Hello everyone, it seems that in my future, a tank upgrade is in-store (probably a 75g). Since the inhabitants will be rather large, I rather not waste space including rock structures, so I'd rather go all out with a planted aquarium. I know cichlids are known for digging up anything that the can, so is my best bet is to plant the entire flooring of the tank? How would I stop them from uprooting plants?
Planted Cichlid Tanks
- Thread starter Sha tha Aquarist
- Start date
Go imo java fern, and anubias are good choices they will have to be attached to aquarium safe stones or tied to drift wood most people use fishing line. The roots of java fern, and anubias can not be submerged in subtrate the roots will rot.
To minimal the uprooting you will have to set up a rock cave or drift wood cave 1 side of your tank and make sure your cichlid love it then it will move in there and only digging out the substrate in that cave for the smooth bottom. The plants that tough enough for foreground is anubias or java fern, careful when plant those plants on substrate, if you do it wrong will cause them to melt and die (if using anubias for foreground plants then you can have cory cat and some other bottom feeders using that for their cover and retreat area). You will need to use a lot of driftwood to attach java fern and anubias that above the substrate. Anyway, it's a lot of works! I couldn't find the picture of my planted tank I did for my Jaguar Cichlid pair that I had before (I posted the picture here before)...I did it because most people here said it CAN'T BE DONE so I do it to prove that they are wrong 
I sold the pair with their fry few months ago.
Edit: Jag pair was a 10 inches male and 7 inches female.
I sold the pair with their fry few months ago.Edit: Jag pair was a 10 inches male and 7 inches female.
Thanks! I currently have some plants (wysteria?) not sure but it's with my little chocolate cichlids. I have a sand substrate and so far they haven't tried to dig the plants up yet.To minimal the uprooting you will have to set up a rock cave or drift wood cave 1 side of your tank and make sure your cichlid love it then it will move in there and only digging out the substrate in that cave for the smooth bottom. The plants that tough enough for foreground is anubias or java fern, careful when plant those plants on substrate, if you do it wrong will cause them to melt and die (if using anubias for foreground plants then you can have cory cat and some other bottom feeders using that for their cover and retreat area). You will need to use a lot of driftwood to attach java fern and anubias that above the substrate. Anyway, it's a lot of works! I couldn't find the picture of my planted tank I did for my Jaguar Cichlid pair that I had before (I posted the picture here before)...I did it because most people here said it CAN'T BE DONE so I do it to prove that they are wrong
Edit: Jag pair was a 10 inches male and 7 inches female.
^^^sure you can! You can buy 1 big piece then cut it into small pieces suite your need (hand chainsaw or machine chainsaw required if you go that route)
To avoid uprooting you can place some rocks around the plant base to protect it, your chocolate cichlids might not uproot wysteria but instead eating it later on hehehe
it's depend on what plants you try to buy though, many places put anubias and java fern in a pot and called potted plants