Cryptocoryne and Anubias: safe for plecos, right?

[bekateen]

Hi all,

I'm asking for a friend:

In my own limited experience, Cryptocoryne and Anubias are safe for plecos in case they chew the leaves. Have any of you ever had the reverse experience? Do you have any reason to think these plants can harm plecos if eaten?

Thanks, Eric

[Bas Pels]

With a big pleco, I would be more afraid of the plants.

for small ones, I do have 2 tanks with Otocinclus and Cryptocoryne, without any problem

[bekateen]

With a big pleco, I would be more afraid of the plants.

Do you mean afraid that the plants would harm the fish, or afraid that the fish would harm the plants?

I've had both Anubias and Crypts in tanks with clown plecos, Ancistrus, and L397, without any harm to plants. But that's a pretty limited range of experience. My thought is that larger fish would eat the plants and destroy the plants.

Cheers, Eric

[TwoTankAmin]

You should be fine as long as you do not get any of the carnivorous varieties of crypts or anubias. Some can eat a large bristlenose

Just kidding.

Plecos are not at risk from any aquarium plant I have kept over the years. The only plants at risk from bristlenose are the ones with finer/softer leaves such as some swords. Ancistrus can rasp some of the leaf when going for the algae on them. Plecos can also bulldoze ground cover plants as they root around in them. I have never had corys hurt by or able to hurt any of my plants.

[Jools]

100% safe from personal experience.

Jools

[Bas Pels]

@ Bekateen - the latter. I have 40 cm Pterogoblichthys gibbiceps, which I would not combine with the Cryptocryne fields I'm so proud of. Because one landing in them and half the plants would break, be unrooted or otherwise destroyed.

But that does not have anything to do with poisons, the topic starter inquired after

[b.reder]

For what it is worth- I put 5-6 " of my wife's Pathos (no leaf polish) in each of my tanks..... no problems.