Lettuce for catching pond snails in an aquarium... oops... catching more Armano Shrimp than snails

That is not shrimp nor snail damage in the photos. I am not aware of anything that will actively eat live java fern. If a leaf or blotch on a leaf (fronds actually, these are true ferns) with dying cells, critters may well snack on that. But not live healthy tissue.

The holes in leaves that are black are usually a nitrogen deficiency. Nitrogen comes as ammonia/ammonium, from the water. So no fish, as you mentioned above, naturally reduces the nitrogen. Nitrogen (ammonia) also comes from the decomposition of organics in the substrate. For years I ran a planted 20g tank to use for newly-acquired fish, and it could sit empty for months, even two years during my surgeries. The plants looked like it (other plants like floaters) but as soon as fish went in, bingo.

Areas of transparency in the fronds is often too much light. This is a low-light plant.

The other thing is the change from hard to soft water is or can be extreme for any plant, and that may be part of this too.

In one day the shrimp have shredded a note book size piece of lettuce… this picture taken last night, when I couldn’t post…

A herd of shrimp seem to be the equivalent to a swarm of locusts.
For goodness sake Magnum Man don't put your hand in the tank!
But seriously I wouldn't have thought they could munch so fast but then I only have 3 liquid locusts.

Anyone know what this is??? Chewed up lettuce???
2 of the bigger female shrimp on it right now, both doing this…

Almost like they are making cocoons for larvae???

Maybe they are making lettuce balls to save for later??? I think this is a male with one down on the driftwood

About the snails.. have you tried putting in carrots instead?
Whenever I put a carrot in my tank the Ramshorn Snails I own go crazy over them.

I’ll have to try that maybe tie a small string to a chunk of carrot, so I can pull it back out when it get visitors

@Sir Guppy Guppy… do you blanch them, or put them in raw???

I wash them raw in fish water, then cut them up a bit to make it easier for the snails to eat.
I should probably blanch them though as that would probably kill anything bad in the carrot like parasites.
Though, I’ve been doing it this way for years though without problems.

yet

So not trying to be argumentative, on the Armano shrimp not eating plants… but I added 2 new bunches of Java ferns ( no black spots ) 2 days ago, and already the leaf edges are tattered… tried to get a picture of a shrimp on that leaf, but he moved while I got the camera ready

I believe you ...Amano shrimp eat plants and they can indeed do so at a rate of knots.
We have three as I said before.
Never an ounce of trouble in all the time they have been here.
Bought a new plant for the rear of the tank and since it has been in the tank the Amano have turned on it.
The wife and I watched the little so and so's dismantle it hole by hole.
This morning the plant is half its height with some of its stems floating around tank.

Amano dinner time.
There has to be a reason for this - lack of food or the new plants are soft and vulnerable perhaps.
Can't see the shrimps this morning they must be off sleeping somewhere after that meal.

I like having a mess of them in this one tank, they are active and fun to watch, but I don’t think I’ll add any to my other tanks