Low light plants and cichlids?

[ninjastar]

I have these in my tank and wanted to know if they would kill the pants or leave it alone.

2 x Tiger Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus)
2 x Giant Danio (Perilampus aequipinnatus)
1 x Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus)
2 x Common Pleco (Pterygoplichthys pardalis)
1 x Redhead Severum (Heros sp. Rotkeil)
2 x Jack Dempsey (Rocio octofasciatum)
1 x Cuban Cichlid (Nandopsis tetracanthus)
1 x Green Spotted Puffer (Tetraodon nigroviridis)
1 x Albino Cory (Corydoras aeneus)
1 x Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla sp. Xingu)

 

[cichlid2006]

I have these in my tank and wanted to know if they would kill the pants or leave it alone.

2 x Tiger Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) will probably dig up and move plants as it sees fit.
2 x Giant Danio (Perilampus aequipinnatus) leaves plants.
1 x Clown Loach (Chromobotia macracanthus)probably leave plants but may dig them up by accident. you also need more than 1 clown, preferably 4+.
2 x Common Pleco (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) will probably destroy plants because of its sheer bulk.
1 x Redhead Severum (Heros sp. Rotkeil) will eat plants, a large part of its diet is vegetation.
2 x Jack Dempsey (Rocio octofasciatum)
1 x Cuban Cichlid (Nandopsis tetracanthus)
1 x Green Spotted Puffer (Tetraodon nigroviridis) as far as im aware puffers are solitary fish and target tankmates.
1 x Albino Cory (Corydoras aeneus) will leave plants but again it needs a group of 4+but CAN'Tbe housed with oscars long term.
1 x Pike Cichlid (Crenicichla sp. Xingu) probably not compatible with cories.

my thoughts in red. you have quite a mix there and some of it cant possibly behoused together long term. this includes:

- oscars with cories,
- oscars with small clown loaches (under 4") long term,
- cories need a shoal of 4+,
- clown loaches need a shoal of 4+,
- from the reading ive found your puffer needs med-high end brackish conditions but thrives in marine water conditions. they are also highly aggressive (thank you **************.com).

you appear to have a group of completely incompatible species.

did you research them at all?
also what size tank are they all in?

you have far more to worry about than your plants.

 

[Otherone]

Hard to say - Oscars are very playful. As stated above anything planted in the substrate will more than likely be uprooted by your larger fish. HOWEVER - Java Fern and Anubis grow on driftwood or holey rock. Tie them securely with fishing string and it might work for you. Both are low light plants. Java Moss, X-mas Moss and Moss Balls are also non-substrate rooters however they are on the delicate side. I wouldn't recommend these 3 due to the mess that will probably occur as the Plec's
grace on the micro-biology that grows on plants.

 

[Sab_Fan]

anubias and java ferns can often be made to work with cichlids, as long as you tie them securely to rocks or driftwood

Cichlid2006 is correct, some of your stocking decisions are questionable, and I share his concern that unless you have a very monster-sized tank, then you do indeed have bigger issues than which plants to try . . .

 

[cichlid2006]

after reading what i wrote i would like to point out that while my questions/comments may come across as judgemental, they arent meant to. they are merely questions and comments phrased badly.

 

[Sab_Fan]

after reading what i wrote i would like to point out that while my questions/comments may come across as judgemental, they arent meant to. they are merely questions and comments phrased badly.

I didn't read it that way at all, but I agree, sometimes these concerns can sound like criticisms . . . in this case, I just think it's important for the OP to be aware that some of his choices may not be in line with conventional thinking . . .

in particular, I'd worry about the puffer, and I agree that loaches and cories do better in shoals . . . I have kept cories and oscars together w/o much trouble, however

 

[naten]

Question? what is a shoals. I just set up a 100 gal with 3 firemouths and 3 clown loaches. They are setteling in nicely. I really enjoy my corys in my community tank,never thought of putting them in with my cichlids. They don't have the knives on their face like the loaches.

 

[cichlid2006]

Question? what is a shoals. I just set up a 100 gal with 3 firemouths and 3 clown loaches. They are setteling in nicely. I really enjoy my corys in my community tank,never thought of putting them in with my cichlids. They don't have the knives on their face like the loaches.

a shoal is a school of fish. loaches do far better in large groups, i aim for 4+ but im sure that may be too little for some people.

while cories do not have knives on their faces like loaches, they do have very strong spines on their major fins. should they get eaten they push these spines out which stops the aggressor spitting the fish out and then both can die.
loaches use those facial spines by flicking their heads which to me is far better for the attacking fish. it at least gets to keep its life.

as for oscars with cories, as a general rule cories can fit in a med oscars (6"+) mouth quite easily and oscars will generally try to eat anything that they can fit in their mouth so its probably safer not to mix the 2.

however, there are always exceptions to the rule.