Tank companions

[PlantFiend]

Hi.I'm somewhat new to the forum, and I wanted to find out if anyone has put aquatic Utricularia in the same tank with their fish. If so, have the fish, snails, or etc. bothered the plants? Thanks

Chris

 

[Gawd_oOo]

Hmm since no one else responded. Yes I tried it, the fish found it very tasty and I no longer have my aquatics...

 

[endparenthesis]

I used to have massive amounts of U. gibba in mine. I pulled it out because there was as much hair algae in the mess as gibba.

I guess it's vulnerable to herbivorous fish like any other plant would be.

 

[zac]

I've heard of people constructing small transparent sections in their tanks and then allowing the utrics to grow in there free of the fish.

 

[StifflerMichael]

I have some aldrovanda growing in my planted tropical fish tank. The fish do bother the plants, but only my platies and siamese algae eater; the tetras, otocinclus and corydoras do not. My tank is heavily planted, and this effectively keeps the algae away. to promote good plant growth, I have an intense 55-watt compact fluorescent bulb. The best way I've found to keep the aldrovanda healthy is to hide it in the mess of leaves from my stem plants at the top of the aquarium right underneath the lights. The fish can't reach the plants, and being direcly underneath the lights the aldrovanda takes on a nice red color and there is pretty good growth. I think you would have the best luck growing a tropical ultric (U. gibba?) and buying one of those fish isolation boxes (used for breeding, or for quarantine and found at any fish hobby store) to keep the plant safe.

 

[jimscott]

Why not put the aquatics in with an outside filter? At least the fish won't bother them.

 

[chloroplast]

Seems like I missed the initial post.

I have my U.gibba growing with a couple of water (Apple) snails which eat algae. I haven't noticed the snails bothering the plants; however, be aware that certain snail species have been known to feast of aquatic utrics.