[AquaAurora]

I do not know which forum this thread should be in?.. Fish.. Plants.. General? If its in the wrong one please let me know and I will ask to have it moved or close and re-do in proper section.

As the title says I am trying to figure out plants for a soon-to-be tank that can hopefully withdstand a Leopard Sailfin Pleco occassionally munching on or generally crashing though them. Not all details are worked out yet but it will be 22-25 inches high with medium lighting (I will have to prod someone to figure out math/bulb types later to get "medium lighting") and probably a CO2 injector. I've looked at several plants so far (mostly from this site's "plant profiles") but have not tried them with the Sailfin Pleco yet.

(please note I do not intend to put all of these species in the tank)
Italian Val
Carolia Fanwort
Cardamine
Brazilian Pennywort
Water Wisteria
Water Sprite
Ancacharis
Orchid Lily
African Green Hygro
Tiger Lotus
Sword var. Rose
Cryotocoryne x willisii
African Water Fern
Java Fern
Amazon Sword
Coffee Anubias
If you want the scientific name let me know.. I'm too lazy to type them all up right now haha.

If anyone has had any experience with one or more of these plants with a Leopard Sailfin Pleco (or other large breed omnivorous/herbivorous pleco) please give feedback on their comparability (basically the plants survival).

Also open to suggestions on plants you've had success on keeping with a Leopard Sailfin Pleco (or other large breed omnivorous/herbivorous pleco).

 

[HybridHerp]

Well, let me put it to you this way.

I had a large endli bichir in my 75....14"...now, a bichir is more flexible and not as thick as a 14" pleco

Even though he didn't eat plants, he uprooted EVERYTHING just be swimming and turning.

Now, honestly, I don't see a planted tank working with a large pleco. Whatever it didn't devour (which I'm assuming it would devour most any plant) it would uproot.

If I were to even think of attempting that...I wouldn't do it in a tank any less than 2 times the width of the fish....meaning if it was a foot long pleco I wouldn't attempt a planted tank unless it was like...a 120 gallon or larger tank.

Even then, I'd only attempt low light plants like gals...maybe anubias. I'd be afraid that a pleco of that size would just munch on the leafs of anything large, and that any fine leafed stem plants would just get knocked around.

Just my two cents, and I'm sure others will say the same.

 

[AquaAurora]

Well, let me put it to you this way.

I had a large endli bichir in my 75....14"...now, a bichir is more flexible and not as thick as a 14" pleco

Even though he didn't eat plants, he uprooted EVERYTHING just be swimming and turning.

Now, honestly, I don't see a planted tank working with a large pleco. Whatever it didn't devour (which I'm assuming it would devour most any plant) it would uproot.

If I were to even think of attempting that...I wouldn't do it in a tank any less than 2 times the width of the fish....meaning if it was a foot long pleco I wouldn't attempt a planted tank unless it was like...a 120 gallon or larger tank.

Even then, I'd only attempt low light plants like gals...maybe anubias. I'd be afraid that a pleco of that size would just munch on the leafs of anything large, and that any fine leafed stem plants would just get knocked around.

Just my two cents, and I'm sure others will say the same.

Ok thank you for the advice and feed back on your experience with bichir (cool looking fish btw).

I've been using youtube videos to research tanks with large plecos and live plants to get some ideas. I most commonly see amazon sword, a few types of anubia, and some needle-y leaved long stem plants (have to look them up) that all seem to be surviving their plecos so I may do something simular. Will have to figure out how to anchor the plants too, anubia I know works well once established on driftwood.. though I've been trying to do that in my current tank with anubia nana and my pleco keeps munch on the roots before they can grow out and latch onto the wood.

 

[secuono]

I had a 9in pleco in my planted tanks, he rarely caused issues. Must of been just my fish.

 

[mr.bigglesworth]

I had a 6inch bn pleco. He never caused problems with eating and uprooting only happened during feeding time and that was just a few unrooted stem plants that he hated being in that 1 6 inch corner space but was otherwise perfect.

 

[AquaAurora]

I had a 9in pleco in my planted tanks, he rarely caused issues. Must of been just my fish.

Do you know what type of pleco did you had secuono?

I had a 6inch bn pleco. He never caused problems with eating and uprooting only happened during feeding time and that was just a few unrooted stem plants that he hated being in that 1 6 inch corner space but was otherwise perfect.

According to many owners, the bristlenose plecos are much better around plants than the larger breeds like the sailfin and common pleco.