on the new tender leaves
| that are coming up from the middle of the plant.
|
| Does anyone have experience with this catfish in a planted tank?
|
| thanks.
|
|

Ok, that's more of what I was thinking. Almost one week ago I added a
SeaChem Florish tab under each Sword hoping that would help them. Do you
know how long it takes for the tabs to doing their thing? Does it just
slowly dissolve and spread through the substrate or do the plant roots start
to wrap around it and "feed" from it?

jesse

"Philippe Lemaire" wrote in message
...
I would say the hole is potentially there at a weaken place of the leaf
due to some
nutrition problem... Then some fish goes on it (Botia) and reveals the
hole !

When healthy my plants resist Botia and Ancistrus.
When some deficient are there they show holes and break feeble stems.

I would add some tablet under the sword.


Philippe


"SlimFlem" wrote in message
news:lnJT9.13962$%n.3432@sccrnsc02...
| Hi.
|
| Can Whiptail catfish be verified to be plant tank safe? I've had one in
my
| plant tank for at least 8 months. He (I call him he.) has gotten quite
| large...probably like 5 inches. I am starting to wonder if he is
putting
| some of the holes in my Sword leaves and munching on the new tender
leaves
| that are coming up from the middle of the plant.
|
| Does anyone have experience with this catfish in a planted tank?
|
| thanks.
|
|

Sometimes it comes down to the individual fish. I am not exactly sure what
type of "Whiptail" cat fish you may have. If its the type I cited in an
earlier post, you should watch him carefully (at night especially). Check
out George Booth's site (http://aquaticconcepts.thekrib.com/), where he
advises

"Plecostomus is the generic name for a wide range of sucker-mouth fish. Only
the smaller types are useful in a planted tank, since the larger varieties
tend to eat the plant right along with the algae. Two common types that are
useful are the "bristle-nose plecostomus" and the "clown plecostomus" or
Pekoltia. Both stay under 4" long and don't seem to cause too much plant
damage. Sometimes broad-leafed plants like Amazon swords will be scraped a
little too closely by the plecos, so they bear watching.

Their diet can be supplemented by blanched zucchini and bottom feeder
tablets. They also appreciate a chunk of driftwood in the aquarium to
satisfy their need for cellulose. "
-Bruce

"SlimFlem" wrote in message
news:lnJT9.13962$%n.3432@sccrnsc02...
Hi.

Can Whiptail catfish be verified to be plant tank safe? I've had one in
my
plant tank for at least 8 months. He (I call him he.) has gotten quite
large...probably like 5 inches. I am starting to wonder if he is putting
some of the holes in my Sword leaves and munching on the new tender leaves
that are coming up from the middle of the plant.

Does anyone have experience with this catfish in a planted tank?

thanks.

The tab dissolves and nutriments finally reach the roots...
I don't think the roots are able to change direction to reach the high nutritious areas :-(

Only new growths will benefit of the tabs for old growths can only stay as they are
for some nutriments, or be deplated of them to help new groth for others :-(

Philippe


"SlimFlem" wrote in message news:BSVT9.13578$Dn.1091@sccrnsc03...
| Ok, that's more of what I was thinking. Almost one week ago I added a
| SeaChem Florish tab under each Sword hoping that would help them. Do you
| know how long it takes for the tabs to doing their thing? Does it just
| slowly dissolve and spread through the substrate or do the plant roots start
| to wrap around it and "feed" from it?
|
| jesse
|