Hello,
This is my first post here! Anyway, I have kept 2 albino bristlenose plecos (The normal common ones) for about two years. I will be setting up a new tank and I would love to grow a ground cover on the entire substrate. Any ideas of carpet plants that would work with Bristlenose plecos in medium light? I was thinking maybe Fissidens fontanus or Riccia Fluitans. Would bristlenose plecos be happy with this setup or would they rather have a normal sand/gravel substrate?
Thanks in advance for the help!

you will always havew troble with bristlenose and ground cover plants. Its not that they dont like them or that they are not suitable, its just that all the really tasty slime and algae grows under the plants so the bristlenose will rip the plants up to get to the yummy stuff.

Your best bet is to get it really well established before letting the bristlenose loose on it in the hopes that it will be deeply rooted into the substrate so the bristlenose cant rip it up. otherwise its a never ending battle. i know because i slaved for months to try and get various ground cover plants groing in my CO2 tank but never could as the bristlenose kept ripping them up. in the end i gave up and am not getting some crypts to cover the bottom, as well as some large clumps of green lotus.

ones that i think would work well if estabished would be hair grass, HC (depending on substrate) or even moss. all can look amazing!

Thank you for the reply!
Is "HC" Hemiantus callitrichoides aka baby's tears?
As for moss, do you mean Java moss (And its other forms like Christmas, Singapore, Weeping, ect.)? Or Marimo (the moss balls unrolled)?
Thanks again!

yeah, baby tears is the stuff. looks mad, nice light green.

moss means any of them, they will all take to growing on the substrate given the right conditions

You said that you have tried many ground covers, what is your experience/thoughts on Cryptocoryne parva and Echinodorus tenellus?
Thanks again for the help!

I havent heard of the first one .

the second one is one that i looked at for a while but in the end i didnt go with it, basically becasue i couldnt find any locally. I know it as pigmy sword and its a nice looking plant. It is meant to have good solid roots and as such would be good onces its established.

It may take me 2 or 3 months, but expect pictures soon (or at least, soon enough)!
Thanks again!