Can Plecos be kept with any live plants?

[HyperionLore]

I've had a bit of luck growing wisteria in my "experimental" 10 gal betta tank, and the results have been quite rewarding. Neither plastic nor silk plants are remotely as attractive to the real thing. I'd like to either move some of my wisteria over to my 46 gal but the one thing stopping me is that I have an 11 inch pleco there. Are there any plants that could withstand being in a tank with him or am I better off just sticking to silk plants in that aquarium?

 

[mfdrookie516]

Your best bet is going to be getting that 11" pleco in a bigger tank, or preferably in a pond. I have no experience with the common plecos (because I dont believe they belong in the aquarium trade), but I can tell you that the smaller varieties like rubber lipped and bristlenose are fine with plants.

 

[TheCrazyFishLady]

I have had lots of live plants with my pleco. He doesn't really bug them much, just sucks on the base. Any of them that have been in with him have turned out fine. I don't believe they enjoy bamboo though, he stayed far from them, until I removed them from the tank.

 

[mgamer20o0]

live plants will work though i would think about upgrading the tank. 11 pleco in a 46 gallon tank isnt a lot of room.

 

[HyperionLore]

Yeah, the plan is to upgrade to a bigger tank when my husband gets back from his deployment and can help do the heavy lifting. The largest tank anyone else in my family has is a 55 gal and its narrower than my 46 gal. At least where he's at right now, at it's thickest (from front to back) my tank is about 18 inches. (It's a bowfront.) It's not the greatest setup but he's got room to move around.

Maybe when my plants are a more than little sprigs I might attempt to move some of them then. I suppose the only thing I might have to worry about then is his tail. When he gets to moving he can leave a trail of knocked down ornaments and decorations in his wake.