Live plants in a tank with these fish:

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PaiLum92

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 18, 2010
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Fort Collins
Sorry this is posted here, but I wasn’t sure where else to post it..

Hey all, so I have a question about keeping live plants in a tank with the fish as follows:

Soon I will be getting a 125 gallon tank, and in the tank will be:
1x Black Ghost Knife
1x Senegal Bichir
1x Turquoise Severum
2x Striped Raphael’s
5-6x Yo-Yo Loaches (Possibly)
5-5x Silver Dollars (Possibly)


So, I want to know if the live plants will get eaten and chomped on, or if I should just invest in the normal ugly fake plants.


If it would be ok to put live plants in this tank, what kinds would you guys recommend? I especially like the look of the bamboo plants. What type of/brand of lighting would you recommend to help the plants grow? What, if any, chemicals should I add to the tank to help them grow?


(Also, if it makes any difference, I will be having sand, not gravel…)
 
Silver Dollars and severums tear up plants like no bodys business
 
OK, well, the Silver Dollars were a maybe, seeing as i dont really like thier look, but im wanting some middle and top dwellers..

And the Severum is a possibility as well.

Do bala sharks tear plants up?
 
Give Amazon swords, large cryptocoryne species (with leaves at least 12" length and over), vallisnerias, anubias and Java ferns a try. These may survive your severum.

Forget the bala sharks. They do eat plants and as they prefer to be in groups and grow incredibly large, no way would I suggest them for your 125g tank. Let them establish first before you get your catfishes and loaches. The doradids tend to swim rather lazily around they may uproot your plants. And yoyo loaches are far too inquisitive they may rip off the plants in their attempts to burrow the substrate unless firmly established.

Since you mentioned you want a senegal bichir, your choices for a schooling middle dwelling fish would be limited. If you don't plan a bichir, I would think that Congo tetras in a large group will really look stunning in that tank. You can still try a group of angelfish. The downside is they may eventually pair up and spawn. All hell breaks loose once they get started.lol
 
Yea, i'll just stick with fake plants then. I did have a Bala Shark die once because of a live plant. I came home from school a couple years ago and there was a leaf hanging out of his mouth as he was laying upside down on the bottom motionless. Rathr not have any more fish die if there is a chance they will eat them..
 
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