Current and plants

[xray]

I have a 90 gal cichlid tank that I woud like to plant. My latest concern(there have been many) is about the current. I now have 3 power heads shooting behind the rocks in order to avoid dead spots. I've read here that plants don't like current. How do I keep trash from collecting in the rocks.
One more thing while I got your attention. How often do I need to move the rocks and vacuum behind them. :?

 

[malkore]

some plants get torn up by the current, some plants do fine.
The real question is, what kind of lighting do you have on this tank? Because light levels determine what plants you can even try to keep successfully.

I'm no cichlid expert, but I believe Mbuna are big herbavores, which means many plant species will be snacks.

Hopefully Travis will offer his opinion on the fish you listed in your signature, and some compatible plants. He's done a lot of hands on experimentation with his 125g mbuna tank.

 

[travis simonson]

I'm with Malkore on the current - some plants seem to love it, others would rather be in still water. Look at the leaf structure of the plants you are considering and it will give you a good idea of how well they will do in a high current. Fine leaves are often indicative of plants evolved for growth in moving water. I wouldn't worry about it at this point - like Malkore said, lighting should be your biggest concern when starting a planted tank. You'll also want to find plants that will do well without CO2. I've had great luck with Cryptocorynes in my mbuna tank.

As to your fish selection I can say that I keep L. caeruleus and they don't bother my plants at all, unless they happen to get in the way of their excavation My male Labs are like Charles Bronson in The Great Escape and will dig anwhere they find open gravel. I would be careful keeping mbuna with Haps and Peacocks. Labs are probably OK because they're omnivores and have similar dietary needs, but like Malkore said, most mbuna are herbivores and can get Malawi bloat from a high-protein diet like Haps and Aulonocara require. They're also a lot more aggressively territorial than Haps/Peacocks and might cause problems when kept together, although I've seen a lot of people doing it.