Bristlenose Bulldozers?

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Bristlenose plecs are one fish I'm yet to experience and I'm considering one as part of a clean-up crew and because I've grown to like the look of them.
(I appreciate that they can be a bit of an acquired taste one gets as one gets older...a bit like olives, smelly cheeses or single malt whisky ).

So I've been watching them in videos and want to know your own experiences of them, particular with regards to them bulldozing plants up...or not? Just by their simple mass and movements, I can easily see them displacing some plants. I've also read stuff about them enjoying Amazon Sword leaves, although the jury appears to be out as to whether it's the leaves themselves, or the algae on those leaves, that the BNs are munching down on.
There are many threads in here on Bristlenose plecs, but most seem to focus on their usefulness as algae-eaters, or breeding tales and I'm looking for stuff about them in a planted tank and the potential damage, or not, that they may, or may not, cause.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Colin_T]

There are a number of small species of suckermouth catfish including the common bristlenose, Peckoltias, Farlowella sp, Loricaria and Rhineloricaria sp. I have never had a problem with any of these types of fish harming plants or digging plants up. I did provide them with a varied diet, as well as algae, driftwood, and a tank full of plants. They really were fine and never caused problems.

In the shop tanks we had bristlenose and they would dig under rocks or wood to hide during the day but again, they never harmed plants in the tank and never dug plants up.

Bigger species of suckermouth catfish (Plecostomus, Gibbiceps, etc) will dig up gravel and plants. However, this is less of an issue if they have plenty of hiding places.

Most big cichlids will dig more than suckermouth catfish.