Need Advice

[Silencedogood]

I have been trying to grow live plants for the past couple of months but they keep uprooting, possibly because I have a 9 1/2 inch pleco? Most of the plants died; I have two amazon swords, one small jungle val, and hornwort left. I'm basically just putting the plants into the gravel with a weight. I haven't been using any fertilizer; I read it wasn't necessary? Also, Petco had told me that salt is safe for live plants so I had put half a dose in the tank and I think that killed some plants. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[FishGuest5123]

I had to Super Glue my plants to small rocks to keep them down. My Goldie’s were continually digging them up. Depends on the plant regarding salt. Most hardy plants can tolerate low doses of salt. For what reason did you add it? Plecos don’t like salt though. Mine goes nuts if I add salt.

 

[Silencedogood]

I added it because the guy at Petco said all fish need low doses of salt in the water. My pleco seems fine with salt.
I don't think there is much salt left in the tank anymore though.

 

[Silencedogood]

Super Glue is safe?

 

[Byron]

I added it because the guy at Petco said all fish need low doses of salt in the water. My pleco seems fine with salt.
I don't think there is much salt left in the tank anymore though.

This is the worst advice. Never accept anything the staff in chain pet stores tell you without first confirming it with knowledgeable hobbyists such as on this forum. There is absolutely no benefit to salt in a freshwater tank, but it absolutely does harm to the fish over time. Salt is very useful as a treatment for certain problems, fine, but never just added regularly. This is unlikely to have killed the plants, but it didn't do them any good either, though your fish are the bigger issue. I have an article on salt that may be of interest, here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/SaltArtHosking.htm

You can remove salt with water changes, so in time it will be all gone. You canot say "my pleco seems fine with salt" because you cannot see what the salt is doing to this fish internally. My article explains it.

On the plant issue, burying the roots well in the substrate, using smallish round rocks around the stem to secure them, can work. The large pleco will still be a problem of course. These fish are best in a more natural aquascape of sand, chunks of wood (they need real wood to graze for their digestive system) rounded rocks; plants can be floating. You may need plant supplements, and light is another factor too. Plants are more likely to have died from light and/or nutrient issues.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Byron is correct. Freshwater fish don’t need salt unless being treated short term for a specific issue. Super Glue is safe for aquariums. Good luck!

 

[FishFinatic77]

This is the worst advice. Never accept anything the staff in chain pet stores tell you without first confirming it with knowledgeable hobbyists such as on this forum. There is absolutely no benefit to salt in a freshwater tank, but it absolutely does harm to the fish over time. Salt is very useful as a treatment for certain problems, fine, but never just added regularly. This is unlikely to have killed the plants, but it didn't do them any good either, though your fish are the bigger issue.

I agree. NEVER listen to the people at pet chain stores. They know almost nothing about fish, and they will tell you anything if it means you will buy more stuff.

As for the salt, unless your fish specifically come from brackish water, salt is not needed. I was told about the salt in petco too, and only found out later that I didn't need it.

Now, for your original question. Have you tried anubias? The leaves are nice and thick so your pleco might not be able to eat them. Also, it's not possible for him to uproot a plant that isn't planted in the substrate.

 

[Silencedogood]

Yeah I know what you mean about chain pet stores. The only reason why I listened to that advice is because the person I had spoken to had apparently been doing fish for over 10 yrs.

I don't think I have much salt left in my tank because I haven't added any more with water changes.

Now, for your original question. Have you tried anubias? The leaves are nice and thick so your pleco might not be able to eat them

No, I haven't tried anubias. I will look into that. The pleco isn't trying to eat the plants. She's just so big that one swipe of her tail will uproot them. She is being rehomed in a few days though, so that should help.