Suggestions for fish etc. to keep in my plant quarantine tank

[JoCinWB]

I've decided to keep a 5.5 gal tank running permanently to quarantine plants (my pleco is an asshole and eats all my plants so I am replacing them regularly). I'm looking for any suggestions of living things I can keep in there since I have to look at it. I was thinking shrimp but I really like fish.

I have a new female betta in there at the moment, but she should be moving to the big tank in another week if she continues to look healthy. She has also taken care of the stowaway snails that came with my red root floaters. What a girl!

(And if by the way you can recommend any plants the pleco won't eat, it will be appreciated.)

[Native Keeper]

White cloud mountain minnows would be best for this 

They can handle all sorts of temperatures

they aren't picky with params

and they won't damage plants!

Edited January 15, 2022 by HydraSlayer

[Guppysnail]

Do you regularly feed your plecos blanched veggies. It keeps mine and their babies from eating any of my plants even swords. If I skip a day or two though I’m guaranteed to have damaged leaves. 

[Levi_Aquatics]

Maybe some endlers? They are relatively undemanding and are pretty colorful. You can also get them to breed in a 5

[JoCinWB]

On 1/15/2022 at 12:50 PM, Guppysnail said:

Do you regularly feed your plecos blanched veggies. It keeps mine and their babies from eating any of my plants even swords. If I skip a day or two though I’m guaranteed to have damaged leaves. 

I have tried that. Sometimes he eats them and sometimes he ignores. 

[Patrick_G]

I’d go for Otocinclus and some Amano shrimp. They’re great at Algae patrol but also really fun critters to have in the tank. 

[Sweetpickles]

I have seen panda garra in the plant tank at our lfs. Not sure if that's helpful. They are one of my favs. I have 3 in 2 different planted tanks. They like to rest in the plants but don't seem to harm them.

[anewbie]

ember tetra (4 or 5); peacock gudeon; dario dario (require live food); sparkling gourami (3); shelford kuhli (these are like mini khuli loaches);  pick one of the above though you might get away with ember and shelfordi...

[Fishy101]

Java ferns are usually not consumed by fish even plant eaters due to their rough texture and it seems most fish also do not like the way it tastes. Anubias’ also tend to have thicker leaves so you could give those a try if you haven’t already. 

[Dawn T]

My plecos leave my Anubias (nana AND petite) alone, except for the blooms, which are apparently a delicacy to them. LOL They don't mess with my Crypts, Bacopa, or Hygrophila either. Java Ferns are left alone, too. Something is snacking on the leaves of my Pogostemon, but I think that's bladder snails rather than plecos. At least, that's what the damage looks like. I have both common and bushynose plecos in various tanks, in case species matters.