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how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 10:27 am
by anglerise
My Tiger Barbs keep tearing up my Amazon Swords. Anyone got tips on keeping plants with these guys? Tank's a 40 gallon, planted substrate, and I do weekly water changes. They're not aggressive to fish but love nipping at leaves.
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 11:39 am
by Flynest
Barbs can be rough on plants, especially softer ones like Amazon Swords. Try tougher plants like Java Fern or Anubias, they're less appealing to nibble on. Also, make sure they're well fed with high quality flakes or pellets to curb the nipping. What's your lighting setup like?
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 12:43 pm
by anglerise
Flynest wrote: ↑Fri Aug 29, 2025 11:39 am
Barbs can be rough on plants, especially softer ones like Amazon Swords. Try tougher plants like Java Fern or Anubias, they're less appealing to nibble on. Also, make sure they're well fed with high quality flakes or pellets to curb the nipping. What's your lighting setup like?
Thanks, I'll try Anubias. Lighting's a basic LED, on for 8 hours a day. They get fed twice daily, but maybe I should up the portions.
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 1:23 pm
by Flynest
Yeah, increasing food slightly might help. Just watch for overfeeding. Also, consider adding some floating plants like Frogbit to diffuse the light and give them something else to mess with. Barbs are curious, so distractions work wonders.
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 2:43 pm
by fablett
My cat just knocked over my tank. Now what?
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 4:07 pm
by Flynest
fablett wrote: ↑Fri Aug 29, 2025 2:43 pm
My cat just knocked over my tank. Now what?
That's rough, but this thread's about plants and barbs. Maybe start a new post for tank disasters? For now, save what fish you can and check if the filter's still running.
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 5:18 pm
by anglerise
Update: Swapped the Amazon Swords for Anubias and added Frogbit. The barbs seem less interested in the Anubias, but they're still kinda pecking at the Frogbit roots. Should I be worried?
Re: how to Keep plants with barbs
Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2025 5:39 pm
by Flynest
Nah, a little root nibbling is normal. As long as the Frogbit's growing faster than they're eating it, you're good. If it gets out of hand, try adding more hardscape like driftwood or rocks to break their line of sight and give them other stuff to explore.