Natural

[AshaKayx3]

Hello all! I want to make my 55gal cichlid tank more natural looking.. is it true that you can't keep live plants with cichlids?

 

[Brookster123]

What kind of cichlids?

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[OsciTheOscar]

I believe the issue is that cichlids tend to dig a lot and change the substrate scape all the time. Also they tend to eat them a bit as well. There are certain ways to plant/anchor them as well as certain plants that do best with cichlids.
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/plants_102.php

 

[AshaKayx3]

That article just lists different plants....? Lol. Is there something I can do to make them not uprootable?

 

[OsciTheOscar]

Huh maybe it was plants_101 that speaks about them... wrong link sorry...

 

[AshaKayx3]

Oh okay. I've never used that site, can I just search "plants_101"?

 

[OsciTheOscar]

I believe and add the sites name to the search... if not, the link is probably somewhere on the plants 102 link

 

[AshaKayx3]

Okay thanks

 

[Brookster123]

What kind of cichlids?!?!?!?!

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[AshaKayx3]

Oh! Sorry! I must have overlooked your previous comment. I have 2 parrots, 1 yellow lab, 2 Jack dempseys, iridescent shark, 2 plecos, and a blue/black Striped one.

 

[Brookster123]

What kind of plecos?

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[AshaKayx3]

Just common ones

 

[OsciTheOscar]

What that said, i think you should worry about your mixed up stocking before plants.

 

[AshaKayx3]

What's wrong with them? I've had them all for about a year now

 

[OsciTheOscar]

You have african fish with american fish. Is there a pic of your black/blue striped fish?
Either way thats way too much fish for your 55gal tank.

 

[AshaKayx3]

I heard you should overstock with cichlids to defuse aggression.

 

[AshaKayx3]

this is the black/blue fish

 

[OsciTheOscar]

Its a technique used by some but it doesnt always work and yours is way too overstocked... those fish with seriously outgrow that tank quick. Back to the other issue... mixed bag of fish from different regions

 

[AshaKayx3]

For the outgrowing, I know I will have to upgrade. I want to get a 125 gal minimum. But for the mixing, they've been together for awhile.

 

[OsciTheOscar]

The black/blue is melanchromis aurutus