22-Apr-09 10:59:48
Hi, Firstly, welcome to fishkeeping! I hope that you'll continue to enjoy the hobby for many years to come. I'm glad you like the plants. 'Plecs' are lovely fish, but they uproot and eat live plants - so I suspect that is your problem, being nocturnal it might not be obvious what 'he' is upto. Sadly it comes down to a tough choice - Plec or plants - there are smaller algae eaters that won't harm plants significantly (Bristlenoses, Peckolitas, Otocinclus - altho' Otos are softwater only) as an added bonus none of these grow anywhere near as big as 'Common Plecs'. So I'd find him a nice new home and go for non-plant eaters personally. As for particular fish liking particular plants - definitely! Labyrinths (Gouramis, Bettas) like bushy plants floating near the surface, e.g. Hygrophila difformis. If you have a pair they may build a bubble nest in it, the males are usually very good Dads looking after the eggs until hatched. Good luck with it all, Mike