# P's keep uprooting plants



## Handikapped (Nov 5, 2004)

ive got anachras and moneywarts in there and i bushel them together with a heavy lead wrap and bury they im the gravel....within an hour at least 1 or 2 plants are floating at the top. i left for new years and came back to all my plants on top of the water again!! how can i get them to stop doing this besides switchin to fake plants


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## mypiranhas (Dec 28, 2004)

I put plants in little clay pots. also makes it easy to clean cause you can move them around in the tank while you clean.


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## dan-uk (Oct 31, 2004)

Fake plants wont work either.I had these plants and my 2 reds always uprooted them and now my tank looks horrible and bare.You could try and lay rocks beside them so your fish cant uproot them as easily,but as you have live plants it might damage them.You cant stop this destructable behaviour unfortuantly they are just them type of fish.


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## Handikapped (Nov 5, 2004)

the fish dont dig in the gravel to get them out they run full speed into the plants like they are swimming through them and after a while the plants either break or just float up.....i was thinking of putting a thin layer of sponge under my plants, moving them to a diff tank and letting the roots grow into the sponge for stability and them put them under a pot or something think thatll work??


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## PacmanXSA (Nov 15, 2004)

Handikapped said:


> the fish dont dig in the gravel to get them out they run full speed into the plants like they are swimming through them and after a while the plants either break or just float up.....i was thinking of putting a thin layer of sponge under my plants, moving them to a diff tank and letting the roots grow into the sponge for stability and them put them under a pot or something think thatll work??
> [snapback]825301[/snapback]​


If the fish are just running into them casually and they are getting uprooted, I suggest you bury them a little deeper









I haven't had a problem with this as of yet...

Pac


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## Husky_Jim (May 26, 2003)

How deep is your gravel and what type is it?


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## Handikapped (Nov 5, 2004)

ive got about 1½ inches of black gravel. my fish seem to hate the plants one will rin into the cluster of anachras then the next will kinda like they are marking their territory or something like that (they are all at about 5-6" so i think their hitting maturity/puberty and being assholes)


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## piranhas in farmdale (Jan 3, 2004)

lol i would get some more gravel


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## BruceLee420 (Nov 19, 2004)

im sorry to laugh at someone elses misery :laugh: but godamn i cracked up when i saw this thread cuz i own three redbellies and ive never even attempted live plats because mine literally tackle and try and eat even the fakes one i find little bites out of the fake plants all the time and ive also seen them just tackle the plant with their side for no apparent reason i would say use fake plants but its up to you


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## Gumby (Aug 13, 2004)

That's strange, what kind of piranhas? I've got 5 red bellies and 4 caribes in a live plant tank. In some places my gravel is about 4 inches thick, others it's no more than an inch.

I've never had a problem with live plants being uprooted but I do have a problem with my piranhas(maybe plecos?) shredding my Wisteria up at night and clogging up the fish guard on my overflow.

Try getting already rooted plants and planting the roots deeper.


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## Judazzz (Jan 13, 2003)

The easiest method: stop freaking them out









A more realistic method is more gravel: 1,5" of gravel isn't that much for plants to anchor themselves firmly, especially plants with long roots.After more than 2,5 years, my reds still uproot plants from time to time, but after adding an additional inch to an inch and a half of gravel, things got much better.
Also, you could try covering the roots/plant base with drift wood or rocks, or planting them in area's that are hard to reach for your fish.


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