Almost all Anubias species grow slowly, which is why the increase in leaf mass remains rather modest. However, it is sometimes necessary to cut off parts of a plant. Be it that it protrudes too far or takes up a lot of space under water. However, when cutting, substances are released that are not good for wildlife.
How do you safely cut Anubias in a shrimp aquarium?
To safely cut Anubias plants in a shrimp aquarium, you should either remove the plant from the aquarium, rinse the cut areas under running water and then water, or divide the cutting circumference into several times with water changes to reduce the risk to minimize oxalic acid release.
Anubia produces oxalic acid
The Anubia plant produces oxalic acid inside. This substance in itself poses no danger to the wildlife in the aquarium as long as the plant is undamaged. But when it is cut, open interfaces are created. Oxalic acid comes out of it. In the water it is distributed evenly until it can be found throughout the entire aquarium. This means that the animals living in the water come into contact with it.
Danger to shrimp
Oxalic acid is not considered toxic, only harmful to he alth. But this statement does not apply to such small and delicate aquatic creatures as shrimp. You can address it. Of course, the dose makes the poison here. Other animals seem to have fewer problems with this substance. At least there are no known negative reports about this.
Note:The risk of oxalic acid escaping and shortening the life of the shrimp also exists when dividing rhizomes for reproduction.
Possible solutions
It's not a nice solution to forego cutting the Anubia or even cut the plant altogether for the sake of the shrimp. But fortunately no one has to do that. It can be cut so that no oxalic acid gets into the water or the amount is so small that shrimp can survive unscathed. These are the two alternatives:
- remove from the aquarium for cutting
- Divide the cutting circumference into several times
Taking out Anubia
If the Anubia can be easily removed from the aquarium, this procedure should be preferred when cutting.
- Remove the plant
- carry out necessary cutting work
- Rinse interfaces under running water
- Put the plant back in the water
Tip
It is even better to water the plant outside the aquarium for several days before returning it to its original location.
Divide the cutting circumference into several times
Shrimp can also cope with small amounts of oxalic acid. We could take advantage of this and cut the Anubia piece by piece. Ideally, each partial cut is combined with a water change. This means that even small amounts of poison are removed from the aquarium promptly.
