135 planted stocking help

[KeeshyRee]

Question guys. I have a 135 planted thinking about maybe adding a pair of sevrums. How bad will they tare my plants up? It's a low light set up with Amazon swords jungle Val Italian Val dwarf sag Anubis Java ferns and a melon sword.
My waters too hard for angels or discus any other decent size options that you know of? I currently have for bala sharks a rainbow shark four German blue rams two albino bristlenose 2 blue gourami 2 pictus catfish and a peacock eel

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[KeeshyRee]

Anyone?

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[icydeath]

You seem pretty stocked as it is if you add the sev's. Why don't you work on scaping and let the balas and severum have the extra space? I'm sure they would appreciate it. Minimalist in terms of stocking is a good look anyway.

They should be fine with the plants

Also if you are keeping rams, you should be able to keep domestic angels..

 

[KeeshyRee]

That's the plan if I decide on the sevs. But I'm worried about them wrecking my plants

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[Pseudomugil]

You could maybe add like 5 boesemani rainbows...

 

[icydeath]

They may eat some plants, but I've read and heard if you give them some romaine lettuce and feed vegetable flakes or pellets it can lower their affinity to eat plants.

 

[NigelK8485]

My severum doesn't destroy the plants too badly. Every once in awhile I'll see him tearing off a leaf or uprooting one, but it's not horrible. He's still young though. I sometimes give him kale or zucchini, maybe once a month. Doesn't seem to prevent him from chewing on leaves.


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[icydeath]

I think it is only helpful when it is constantly in the tank. I don't know though, just a guess from what I've read.

 

[NigelK8485]

When I first got him I tried that, fresh veggies four days a week, kept in the tank for 24 hours. It didn't seem to prevent him from eating leaves, which is why now I hardly do it. I haven't seen any increase in him eating plants since stopping offering fresh vegetables. Like any cichlid though it all boils down to the individual fish. I think it's a very safe bet to say that your Vals will be gone and your swords will have leaves ripped off or chewed up. Anubias for the most part will be left alone but mine does bite off the occasional leaf from mine, only the Anubias nana though.

I'd recommend clearing out your tank before ordering the severums though because they can be rather aggressive especially towards other cichlids.


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[icydeath]

Hmm, given Nigel's experience, I would go with Angelfish.

Domestic Angels will be fine in hard water.

 

[KeeshyRee]

Thanks guys! I think I'll give angels one more try and see how it goes

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[icydeath]

Alright! keep us updated!