what is it missing?

[mr funktastic]

ok here is my 55 gallon african cichlid tank.i think i just finished my cycling processand added some new fish. this is a picture just after i set it up so u only see like 2 fish but there are more now. i have 2 yellow labs(soon to be 6) 2 "eureka" peacocks a elongatus mepanga(cant spell it lol) a demasoni and 2 mix breed cichlids that look like kenyi. i think tha once i add the rest of the yellow labs the tank will look ok for the fish but it seems to be missing something drastically in the decore. i am not sure if i need to add more rocks at the back maybe in more of a cluttered way to fill in space or some fake plants in foreground ond backround for filler. the only thing i want to keep the same is the open swimming space in the front. the tank is only 12" wide so i would rather build up then across the tank. if u have any plant ideas please tell me the type of plant so i know what i am looking for not just say "some tall plants at the back" thanks in advance

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Add plants to the back. LOL

Seriously now. I would add some groupings of plants in the back to hide the filter and add some color to the tank. Add some greens and reds. Maybe even some yellows. But don't over do it. Too much color will take away from the fish coloration. So try not to match any of the plants to the fish colors.

 

[u2_Crazy]

Colour. It needs some Colour.

or Color if your American

 

[mr funktastic]

pure canadian and proud of it so i will be adding some coloUr to the tank. i was thinking of going with a few red clay plany pot thingies so add some more caves and then using the pots to build off of with some more marble. what kind of plants do you suggest? i can get some tall ones from a dollar store near me that i think might look nice but i really love live plants. do africans just dig them up or do they maul the whole plant? i can do things to stop them from digging them up but there is noting i can do to stop them from beating the crap ut of them. do you think that there is any way that i could add a peice of driftwood without making the tank look funny? thanks for the advice so far

 

[u2_Crazy]

I personnally (and I'm definitly no expert) would go for tall plants like swords or java ferns to cover the backwall. I think then a few small scattered plants like anubias nana would look good in the front (maybe 2 or 3). that would give the tank some depth and colour. I don't know anything about ciclids really so I couldn't advise on whether to go real or fake, but I think green would definilty finish it off nicely.

 

[u2_Crazy]

even a planted background with a few tall plants would enhance it. that would be cheaper than buying enough to cover the whole background.

or the background that looks like dark lava rock would be nice too.

anyway, post a pic if you do anything.

 

[Skyrmir]

Only thing I could think of would be a rock wall of some sort. And some fake plants here and there sparingly.

 

[Guest]

I feel the same way about my african cichlid tank.. like somethings missing and its not quite complete... I think part of it is becuase the fish are still rather small. lol. So it tends to looke empty.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Alot of africans are algae eaters, which means that they will eat algae off of plants. Mine get pretty rough on the plastic plants sometimes. You'd have to get a pretty hardy plant, and even then they will probably uproot it. You may want to PM Travis for questions about planting an African tank. But there are limitations on what you can choose.

 

[Guest]

hey you know what you need... MORE MARBLE.. pile it up really HIGH all over the place adn then put plants behind, in between , and in front.

 

[mr funktastic]

i was actually looking at the texas holy rock. it is pretty much the same thing as the lava rock but white. if i put a few good chunks in between where there are no rocks i could then pile more marble on top of that. but i am definatly going with plants aswell. i will keep everyone updated with pics if i change anything.

 

[Guest]

Texas holy rock- Expensive.. lol. Of course this enitre hobby is expensive.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hi again...

Have you thought about painting the back of the aquarium? Here's what I did with mine. I was going to go with black or midnight blue, but when I went to Lowe's, I saw a bunch of textured spray paints. Now of course with fish in the tank you will have to be real careful, but can be done. Check these 2 pics out.

 

[mr funktastic]

that looks really cool lonewolf. i was thinking about painting the back of the tank but i dont like how permenant it is. i am gonna try some plants but not untill i make my new canopy because of how low light it is. thanks for the suggestion though

 

[Guest]

Hey mr. funk.. im currently experimenting with different plants in my 55 gallon... i have some anacharis in there they does fairly ok but constantly gets uprooted.. LOL... and i just bought some Cabomba to put in there. I already had it in my 10 gallon and it grows pretty good so i thought id try a few bunches in the big tank and so far its doing ok. If you find any plants that work good let me know!

 

[mr funktastic]

if u want to help prevent the uprooting get small clay pots an run the roots through there and the bury the pot in the sand. they will have a hell of a time up rooting them then. i have some giant hygro in my tank right now that i want to put a few stems into the tank to see what happens but i really need more light. i have 2 18" strip lights that came with it but thats only 30 watts in 55 gallons. u could hardly consider that to be even low light. i have another plant bu i dont know what it is. do the africans only uproot it and not shred it at all? i dont mind replanting it sometimes but i dont want to waste the money on a snack for them.

 

[jrp1588]

(colour...bah. lol) yes, a good piece of holyrock is VERY EXPENSIVE! I think a few run of the mill tall plastic plants placed here and there would look good. Maybe build up the marble a bit higher...play around with it, see what you like.

 

[Guest]

Mr funk- I also have only 2 15 watt bulbs in my 55 but i find that plants actually do ok in the tank if they are classified as lowlight. Taller plants seem to do better becuase they can reach the top where there's more light.

the african's mostly eat the algae off the plants.. not the actually plant. But so far they haven't really torn mine up too bad.. but they do pick at it. I think plants with broad thick leaves would be the best option.

 

[mr funktastic]

thanks for the tip ashley my gians hygro grows very high and has a pretty thick leave to it. i think i am gonna try this plant in my 55. i will post a pic if i put it in.