# Reds keep crapping out plastic plant parts



## rbp guy (Apr 19, 2004)

I originally had real plants in the tank with them. But, I got tired of having to replant them or replace them because my pygos kept ripping them apart or eating them.

So, I went and bought some fake plants. Nothing changed. They still ate and tore apart the plants. Then they would crap out the plastic leaves or stems and clog up my filters and powerheads. Nowadays, I keep a bare tank. It's been a good two weeks since I removed my fake plants and my p's are still crapping out plastic plant parts.

Anyone had any similar experiences? The leaves that are crapped out are usually 1 centimeter in diameter and the stems average about 3 millimeters in length. One of my reds took four days to crap out a leaf about an inch in diameter.

There has been a downside to removing my plants. I've noticed that they attack each other more frequently now. On any given day, I'll see white areas on the reds where scales were supposed to be and I'll find large chucks of their fins missing.

I have some guppies in the tank with them but all they seem to do is stare at them.


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

Just because they ruined the plants that you have put in there so far, doesn't mean that you have to have a bare tank. You can still have rocks (many sizes and shapes), driftwood (always a very good choice in a piranha tank), and of course your substrate (sand/gravel). Those 3 things will make your tank decorative enough if you use a lot of driftwood, although plants would give it an overall "finished" look to the tank.

A lot of people's piranha chew up their fake plants. I have found that probably the majority of piranha do not chew on fake silk plants, because there is no pliability in them like there is plastic plants, but of course there is always a possibility. Usually if somebody's piranha have the same problem as yours (usually much less serious problem though), I will suggest replacing the plastic plants with silk plants. If I were in your position I wouldn't do it though, because yours are just bound to chew up the silk ones right away too, from the way it seems after hearing that they've even chewed the natural ones, and silk threads inside their bodies will do just as much harm or more than the plastic pieces.

With all that said, I would still go with the 3 things listed up top, rather than having a bare tank. I'm not a fan of bare tanks, although my oscar tank is besides some decorative rock, because he digs the fake plants right up as soon as I anchor them, even the small bubble wand in the corner, so you gotta do what you gotta do, and I just took them out. You mentioned that fighting has occurred since you took the plants out. Usually with bare tanks, Pygos do not fight, because nobody has an established territory. They have nothing to claim as their own in an empty tank, so they usually get along. Do you have just a few decorations in the tank? If you do, you should either take them out, or place many more decorations in so they can all claim their own territory, and won't have to fight over just a few things.

Here are the following questions that I would like answered: What size is your tank? What kind of Pygos do you have? What is their length? What is their diet? How often do you feed them?

If you answer those questions, we may be able to figure out why they are fighting.
~Taylor~


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## psychofish (Jun 5, 2004)

Yeah I went to driftwood,

Asst rocks also look cool


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## Whall Banner (Nov 25, 2004)

rbp guy said:


> I originally had real plants in the tank with them. But, I got tired of having to replant them or replace them because my pygos kept ripping them apart or eating them.
> 
> So, I went and bought some fake plants. Nothing changed. They still ate and tore apart the plants. Then they would crap out the plastic leaves or stems and clog up my filters and powerheads. Nowadays, I keep a bare tank. It's been a good two weeks since I removed my fake plants and my p's are still crapping out plastic plant parts.
> 
> ...


The problem with a lot of plastic plants is the fact that they mixed with certain animal fats to assist with the molding process when they are being produced.

Some animals (especially mice) can smell the animal fats in the plastics and therefore nibble/eat it.

I'm no expert in this department but, maybe the P's can smell some kind of animal fat in the plants and are therefore eating them?


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## PuffPiff (May 23, 2005)

that sounds painful, how much of the stuff did they eat?


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## jan (Apr 24, 2004)

My pacu's would eat all my plants too. After that I've got rid of my plants and replaced them for driftwood and floating plants. Somehow they didn't eat the floating plants and it looked great. Maybe you should try it........


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## mashunter18 (Jan 2, 2004)

get some anubias and attach it to the driftwood.


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## killerbee (Aug 18, 2004)

yep, just took out my fake plants on bottom too. But i have driftwood and black sand which still looks good imho.


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## Red Eyes (Nov 25, 2003)

rbp guy said:


> I originally had real plants in the tank with them. But, I got tired of having to replant them or replace them because my pygos kept ripping them apart or eating them.
> 
> So, I went and bought some fake plants. Nothing changed. They still ate and tore apart the plants. Then they would crap out the plastic leaves or stems and clog up my filters and powerheads. Nowadays, I keep a bare tank. It's been a good two weeks since I removed my fake plants and my p's are still crapping out plastic plant parts.
> 
> ...


