:roll:

I finally saw red pine for sale at Animates and (now that I have better lighting and PMDD on order) decided to get some and have a go at growing it. The girl in the shop said I would never be able to keep it red because I don't have enough lighting still, but I wanted to try.

Well, that was a week ago. Since the day I put it in the tank the fish have been pecking at it. At first I thought they might just be cleaning algae off it, but gradually all the 'pine needles' have been disappearing, leaving just naked stems. The irony is, the fish have eaten all the green leaves and left a tuft of red ones on the tip of each stem! :roll:

I really like the look of red pine. The day I put it in there it looked fantastic and I was delighted with it!

What am I going to do? Put an electric fence around it?

Looks like you'll have to get another tank!

OR

Remove the culprits.

I'd choose the former. .

You could give it to me and come and visit it everyday, just like it was in hospital? :lol:

Looks like you'll have to get another tank!

OR

Remove the culprits.

I'd choose the former. .

You could give it to me and come and visit it everyday, just like it was in hospital? :lol:

:lol: Good try Sam, but it's not going to happen! :lol:

I'm not even really sure who the culprits are. I saw the SAEs nibbling at it first, but I'm pretty sure they are good at eating algae without eating the actual plant. The cherry barbs were paying a lot of attention to the red bits on the first day. My partner commented that it looked like the plants were their long-lost family because of the attention they were giving them, and the fish were the same colour as the red tips! It was a very, very pretty sight!

Personally I suspect the gold barbs, but without hard evidence I can hardly transport them to a penal colony! :lol:

Dang! Guess I'll have to buy my plants like everyone else...

I'm thinking of getting some cherry barbs, do they like high light?

Are you sure that the leaves are not just dying and dropping off?

I have Rotala rotundifolia that grows with a fine leaf in one particular tank that is virtually just the red tufts on top of a naked stalk!

do you kribs if so that is what will be eating them

Are you sure that the leaves are not just dying and dropping off?

I have Rotala rotundifolia that grows with a fine leaf in one particular tank that is virtually just the red tufts on top of a naked stalk!

Hmmm... I suppose that is a possibility! I might have to apologise to my fish! There is no sign of leaves floating around in the tank, but I can't blame the fish for nibbling at leaves that are softening/falling off anyway.

I wonder what could make the leaves fall off? The stems are towards the front of the tank, in a position where they get afternoon sun coming in the window for an hour or so each day in addition to the tank's fluoro lights, so I don't think lack of light to the lower stems is the problem.

Zev, how long have your plants been like that?

do you kribs if so that is what will be eating them

No kribs. Just clown loaches, cherry barbs, gold barbs, cardinal tetras, siamese algae eaters and bristlenoses.

By the way Sam, the cherry barbs seem to be fine with the current light levels in my tank (162 watts of fluoro light of various spectrums). All the fish go and hide under plants in the afternoon when the sun shines directly into the tank, but the cherries don't hide more than anyone else. On the other hand I don't know what they will think of your planned MH lights!

The cherries are really colourful, active, pretty little fish. The males and females look quite different, but are both very attractive in their own way. I recommend them! :bounce:

Here's a pic of the red pine with naked stems.

Also a male cherry barb being shy and trying to avoid the camera!

They get like that every now and then, on the Rotala the leaves never grow back down the stem, so I just nip them off and replant them shorter!

I had some of the stuff you have, lost it though, I think they like HEAPS of light.

My MH wouldn't be going on the 54L, planning it for the 27L.

Are they quite peaceful fish? My Betta loves the afternoon sun.

My MH wouldn't be going on the 54L, planning it for the 27L.

Are they quite peaceful fish? My Betta loves the afternoon sun.

Yes, they are very peaceful. The males do flare their fins at each other though - are you thinking of putting them in with the betta? I don't know if they would be safe in there!

If my other Betta makes it, then yes, he'd go in the 54L.

My red pine does that if it is taking the full blast from the filter outlet on the lower parts of the stems. I have some here if you want to come and pick up a bit. Its easy to propagate, just break it off and replant it.

My red pine does that if it is taking the full blast from the filter outlet on the lower parts of the stems. I have some here if you want to come and pick up a bit. Its easy to propagate, just break it off and replant it.

Thanks for the tip, adodge! :bounce: My plants were in a fairly high-current part of the tank, so I have moved them to a more sheltered spot and will see how they go. I may well take you up on the offer of some cuttings if I can work out how to keep the poor things alive! They look very sad as naked sticks with a fluffy tuft of red on top. :oops: