Bn Pleco And Plants

I am thinking about getting a BN pleco or two for my 55 gallon tank and was wondering if they ate live plants since I was thinking about getting some of those too.

Bn's don't eat plants so they should be fine.

Mine do love Courgette though

Mine is a bigger danger to the bogwood than my live plants

Teelie said:

Bn's don't eat plants so they should be fine.

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Haha I wish you'd tell all my bn's that! They eat just about anything apart from Java fern. And they demolished my planted tank (despite feeding greens)

Here's one example

Mine loves his cucumber, he leaves all my plants alone

I'm with Bloo on this - nice soft leaved plants don't last 5 mins with our bristlies - AndyJ's BN's are the same - they seem to me quite partial to a nice Amazon sword

I've got some Amazon swords and my Bn ignores them... but he also ignores cucumber so I suspect he's not read the same sites as we have (probably spends his time looking for pic's of Bn's without bristles )

I guess they do eat soft-leaved plants afterall.

smithrc said:

I'm with Bloo on this - nice soft leaved plants don't last 5 mins with our bristlies - AndyJ's BN's are the same - they seem to me quite partial to a nice Amazon sword

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Humm, I guess I better look close eyes on them. I got 3 baby(2 ABN and 1BN) in the community tank. And there is a nice size Amazon Sword( it got moved many tanks with different lighting ondition) but I think the half the leaves are protected by algae. The new leaves are pretty clean. But so far, I don't see no holes on the leaves.
And it seems they all have different favorite spot or territory. 1 ABN seems always on the back of Emperor filter inlet plastic, and another ABN on the leaves of Amazon Sword and BN on Asparagas stem on vege clip. I know I am suppose to take the vege out in a day or so but s/he is on it day after day. I don't feel right to take it out.
It was kind of funny that the other evening one of the ABN try to go near the vege clip and BN and ABN circle around on the front glass try to knock the other off and try to give tail whip.
I don't know that is the thing to come about the turf war or what. They are still small and I see both of them on the stems before.
Ah, they can have leaf or 2 from Amazon Sword if they want to. I just make sure they have some vege on vege clip.

NEONCORY said:

smithrc said:

I'm with Bloo on this - nice soft leaved plants don't last 5 mins with our bristlies - AndyJ's BN's are the same - they seem to me quite partial to a nice Amazon sword

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Ah, they can have leaf or 2 from Amazon Sword if they want to. I just make sure they have some vege on vege clip.

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they will always eat the new shoots - so you really won't have an amazon plant left for long

Bloo said:

they will always eat the new shoots - so you really won't have an amazon plant left for long

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Humm, that maybe a problem. I don't have many Amazon Swords. I got pretty big one in the community tank about 12~14" with like 30 leaves although like half has some algae on it. I probably should take few dirty leaves off little by little. But I hope the new leaf in the middle is safe. Otherwise, I may have do something. I got 3 small BNin 29G with the pot of Amazon Sword. I will check the middle later on. Hope it still there.

BTW Bloo, I am not a much of cat person. But I always thought your kitty cat is pretty one with pretty eyes. Perhaps have some Siamise(sm) blood in it?

NEONCORY said:

BTW Bloo, I am not a much of cat person. But I always thought your kitty cat is pretty one with pretty eyes. Perhaps have some Siamise(sm) blood in it?

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Thanks neoncory he was indeed part (quarter) Siamese and (three quarters) Bengal.

You might be somewhat OK if the plants are large and very established so that the inner shoots are protected. Otherwise Java Fern is good.

Bloo said:

Thanks neoncory he was indeed part (quarter) Siamese and (three quarters) Bengal.

You might be somewhat OK if the plants are large and very established so that the inner shoots are protected. Otherwise Java Fern is good.

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You are welcome. You must miss his inquistive look when you said he WAS. But I guess it is a fact of life.

Anyway, the Swords is big and BN are small. And have some Java Fern also. I like to have that Sword in the tank for center piece. So hope they eat vege and algae and not the plants. And so far so good it seems.

My bn leaves all my plants alone. However, from what the other members have said, I would say that it depends on the individual pleco.