amazon sword

Question
Michael -
I have three amazon swords that now have very thin leaves and some have been apparently been eaten by the pleco.  The non-eaten leaves are thin - maybe need higher light levels?  The low light plants in the tank are doing well.

Is there anything to get the pleco off the "salad bar", although it looks to be good for him based on growth rate.

Thanks!

Answer
Scott,
the reason the leaves may look very thin is the pleco is rasping them, essentially eating the top layers...soon you will see a "web" where the leaf used to be.
A.Swords are very adaptable as far as lighting goes.Standard flourescent lights will do, custom compacts are better, depending on the tank you have.
You may be able to slow the pleco down with algae wafers,spinach and a piece of driftwood. All plecos need the driftwood to rasp on..
If you have further questions, just ask.