SO, I figured I would get some anacharis as a treat for my goldies and grow it in my tropical tank, putting one strand in every now and then for the goldies to much on(cause they mow em down in NO TIME). Well, I kept finding the strands getting uprooted, and I didn't think it was my beta doing it. I had heard that ottos munch on plants, but only a little bit. Then I put a cucumber slice in the tank, and it was GONE in a day. Everything but the skin.

THen I looked at my anacharis strands... DOWN TO THE STEM! So, I now know the culprit for the uprooting. Heck, they practically bite the strands in half. Its really making me angry, cause that stuff was for the goldies. Dirty ottos...

Perhaps if you gave them other things such as cucumbers and other green treats to eat, they would leave the plants alone?

That is strange... I have 5 otos and they do not harm any of my plants, including anacharis. When they run out of algae I just attach a piece of dried seaweed to a veggie clip or feed extra Progold to my goldies.

Heh aaron I'll take your ottos off ur hands

No no no, don't blame the ottos for this. Yes, they love their zuchanni and cukes, but they won't eat your plants. They will graze ON them for algae, but I've never had an otto actaully damage the plant.

Is your anacharis breaking off about an inch above the substrate? Looks 'chewed'? This isn't from the fish most likely, this plant does best if floated, not rooted. If you try to root it, and don't give it enough room between the stems, the stems will rot so the plant can float up in the conditions it likes better. I learned this the hard way when I first tried it. Make sure you take off any lead weights or rubber bands, and plant each stem individually, not as a bunch, with some room inbetween. You don't need a tone of room, but an inch apart or little more. Then pretty soon it'll be growing faster than you know what to do with it!