Spiny eel ground cover?

[Camaronator]

Im working on setting up my planted 65 and its going to have some peacock eels in it, which im sure you know like to burrow. I was really wanting to do a ground covering plant in the tank but im unsure of what to use or how to use it.

Substrate will be sandy, and my eels already notoriously dig up plants. Usually about 30 minutes after planting something theyre digging it up, i think its a game to them.

Anyway, Does anyone have experience with spiny eels and ground covering plants? Im also going to be setting up a tank for a fire eel when i get one big enough so ill be doing this more than once.
any tips on keeping plants in the substrate?

Thanks for any help
Mark

 

[MonsterMinis]

i keep chain swords in my planted tank with a starry night, hes about 10" and doesn't dig them up.

 

[firemouthdude]

Give them some wood or a cave and they won't go in the plants much or protect the roots with rocks. Spiney eels just usually don't work in planted tanks (I gave up trying with my fire eel only plants that survive are java fern on bits of wood).

 

[Camaronator]

my plants all look great, ive just learned to creatively plant them.

I have two swords in the back corner of the tank theyre in now, used to plant them in the random open spot that was there, and every morning id wake up and the plants would be floating. i watched them one time and with the two plants right next to eachother they would burrow horizontally so they dig up both plants at the same time. so now since they have a pretty well developed root structure i wedge one slightly under my piece of base rock and the other under my driftwood.

They have a slate cave i made that they occasionaly go in, although my weather loaches are a lot more interested in it and a hollowed log. they usually burrow underneath the log with their heads popping out in it.

 

[MonsterMinis]

Give them some wood or a cave and they won't go in the plants much or protect the roots with rocks. Spiney eels just usually don't work in planted tanks (I gave up trying with my fire eel only plants that survive are java fern on bits of wood).

good point, i also have two nice peices of driftwood for him to hide in.