# Are bushynose/ bristlenose plecos good for planted tanks?



## 6 bar

I've read that bsn plecos will eat amazon swords? Is this true? If so how come it seems to be a popular pleco among planted tank keepers? Wouldn't it eat the planted tank?


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## The old man

I've got at least one in two tanks with no problems of them bothering the swords or anyother plant. I do keep my fish well fed though.


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## 6 bar

thank you for they reply. So what do you feed your bsn and how often?


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## cbwmn

I have a 46 g with 4 DD black angels and 2 LF ABN's. The ABN's eat ONLY the swords.
I've tried sinking wafers for bottom feeders and the angels ate them. I've tried blanched zuccini and they weren't touched at al.
I love the fish I've got so I keep a "nursery' filled with mostly swords for replacement purposes.
Charles


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## gibmaker

I have kept them a couple of times and I have personally never seen them do anything to my plants.


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## cbwmn

I really like them in my tank. I've tried feeding at night after all of the lights in the room are out and they still "suck the juice" out of my swords.
I may eventually get a different species of ECHINODORUS and see if they like them as much.

Charles


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## The old man

I feed my fish a combination of frozen and flake foods twice a day. Give the bottom feeders like loaches, corys and pleco's either sinking pellets or algae wafers once a day in the evenings.

ps. Adding some driftwood is also helpful in keeping them from eating any plants. They like to rasp on the wood as it aids their digestion I've heard. They could possibly do the same on a swordplant I would guess, but mine do have driftwood in their tank.


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## 6 bar

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. With all the time and effort I've put into setting up my sword plant-filled tank, I do not think I'll risk putting in a bsn. I've just heard conflicting experiences and I think I'll lean on the side of caution.


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## Zapins

I wouldn't add them to the tank.

While they don't outright eat plants like some other plecos, they will develop favorite resting spots where they constantly rasp on the leaves for algae and over time cause holes.


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## Hedgie

I've got two bristlenoses in my tank with some swords and haven't had any problems. They did rasp on the anubis though. I now feed them cucumber one a week and haven't had any problems on the anubis since.

It does take a while for them to relise that cucumbers/zuchini are food though, so they might not touch it the first couple of times.


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## Wet Pet

I don't know about the bn's eating the plants. A good food to try for your bn is frozen french cut grean beans.The frozen gb's dont fungus up as fast as the canned ones do and you don't have to look for low salt either.


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## davemill

Literally thousands of bushynose have passed through my big planted tank. I don't think I can attribute a single leaf injury to any of them in seven years.

It all started with two, plus a cave in a piece of driftwood. Quite reliable breeders, typically 100-220 survivors per spawn, until I separated them. Too much work to raise the fry!

Having spoken to many people who have purchased their offspring, the biggest problem is giving them enough to eat. They are decent algae eaters, but this is not usually enough food. My adults each get one algae wafer a day (Omega One is the best brand, lots of algae and not much wheat) plus zucchini. They also require driftwood in the tank.

They are alas nocturnal, although zucchini in the evening tends to bring them out.


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