# Plecos in the planted aquarium?



## geeks_15

I know very little about plecos, but I've seen some nice ones recently and I was wondering which ones work well in a planted tank. Does anyone have any experience?

I have bristlenose (bushynose) plecos so I know they work.

The LFS has some nice L201 plecos and occasionally has some leopard frog plecos L134 and I was wondering if they can be kept with plants?

One more question, in my heavily planted aquarium will I ever see them or will they hide all the time?


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## Tex Gal

I've kept the L134 and several others that are no larger than 6". They will uproot plants if you don't provide hiding places like logs or caves. They like to hide. You also need to make sure there is a place that you can throw algae wafers and such for them to eat and not uproot through your plants. They like raw food like blanched zucchini, cucumbers, peas, spinach and such. Many varieties need driftwood. They produce a lot of waste so you need to have water changes and good filtration. I think they are worth the extra effort.


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## Tex Gal

I don't use plecos the control algae. I know that the rubber-nosed plecos do eat it but your best bet is to balance the tank, ferts, lights and CO2. There will always be some algae. I was reading an Amano article in THF the other day and he was talking about regular maintenance to get rid of BBA from driftwood.

Plecos are such great guys. I have a Peckoltia sabaji that I have had for 10+ years. I call him my old man. Here's his px. He's beautiful when he puts his fins up. Wish I could get him to co-operate. He's been moved so many times. He's my pal!


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## flynn

I just added an amazon sword to one of my tank that already have anubias and valisneria ... my BN jumped on the sword like if it was the best veggie they had in a long time ! So they were really getting at it, I had to remove it after 2 days !
I thought BN were pretty safe with plants ??
And at least 2 or 3 BN had a snack !


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## Tex Gal

Maybe they where hungry. Can you feed wafers and fresh veggies?


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## Gibby

BN's do have a habit of destroying swords. I give all my plecos canned peas and broad beans. Peel the shells off and rinse before putting them in the tank. Swords are now safe 

The angels like to have a pick at them too.


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## marshall02

You have to be careful as it can transmit diseases into your fish tank, with the driftwood you can leave it out in the sun to completely dry, this will kill any bacteria or parasites present but you can't do this with the plants, you could give them a chemical bath but it wouldn't be good for them. you should care of your fishes.

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vivarium enclosures


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## spypet

I would not get any pleco in a planted tank unless you have a LOT of wood in your scape.
if you do, get ONE of the smallest plecos you can find. if not, stick with Oto's and snails.


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## OVT

I have 1 ~8 year-old BN and 2 juviniles in separate tanks. Never saw them really eat algae, I keep them for looks. I had 2 or 3 that thought they were in a salad bar, had to take them back to LFS. You will see them later at night, they are mostly hiding during the day. I used to have a common pleco who got to about 8+". He would destroy plants just by moving around in a 75G. Clown plecos stay around 4" and mostly eat wood.


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## seove

I just found a bigger home for my pleco yesterday. It was a struggle trying to do a planted tank without CO2 and with a pleco. It was about 10 inches long in a 55 gal. I should have remembered from years ago that a *55 gal. is not large enough for a pleco*. And definitely too small for multiple...


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## JuliaAdkins

Plecos love sliced unpeeled jicama (as do many other aquatic creatures). A dilute solution of water and hydrogen peroxide is good rinse for plants before entry into tank. Dip them and leave them for 20-30 minutes. Thorough rinse in clear water before introduction to tank. Reduces accidental introduction of unwanted pathogens and microscopic critters.


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