Are Plecos Okay With Live Plants?

[SiriusStarr]

Just wondering if plecos are okay with live plants... or will they eat them?

If plecos will eat them.... will ottocinclus (sp)? Cause I'd use them instead of plecos if they wont eat the plants...

 

[dylema]

I don't know about all plecos but my bristle noses don't actually eat the plants. They eat algae off the plants and sit on the leaves of the bigger plants but don't seem to do any real harm (except maybe dig them up now and then).

 

[SiriusStarr]

Hi! Thanks for replying... I meant just normal plecos, or maybe the little clown plecos =)

Thanks for the info though, bristlenoses are cool too =)

 

[phlawed]

Hi! Thanks for replying... I meant just normal plecos, or maybe the little clown plecos =)

Thanks for the info though, bristlenoses are cool too =)

to the best of my knowledge, commons are not plant eaters. Commons thrive on algae and wafers.

 

[nmonks]

Generally, plecs leave plants alone, as far as food goes... but large specimens can still damage them nonetheless. Young plants and cuttings are uprooted, for example. Partly it's because these fish are big, but also because they are incredibly clumsy.

My Panaque does further damage when eating algae. It has very specialised teeth, and these scratch anything, even the acrylic casing of the filter. Needless to say, the stems and leaves of any plant it latches onto gets hammered. Surprisingly, the plants that work best with it are those species too flimsy to hold its weight, eg., Vallisneria and Cabomba. Anything that is sturdy it will try and rasp algae from, destroying the plant in the process. Examples are Amazon swords, Java ferns, and Anubias.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[SiriusStarr]

Thanks very much, that was very helpful =) My plant is... I cant remember the exact name, but its like long grass, so it wouldnt be able to support a pleco's weight. Thanks a ton =)

 

[nmonks]

One trick I've learned is to place bamboo canes around newly planted things in the tank. The canes stop the Panaque getting too close. Once the plant is established, I can pull out the canes.

Cheers,

Neale