Will neocaridina shrimp eat live aquarium plants?

[Nells250]

I am new to neocaridina shrimp and just noticed one of my favorite little bucephalandra looks like it's been nibbled! I can't find an answer via online search (how is that possible??) to the simple question: will neocaridina shrimp eat live aquarium plants?

 

[JackGulley]

I’ve definitely seen my shrimp nibble on plants/other objects (especially Java moss) but I’ve never noticed any damage to the plants.

 

[Mikeyboy123]

A lot of people say they do not but mine definitely do. Not to the extent that it causes a problem with my current plants, so it doesn’t bother me.

 

[gwand]

My neocaridinas (I have about 50) nibbled on plants until I hung spinach in the tank. I attached the spinach leaf to a clip with a suction cup.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF629KL2?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[Essjay]

My neocaridinas don't but my caridinas (amano shrimps) did. I currently have neos in both my tanks. I see them grazing on the surface of the leaves but not damaging the leaves. The amano shrimps shredded the leaves though.

@Nells250 what else is in the tank, fish, snails etc?

 

[Nells250]

what else is in the tank, fish, snails etc?

The tank where I noticed it only has shrimp, substrate, and plants. It is one of my "plant test tanks" that I use to teach myself the hobby. It is possible that the bucephalandra effected were going through a melt phase, as I do see some fresh leaves growing, but before the shrimp went in, they looked just fine.

 

[Nells250]

Wellp, I couldn't take it anymore... I removed the bucephalandras from the tank-in-question. The shrimp ate them down to the roots, which made me pretty depressed as I don't have a lot of money to spend and I had scored some nice ones on silly-sales. I moved them to Betsy the betta's little tank, since there are no shrimp in there. I HOPE they grow back...

OF NOTE, Pearl the betta's tank DOES have a few shrimp in it, and has had buce's in there all along, and those haven't been touched. I don't get it... I do feed the offenders, so why go after those specific plants??

 

[Essjay]

Interesting. I have Bucepahlandra biblis in my main tank and cherry shrimp. The buce hasn't been touched.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I used to buy amanos in a 50 or 100 lot. I have had them in a variety of planted tanks over the years and have not seen them damage plants. I also have Neocaridina Davidi blue in a planted 15 gal. and Neocaridina Davidi red cherry in a planted 5.5 for over a decade. I have never seen either damage the plants.

So I am not much help I guess.

 

[Nells250]

I tried to get a pic or two showing the nibbled buces... I'm having some algae issues and it sort of made for crummy pics. This one is from 3/27/24, before I moved them and when some leaves were still intact:

 

[Nells250]

They're doing it again... eating a nice new bucephalandra