plants cichlids wont tear up????????

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
I like anubias for my tanks. I hear some species taste bitter and don't get eaten(I'. not sure about this). It does good in low light and doesn't like being rooted. I just jam it, or tangle it between rocks and driftwood. And its from Africa, so you can try and find a species from the same region as your fish.
 
i rock two nice bunches of mondo grass(that get trimmed about every 10 days...damn they grow fast) in my 30gal with 4 eureka peacocks...try mondo perhaps...i to prefer the natural look good lokkin out.
 
softturtle;566681; said:
I like anubias for my tanks. I hear some species taste bitter and don't get eaten(I'. not sure about this). It does good in low light and doesn't like being rooted. I just jam it, or tangle it between rocks and driftwood. And its from Africa, so you can try and find a species from the same region as your fish.
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bitter hmmmm that sounds right up my alley but im having trouble finding them cuz the closest stores to me are petco. petsmart and wal mart id have to go across town to the ma and pa stores but i guess it will be worth the trip in the end once again thanks for all the info ppl:headbang2 :drool: :headbang2
 
yes, anubias is a very durable plant, and tastes real bad. another good one is java fern, same deal.
 
fishcatch22;568906; said:
yes, anubias is a very durable plant, and tastes real bad. another good one is java fern, same deal.
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Now that you mention it i have a java fern thats been in my tank for about 7 months they still pick at it but they dont devoure it. how big can a java fern get if i actualy fertilize it????
i may just get a bunch of those:)
 
You still havn't answered what kind of cichlids you're keeping... if they're tropheus or Mbuna, then your options are pretty limited to anubias, and maybe java fern. Java fern can get very large, if you've ever seen a "mother plant" they can get downright huge, with 12" leaves and tangles of rhizome. If it's possible for you to establish the plant in one tank and them move it to the cichlid tank once it's started really growing, you might have better luck. Another grassy plant that tastes bad is crinium or onion plants. They have long strappy leaves that come in a variety of morphs from wide and straight to thin and curly, to ruffled leaves. I have mine in ceramic pots that I've covered in silicone and then covered in gravel. It won't help with the nibbling problem, but it helps keep them from getting uprooted.
 
No plant is indistructable. If a fish was so inclined it could tear up whatever the plant.
Anubias, java fern and java moss are said to be either unpalatable to fish or simply unpleasant to them. Several people report success keeping these kinds of plants with their mbuna (the type of fish in your avatar, M. greshakei). Others can keep even more kinds of plants. And still, some folks cannot keep any live plant in their mbuna tank.
My fish had no problem eating Anubias or java fern and relished java moss. They also ate giant vallisneria and anything else I ever trie to keep in there with them.
Unlike my situation, however, some folks seem to be able to pull it off:
http://www.plantgeek.net/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=318
The secret might just be in the planting. A whole lot at one time. That way mbuna don't have a chance to eat it all over the course of a few days and get used to the plants as parts of their surroundings. It's a shot but one with a pricetag.
 
"Anubias, java fern and java moss" Are these types of plants that you can pick up a chain type stores or is this something you are going to have to go to the fish man to get? The reason i ask is my local petsmart probably has 20 different plant species and usually the prices are a bit more reasonable. Not to mention everytime i go to the fish store the guy hagles me the whole time.

javier.:WHOA:
 
These plants are pretty easy to find. I'm not sure how common they are at Petsmart, for the most part all I recall them carrying is swords, lillies, african fern and a jumble of stem plants along with several non-aquatics.
Around here they're staples of most any local fish shop.
Anubias is a genus of African aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. Most common is A. barteri which grows nice and large. They're low-light plants that don't have to be buried. In fact it's better that you don't. Tie the plant down to wood or rock, keep the rhizome uncovered.
Java fern is the same for keeping. Low-light, no bury plant.
Java moss can be found easily through www.aquabid.com. It's another plant you don't bury, but tie down. It's another low-light plant and eventually covers whatever it's tied to.
 
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