Just started the planted life

[Red618]

Hello all I and my sonhave a 90 gallon new world cichlid tank that just recently has turned to planted. I was curious to get some input to make sure we are not crazy. When we had just the driftwood and rock in the tank I felt that there was more agression however as we have added live plants it seems the agression and behavior has mellowed out and the fish seems more at ease. As newbies I was curious to know why this is? This is the tank

 

[Texas321]

Tank looks nice.

 

[ECW]

It may be because time has passed and dominance/hierarchy has developed. Driftwood and rock create territories for the fish and each time a new piece is added there is a battle for hierarchy. The plants may also have helped break the line of sight.

 

[magpie]

What fish do you have? Some live in areas with plants and I would think that alone would help settle them. I'm a strong believer in plants in general settling fish to a certain degree - there more to hide in so they feel less exposed. Floating plants are also generally helpful in my experience. But of course I've never done africans either - most of my experience is in SA fish and most of them love plants.

But I do think that also, as mentioned above, they are likely helping to break the line of sight.

 

[Paige]

Adding plants and driftwood into a tank helps negate aggression by giving each fish his or her own territory. It's also breaks their line of sight and gives them something else to focused on than the other fish. It helps to do a bit of research on where your fish come from so you can try to mimic their natural environment so they will feel most comfortable.