My p's bite the plants but I've never seen them crap them out







I usually find pieces floating around the top of their tanks. Here's some of the pieces that my rhom has taken out of the plastic plants ...


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## sadboy (Jan 6, 2005)

how big are your RBP's
do you feed them enough?


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## dynasty691 (Jun 15, 2005)

thats wierd my reds never ate any fake or live plants.


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## MR.FREEZ (Jan 26, 2004)

just be happy they are poopin it out and its not

cloggin up their intestine tract


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## dynasty691 (Jun 15, 2005)

take teh plants out of there it cant be good if there eatin plastic


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## supragtsxr (Feb 18, 2004)

I'm sorry your P's ate the fake plants......but this is too funny!!!


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## dynasty691 (Jun 15, 2005)

lol what got into them


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## rbp guy (Apr 19, 2004)

taylorhedrich said:


> Just because they ruined the plants that you have put in there so far, doesn't mean that you have to have a bare tank. You can still have rocks (many sizes and shapes), driftwood (always a very good choice in a piranha tank), and of course your substrate (sand/gravel). Those 3 things will make your tank decorative enough if you use a lot of driftwood, although plants would give it an overall "finished" look to the tank.
> 
> A lot of people's piranha chew up their fake plants. I have found that probably the majority of piranha do not chew on fake silk plants, because there is no pliability in them like there is plastic plants, but of course there is always a possibility. Usually if somebody's piranha have the same problem as yours (usually much less serious problem though), I will suggest replacing the plastic plants with silk plants. If I were in your position I wouldn't do it though, because yours are just bound to chew up the silk ones right away too, from the way it seems after hearing that they've even chewed the natural ones, and silk threads inside their bodies will do just as much harm or more than the plastic pieces.
> 
> ...


I have gravel in the tank and with a background, the tank doesn't look to bad. There's just not any dimension.

I've tried driftwood but my p's (they are p. natts., by the way) kept knocking them over. After I heard one bang against my glass, that was the end of driftwood. Plus, crap just accumilates underneath them. I have the same problems with my heater's. They swim by them and just knock them off the suction cups. I've never tried rocks before. Maybe I'll give that a try.

My six reds seemed to have "clicked" up with each other. I've notice two pairs that will constantly hang around each other and seem to protect each other too. And one pair will chase the other pair around too. The other two left are by themselves and, poor guys, are often at the receiving end of all the chasings.

They've fought with the plants in, but not as frequently.

The tank is a 72g bowfront. I have one approximately 9", two approx. 8", one approx. 7", and my two smallest are approx. 6 1/2". The ones that pair up are my 9" and 7" and the 8"ers. The pair of 8"ers actually paired up quite some time ago and the 9" and 7" recently paired up. Although my 6 1/2"ers get chased a lot, it's one of my 8"ers that bears the scars. It's the one missing scales and usually has fin damage (it's also more fatter than all my other pygos and the one that eats the most). They have been on a diet of raw jumbo shrimp. I feed them twice a week until they stop eating what I put in the tank (usually 6 shrimp, 12 shrimp in a week).


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## rbp guy (Apr 19, 2004)

PuffPiff said:


> that sounds painful, how much of the stuff did they eat?
> [snapback]1078193[/snapback]​


When I had the real plants in, all of them (I had about 4 sword plants or whatever they're called). They were big ones too and cost me lots of $$$.

When I switched to the fake ones, I bought 4 plastic ones and 4 silk ones. 2 of my silk plants were completely gone (the only thing left were the anchor and about an inch of stems (the stems were buried in the gravel)). I lost one plastic plant. The leaves had bite marks all over them.

They're still skittish. They still scatter like rabbits if I approach the tank too quickly or if strangers look at them or walk by the tank.


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## siggy (Jun 11, 2005)

It works well to lay the plants on the top of the water. I usuallu attach the bottom of the plant under the light. It seems to make the fish more comfortable as well.


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## doctorvtec (May 15, 2004)

Nothing wrong with a bare tank!


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## taylorhedrich (Mar 2, 2005)

rbp guy said:


> PuffPiff said:
> 
> 
> > that sounds painful, how much of the stuff did they eat?
> ...


Well, there goes my theory of them not chewing up silk plants as much as they do the plastic plants.








~Taylor~


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## cjdrew2 (Jul 1, 2004)

my plants slowly started to get torn out as my reds got bigger. I am just glad they started eating the plants and not eachother. Have lost 2 out of 5 already due to canabalism. so, when they eat the plants, i am not really too concerned anymore


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