^ im an inbetweener... no matter what fish i keep, i try and keep it nicely aquascaped with a few plants at least...
Scape and Plant-friendly Big Fish!
- Thread starter Bishop Wulfila
- Start date
Good morning, gentlemen! (It's morning here in Greece, so... )
It's nice to see the discussion picking up.
So.
Ludwigia, Rotala, Alternathera (I currently enjoy huge success with Alternathera reineckii 'rosaefolia' as a background bushy plant), Hygrophila corymbosa, Amazon swords and Echinodorus after three or so months develop sturdy roots and are practically impossible to uproot by moderate digging.
Hottonia, Glossostigma, Micranthemum monte carlo, Eleocharis, Hemianthus and really most carpeting / foreground / middleground plants that propagate with runners and have superficial root systems will start floating around as soon as the cichlids start digging.
In the middle, there is the Micranthemum micranthemoides, which I've also found to be a very easy species to grow in a medium tech tank. Fast grower, could be used for carpeting if you're into frequent trimming, sends many runners and covers an area pretty fast and although it doesn't seem to have sturdy roots, it's very very very hard to uproot.
When it comes to no substrate plants my personal favourites are the plants of the Bucephalandra species. Beter looking than boring Anubias and do not need the very hard water that Anubias seems to need.
It's nice to see the discussion picking up.
So.
Ludwigia, Rotala, Alternathera (I currently enjoy huge success with Alternathera reineckii 'rosaefolia' as a background bushy plant), Hygrophila corymbosa, Amazon swords and Echinodorus after three or so months develop sturdy roots and are practically impossible to uproot by moderate digging.
Hottonia, Glossostigma, Micranthemum monte carlo, Eleocharis, Hemianthus and really most carpeting / foreground / middleground plants that propagate with runners and have superficial root systems will start floating around as soon as the cichlids start digging.
In the middle, there is the Micranthemum micranthemoides, which I've also found to be a very easy species to grow in a medium tech tank. Fast grower, could be used for carpeting if you're into frequent trimming, sends many runners and covers an area pretty fast and although it doesn't seem to have sturdy roots, it's very very very hard to uproot.
When it comes to no substrate plants my personal favourites are the plants of the Bucephalandra species. Beter looking than boring Anubias and do not need the very hard water that Anubias seems to need.
I feel the same way. I came into the hobby inspired by Takashi Amano and his nature aquarium masterpieces but I've found that extreme high tech tanks and vigorous scaping / trimming to be exhausting. I am more of a biotope fan but let's face it, a very realistic biotope would be an empty place of rocks, logs, roots and leaf litter. My style is medium tech "enhanced" biotope: aesthetically pleasing hardscape with dense patches of plants.
Well, my control freak days are over, once I decided that schools of cardinals and Amano shrimp just don't cut it for me. But most monster fish are just brutal! I really like Oscars for example, but there is no way I can keep plants with an Oscar, unless they are made of wire-reinforced plastic!
So I'm actually asking for compromise solutions, as you said. Also, that the diggers excavated an area doesn't mean they are going to stick to that. My convicts had a hole dug out for spawning and they mostly kept to it these last three months and then days ago I found them digging a very nice patch of monte carlo I had growing couched in a bend of the driftwood. I felt like chucking a stick of dynamite into the tank just then!
My plan is to grow only non-substrate plants anubias and fern, leaving the substrate free for big fish to dig. There are enough variety of anubias and fern to choose from. Glad to hear about Bucephalandra which is a beautiful alternative to anubias, but doubt I can get them easily in US. I am ruling out carpet plants which have no chance with abusive cichlid, but may root a few tough plants such as vals, sword or crypt in pots and hide them behind rock. My goal is to have the best of two world, keeping showy fish in lush green aquascape.
Are you running CO2?
Well I like plants and when looking for a larger tank with cichlids, I had these on my list solely based on what others had said in forums - you might confirm with others/more research though because I can only personally "vouch" for dwarf cichlids and plants.
- Australoheros, Green Terror/Saum, Chocolate cichlids, Paratilapia Polleni, Cryptoheros, Firemouths
Gars and arowana might work but I'm not sure they can be in a tank that 'small.'
Bichirs and rope fish would work though, I can vouch for them.
I have only done low tech, no CO2 for me.
Well I like plants and when looking for a larger tank with cichlids, I had these on my list solely based on what others had said in forums - you might confirm with others/more research though because I can only personally "vouch" for dwarf cichlids and plants.
- Australoheros, Green Terror/Saum, Chocolate cichlids, Paratilapia Polleni, Cryptoheros, Firemouths
Gars and arowana might work but I'm not sure they can be in a tank that 'small.'
Bichirs and rope fish would work though, I can vouch for them.
I have only done low tech, no CO2 for me.
Fish that are interesting and get along with plants:eclipse catfish,Raphael catfish,African pike,African butterfly fish,bichir,walleye,European eel,most knifefish
Learn to use the damn spacebar. Bichirs are not super plant friendly since they can unintentionally knock about plants
I would think that peacock bass would be a bad idea, they'll probably just tear up the tank. I'm not sure what would work for sure! but you could do
a huge school of bucktooth tetras
not many fish that will never disturb an aquascape especially if they are predators but let me look some more and ill find some
a huge school of bucktooth tetras
not many fish that will never disturb an aquascape especially if they are predators but let me look some more and ill find some
ok heres what I got:
Mbu puffer (doesn't have to be Mbu but they are the friendliest)
knife fish all the smaller knife fish, black ghost knife
large pleco (maybe a royal)
elephant nose
those are the least likely to tear up a scape
Mbu puffer (doesn't have to be Mbu but they are the friendliest)
knife fish all the smaller knife fish, black ghost knife
large pleco (maybe a royal)
elephant nose
those are the least likely to tear up a scape
honestly the bigger my bala's get the nicer they are to my plants. right now i have 3 around 7-8" and they cruise laps around the tank all day but never bother or uproot any of the plants, not sure if you consider them real monster fish but i think they are worth mentioning, a group of 10"+ balas is a pretty impressive sight. i helped setup a planted tank for a friends lima shovelnose and bgk a while back and they did fine in a fully planted setup. I agree most cichlids would be difficult but i would think most ambush predators would love it. my datnoid is always tucked into the plants in my tank but never seems to dig or mess with them since he uses them everyday.
