Plecos and Plants

aparker2005

aparker2005

AC Members
Apr 15, 2007
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Arkansas
Hey everyone............I had a 6" Common Pleco in my tank for a while and I also just started doing live plants in my tank. I took the Pleco back to my LFS because he was always rooting up my plants.

Well 2 days after I've taken him back, I am starting to have a lot of brown algae looking stuff on my tank glass. I had this problem before, and I got the pleco and never had the problem again.

So, I am wondering if there is any kind of pleco I can get that won't eat or mess up plants? I will be going to Petsmart later this week because that's the only place I have to get other kinds of plecos other than common plecs. Thanks!
 
why dont you ask your LFS if they can order more exotic pleco's.

the stores around here will do what they can for you.
 
someone probably has better advice, but they really will eat anything veggie, its they"re natural food. you could try and get a veggie clip. it sticks to the side of the tank, and you can hang some lettuce, zucchini, from it and he will love it, this may deter him from up rooting your plants. also if you have wisteria, he will never let it grow!

just make sure you clean any leftovers outta the tank the next day, or it"ll get nasty!
 
Yeah I'm starting to think that's why my Wisteria I got in December wasn't growing well. The Wisteria I got last week is already growing since he's not been in the tank. I just wish I knew how to control the brown algae on the glass!
 
Otos will eat the brown algae and they stay very small.
 
they should be ok with the angels,just make sure they are not tiny when you get them and they are great for planted tanks. i dont know about petsmart. i never trusted those big stores anyways. i have a local store t,hat has more knowledge than petsmart ever would. i know saometimes its not convienient, but an outta the way knowlegable store is better than an easy access store. hope everything works out with your plants!
 
I have a bushy nose pleco that is great for brown algae I saw some in Petsmart in NJ also clown plecos.
 
Plecos root around in the substrate. Depending on the size of the pleco and the type of plant, uprooting can be an issue all the time. There is also algae on most plants we can't see but they can find. So many plecos can rasp plant leaves. This normally isnt to much of an ussue for most plants, but sword plants are particularly vulnerable.

The bigger the pleco, the bigger the plant it can disturb. You will also discover similar problems with loaches and any other fish that root through the substrate on a quest for food.

I have many bristlenose and the only plants they bother at all are the swords they are rasping the algae off. They are great algae eaters and max at about 5+ inches.
 
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