Durable plant suggestions

[SoCalDiscus]

Hi All,

I'm looking for some fast growing hardy plants and could use some suggestions. I have a 12-inch pleco who has destroyed almost all of my plants and uprooted what he didn't destroy. The onion plants are all floating and my swords are shredded. All thats left of my aponogeton ulvaceus is a bulb.

My thoughts are if I could find something that grows deep roots quickly I might have a chance of it taking hold before it can be uprooted. Hardy leaves might also help survivability. The plants also need to be ok at 85 degrees and a pH of 6.5 because its a discus tank.

Thanks for any ideas... I'm getting tired of having to re-plant.
-Eric

 

[nickmcmechan]

jave Fern is very hardy, planted correcty, will grow quickly in high light, but slowly in low light

 

[Lupin]

Vallisnerias for me.

 

[nickmcmechan]

Yep, Lupin, I agree, I like Vals...however I have one tank with it where it grows runners and another where it always dies....but yes Vals are great!

 

[mellowvision]

dwarf sag roots nicely, but it takes a week or two to get to the point where a 12" anything wouldn't rip it out.

can you move the pleco for a couple of weeks while your plants get themselves situated?

 

[shaggbark]

Tiger lotus, once sprouted with be out of control and rooted firmly!

 

[SoCalDiscus]

Thanks everyone for the feedback on the plants.

I've used java fern before on wood and the root structure didn't seem all that substantial. Of course, it might behave differently in substrate.

I looked up vals in my plant book, and I already have a few of those along the back wall. They get shredded, but he hasn't been able to uproot those... knock on wood. When I last re-did my tank, I think I pulled up one of those that had a huge network that I had never noticed because of the other plants in the area. So I might go get some more of those.

The dwarf sag looks like a good candidate as well. I would love to get a turf going. It would be nice to let the plants grow in a little without him, but I don't think the benefit of the plants growing in would out weigh the potential risks of moving him.

I didn't find tiger lotus in my book, but online it looks like it could be cool. It looks like it makes good plants along the bottom and then sends up runners to the top to flower? Is this correct?

I've been trying to plant in areas that are a little more protected while leaving some open substrate to leave pathways for the big guy. I've also been planting lots of small pieces of watersprite in areas hoping that some of them take off. Thanks again to everyone who left suggestions.