# Do you trust Bristlenose and Plecos in a planted tank?



## Jim (23 Jul 2011)

Do you trust Bristlenose and Plecos in a planted tank?

Do they leave you Sword Plants alone?

Jim


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## George Farmer (23 Jul 2011)

Luck of the draw really.

If they're well fed then the likelihood of them demolishing swords is reduced, but never guaranteed.


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## Jim (23 Jul 2011)

Thanks for the reply.

I'm pretty sure that my Bristlenose is damaging my newly emerging leaves of my swords. 

I think I may catch it tonight with a torch and move it to another tank, then in a month or so I will know if it's the culprit.


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## greenink (23 Jul 2011)

Jim said:
			
		

> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> I'm pretty sure that my Bristlenose is damaging my newly emerging leaves of my swords.
> 
> I think I may catch it tonight with a torch and move it to another tank, then in a month or so I will know if it's the culprit.



Mine killed all my carpet plants


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## Ben M (23 Jul 2011)

Mine were fine until I went on holiday and my bro didn't feed them enough. A huge amazon sword was practically destroyed in a week (I do have 7 L144 though).

cheers


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## ghostsword (24 Jul 2011)

Plecos I'm not sure, never kept them, but bristlenoses will make a beeline to your amazons, mine did.  they were replaced soon after.


.


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## Alastair (24 Jul 2011)

Touch wood my bristlenose has been great, I pop a long slice of cucumber in every 2 days, and drop a jbl mini pleco chip in each evening and I've never seen any plants nibbled and I have a couple of echinodorous species in too that have remained untouched


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## bogman (24 Jul 2011)

i have found that the common sword ( bleheri)is the one they tend to develope a taste for above other species, though i also suspect them of having a bit of a go at E. quadricostatus who's leaves i have always found quite delicate and easily damaged


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## Stephan (25 Jul 2011)

I got lots of photos back from customers who lost _Alternanthera_ species to the Plecos in a matter of 10 minutes after they planted them. If the cucumber method fails, just pop in some Parrot Leaf and you're fine . Only joking...

Here's some circumstantial evidence...

Since we're at it: I have also had SAEs and Amano Shrimp inflict some damage on plants. There's some photos of those in the above post as well.

--Stephan


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## bogman (25 Jul 2011)

good link, the damage on the amazon sword is a picture perfect copy of the damage i have experienced with bristlenosed catfish.


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## Westyggx (25 Jul 2011)

I wouldnt keep them in there for the fact they crap everywhere all over the tank and its not as if its a small crap either!


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## bogman (25 Jul 2011)

thats a good reason not to keep them in there! though i can't say i ever noticed that problem, not with ancistrus anyway, you should try keeping water clear and clean that  houses large L190's ! now that is a tank if not filtered properly will look like someone shoveled a bag of sawdust into the tank... the best description would be blizard or sandstorm!


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## Westyggx (25 Jul 2011)

bogman said:
			
		

> thats a good reason not to keep them in there! though i can't say i ever noticed that problem, not with ancistrus anyway, you should try keeping water clear and clean that  houses large L190's ! now that is a tank if not filtered properly will look like someone shoveled a bag of sawdust into the tank... the best description would be blizard or sandstorm!




Haha i had to move a plec to a tank downstairs with no plants in as it was like a trail of brown string everywhere in the tank and they dont even eat that much!


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## Alastair (25 Jul 2011)

Westyggx said:
			
		

> bogman said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...




ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww  :?


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## collins (25 Jul 2011)

From my experience my bristle nose went absolutely mad and demolished my tank he was fed on hikari algae tablets etc etc but one night he went mental and created what can only be described as total destruction nearly all of the stem plants were either uprooted and broken or bare stems strangely the swords were the only survivors?


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## dory (27 Jul 2011)

I guess it depends, really. I have a lot of friends who had trouble with theirs, but my best mate had no hassles at all. I remember when I was staying in Amsterdam, my housemate used to put *driftwood* in the tank, I believe, cause it helps their digestion or whatever and it keeps them away from the *swords*. And be careful with the anubis. 

Or try Alastair's suggestion with the cucumber, heard it works (though it make take a while for them to realise it's food  ). Not a big expert, though, just sharing what I've heard, so no judgements


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## jamie_99 (6 Aug 2011)

When i first set up my tank, sword plants didn't do to well, whether that was down to the bristlenose or lack of plant growing experience, i don't know. But the leaves just disintegrated over time. Needless to say, they're long gone. All other plants have been fine over the last 12 months (crypts, java fern/moss and vallis).


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## maanse (7 Aug 2011)

I have to say, having had my bristle-nose for over 2 years now i can honestly say ive not had a single plant of any variety damaged by him (that includes swords and anubias). His diet consists of sinking pellets or algae tabs daily and some cucumber / courgette every couple of days...... He does have bog wood in there too tho...


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## Jim (12 Aug 2011)

No damage to any plants since I moved my BN out of my main planted tank.

They're happy in their new quarters and I have put around 25-30 small pieces of driftwood into my koi pond and they are getting covered in luxurious amounts of algae and I'm rotating them through the BN tank. They clean one impeccably in 24 hours!


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