Black ruby barbs destroying plants - help!

[maxheartless]

Hi, I'm new to fishkeeping, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I've had my 5 black ruby barbs for about 3 months. About a month ago I got some plants (Giant Bacopa, Pearlweed, Microsword, moneywort and primrose) and the barbs seems to be reducing them to stumps, or eating them entirely.

Tank is 22G and there's 6 columbian tetras, 2 german blue rams, 1 angelfish, 4 cardinals and 1 ancistrus in there.

Apart from the plants being destroyed, all the fish get on great - no fin nipping or anything.

Food is flake, freeze-dried and bloodworm is given twice a week.

Even though I've had them for a while, I was thinking of returning them to my local LFS - purely because of the plant destruction situation.

I don't want to return them though, as they're quite entertaining when the males are twirling round each other and change colour.

Please help!

Thanks

[bmvbab]

Returning them or putting them in some other tank might be the only choice. You can try adding some vegetable matter in their food-say some blanched spinach for a short while to see if their plant damaging tendency stops or reduces....

[maxheartless]

Thanks bmvbab - will anything with leaves do the job? lettuce?

[troy]

Lettuce would work as long as it is not iceburg lettuce. Iceburg lettuce contains little nutrients.

[mac]

Have you tried feeding peas. I found that by supplementing my Rainbows with peas it stopped them eating the plants.

For me I think the reason your fish are at the plants is they want different types of food.

mac

[korith]

Looks like you'll have to supplement their fish flake with blanched vegetables or go with fake plants. Not sure about this, but how about trying hornwort or duckweed? Both are a low light plant that is fast growing.