Common And Plants

[**sarahp**]

This may be the dumbest question ever asked on this forum but have any of you ever got plants to grow (or even just stay in place??!!) in a tank that also contains a common pleco??

My common - Alan - named after a TV gardener in the UK - is a lovely fish but he is such a git. He just trashes the tank everytime I try and put plants in it. I'd love to have a few amazon swords or vallis or anything really; but everytime I try he just digs them up with a flick of his tail. I'm beginning to think he does it on purpose.

Does anyone have any ideas, maybe pots rather than straight into the substrate? Or do I just give up and stay with a bare tank? I'm sure the others in there would like a few plants!!!

 

[BettaBettas]

I don't keep plecos due to how big they get, but I think maybe your substrate should be deeper, how much is in there?

 

[squidneh]

I'd go for floating plants and plants that can be attached to drift wood versus substrate plants. 

 

[**sarahp**]

plants that can be attached to drift wood versus substrate plants.

That's a very good idea - I will have a look at what is possible. TBH I thought that moss was the only thing that grew like that - but I've done a little bit of research since I first saw your comment. Will now do some more research. Alan is probably not going to be that happy about it - but hey ho!!

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[Baccus]

I dont have common plecos beause of their eventual size but I do have bristlenoses, with males well over 15cm and they too have a powerful tail sweep. I do have plants with them, some Val, Java fern, Anubius and even in two tanks lilys. Mostly when newly planting rooted plants I will use a large rock to help hold the plants in place. Just until the fish lose interest in them and the roots have had a chance to spread through the substrate.Anything else like anubius, java fern or bolbotis I tie to rocks and timber with zip ties. Do not be tempted to try any of the mosses because the pleco will just break it into a thousand pieces and it will clog your filter intake.
Another otption would be flaoting plants like Amazonian Frogbit, of if its legal to keep where you are water hyacinth. I did have a native hornwort in my tank that the BN's where not able to destroy but it grew like crazy and it became too stressful for me removing it and worrying that the jungle of hornwort wasnt holding tiny eggs from my egg scattering species or even hitch hiking shrimp.
 
Anubius on wood in one of my tanks

 
Anubius on a natural rock also in one of my tanks.

 

[**sarahp**]

Thanks for the advice Baccus! TBH a common wasn't on my original stocking list when I set up the tank 8+ yrs ago; I wanted a nice starlight BN!! Unfortunately I went to do a mortgage in someone's home and saw he had a 2ft tank with 4 commons and 6 goldfish - it was awful to see. I got him talking about the the tank, explained that I had just finished a fishless cycle and would take the commons if he wanted - hoping desperately that he would (I'd have taken the lot and rehomed then if he'd have let me!!) He was quite defensive - I think he knew it was a bad tank setup - but eventually he let me take 2 commons. Unfortunately when I got them home they started fighting after a week - presumably because they now had something to fight over? They never moved in his tank. I had to rehome one because of the fighting so I was just left with Alan.

Will start looking at plants and they best ways to attach them to things. Do you remove the zip ties after a while or do they stay on permanently?

 

[NickAu]

I use super glue to stick plants to rocks and bits of wood. The glue will eventually break down but by then the plants should be firmly attached to the rock or wood.
 
All the Anubias in my tank is/was super glued about a year ago.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/442007-betta-being-a-betta/#entry3748293

 

[Baccus]

The zip ties I eventually remove once the plant as attached itslef. In the second picture I put up the zip tie has been removed and the anubuis is nicely attached by its own roots. Try not to use smooth rocks for attaching plants to, if the rock has some roughness to it the plant will find it easier to find root holds.

 

[**sarahp**]

Excellent - thanks!!  Will try that.  I'm also I'm planning to put a lot of plants into a new 10 gallon that will eventually house a betta so will use the same system!!
 
*wanders off to look at plants on Ebay*