Anyone Tried Live Plants In A Cichlid Tank?

[lil.guppy]

Im guessing its not a good idea, because they would probably kill them, but if its possible which kinds...

 

[darrel69]

I gave up on real plants ... they were shredded to peices within a cppl of days. If you want real plants, then your best sticking to the more hardy type... otherwise they'll get battered leaving you with leaves and stalks flaoting all-over .. or they'll just simply get eaten.

There are a few plants that are good to use with malawi's... i think java moss is one, im not sure ?? Also, there's a cppl of plants that these cichlids dont like the taste of and will leave alone but ive forgot what you call them ?? It begins with 'V' i think ... someone will know..

 

[kj23502]

I believe the word that Darrel was looking for is Vallisneria .

I have java moss and java fern in my mbuna tanks. The fern is holding up a lot better than the moss. In my main tank I have carnivores(c. afra and pundamilia nyererei) and they still tore the crap out of my moss!

Here's a tidbit from an article:
African Cichlids and live plants seem to be a "no-win" combination. Most plants have a tough time growing in very alkaline water because of the high levels of magnesium. Besides, Cichlids do a good job of trimming down plants. They provide yet another niche or territory for a fish to claim or hide in.

There are a few species of plants that they don’t seem to like and that are well adapted to their alkaline water. These include Java Fern, Vallisneria sp., and the Anubias family: A. barteri, A. congicus, A. gigante, A. gracilis, A. heterophylla, and A. nana. If you decide to take a stab at growing these plants in your tank, be aware that mbuna are terribly adept at digging up plants. For this reason, you should plant your plants in pots. Some plants can also take up too much swimming space.

Hope this helps.

You can also try a search on the African Cichlid portion of the website! You may also find something about what plants need what water in the planted tank section?!

 

[darrel69]

Yes LOL ... Vallisneria and Anubias, thats right.

 

[kj23502]

Here's a great link to some of the plant types.
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Plants-a...-Planted-links/

 

[kj23502]

lil.guppy, are you going to try any? I'm interested in hearing if you do!

 

[dthoffsett]

Thought you guys might get some useful information from this article.
[URL="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_101.php"]http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_101.php[/URL]

 

[wslinky]

I have live plants in my current Mbuna tank, and had them in my previous tanks. As mentioned it greatly depends on the plants you choose.

Currently I have 2 Swords, 3 Crypts, 2 Anubias, 2 Lace Jave Ferns, a couple bunches of Hydro Wisteria, Ludwigia(sp?), Brazilian Pennywort.

The Swords are doing ok this time, in my last tank my sword got to big for me to keep. This time there are a few holes in some of the leafs from the fish.

The Crypts are doing awesome and even with the Acai which are know to mow down plants they haven't touched this plant. 1 of them has doubled in size in the 2 months since they've been in the tank.

The Anubias are the same as the Crypts, doubled in size and everything, both these plants are considered slow growers.

The Pennywort has all but died at this point, I think I read somewhere that it prefers soft water.

The Ludwigia(sp?) has doubled in height and eventhough it seems to be a very delicate plant, the fish haven't touched it.

The Java Fern is doing ok, I have some new growth but nothing major.

The Hydro Wisteria is an awesome fast growing plant, I think this is the best plant for a Cichlid tank. This plant grows fast enough to combat the hungry cichlids, I had it in my last tank and this one and both times it has done very good.

The only other plant I have that the cichlids love and may be why my fish haven't touched the plant I put in the tank, is the algae. My fish spend all day and night picking the algae off eveything (plants, rocks, filter, sand, and glass).

I have some other info in my Journal that is pinned and linked in my signature, if you have questions let me know.

 

[MojoDex]

african cichlid generalises it far to much IMO

Mbuna i agree having plants is a BAD idea but malawi haps are generally fine as are most tanganyikans tropheus excluded

 

[darrel69]

Thought you guys might get some useful information from this article.
<a href="http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_101.php" target="_blank">http/www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_101.php</a>

Ive been thinking of going real with plants now.. thats a great article, nice find !! Thanks.

I have live plants in my current Mbuna tank, and had them in my previous tanks. As mentioned it greatly depends on the plants you choose.

Currently I have 2 Swords, 3 Crypts, 2 Anubias, 2 Lace Jave Ferns, a couple bunches of Hydro Wisteria, Ludwigia(sp?), Brazilian Pennywort.

The Swords are doing ok this time, in my last tank my sword got to big for me to keep. This time there are a few holes in some of the leafs from the fish.

The Crypts are doing awesome and even with the Acai which are know to mow down plants they haven't touched this plant. 1 of them has doubled in size in the 2 months since they've been in the tank.

The Anubias are the same as the Crypts, doubled in size and everything, both these plants are considered slow growers.

The Pennywort has all but died at this point, I think I read somewhere that it prefers soft water.

The Ludwigia(sp?) has doubled in height and eventhough it seems to be a very delicate plant, the fish haven't touched it.

The Java Fern is doing ok, I have some new growth but nothing major.

The Hydro Wisteria is an awesome fast growing plant, I think this is the best plant for a Cichlid tank. This plant grows fast enough to combat the hungry cichlids, I had it in my last tank and this one and both times it has done very good.

The only other plant I have that the cichlids love and may be why my fish haven't touched the plant I put in the tank, is the algae. My fish spend all day and night picking the algae off eveything (plants, rocks, filter, sand, and glass).

I have some other info in my Journal that is pinned and linked in my signature, if you have questions let me know.

Some good info you have, thanks... What pH/hardness do you keep yours in ?? I know most plants dont do well in hard water, thats one reason i went fake lol but wanting to back real now.

 

[wslinky]

Some good info you have, thanks... What pH/hardness do you keep yours in ?? I know most plants dont do well in hard water, thats one reason i went fake lol but wanting to back real now.

The GH is about 10, the PH I try to keep it about 7.6 which is about where my tap water is. I do have to add Baking Soda do to the CO2 lowering the ph. At 1st I was going to keep my GH about 20 but since my tap water is 10 I decided it was too much work to keep it that high.

I am still looking at new plant to try, if I find any I will update my journal with pictures and how they do.

There was another great group of article on this topic, if I can find it I will post a link.

Any other questions let me know.