Pleco/Substrate issue

[bladeruner143]

I currently have painted gravel in my tank, but i want to change to sand so tha i may grow plants in my tank. I have 2 Plecos about 5 inches in length, will using sand as a substrate hurt my plecos?

[Dangerdoll]

The sand will be just fine for the plecos, be sure to provide wood for them, you should be carefful to watch your pH/ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels though if you're changing all the substrate as you may go into a minicycle. What size tank are you talking about?

[bladeruner143]

My tank is a 55G

[Dangerdoll]

are they common plecos? Common can get up to between 18" and 24" inches. Being in a 55 gallon, this could result in aggression between the two as they get bigger.

[bladeruner143]

no, they are Trinidad Plecos. sorry about that, i probably should have mentioned that! Also, do you know anything about using sand as a substrate with plants?

[wataugachicken]

sand is actually a lot easier to use for plants, at least in my experience. there are commercial substrate mixes available such as Eco-Complete (sand/gravel mix) which are great for plants. only mix plants and plecos if you don't mind re-anchoring them in the sand every day or couple days. the plecs just barge right through them. i'm learning this myself. . . .