Would these destroy plants?
- Thread starter loconorc
- Start date
loconorc;1184276; said:I'd like to try a monster planted tank in the future, but I am unsure if the fish I like would destroy plants. I don't really know specific species, but I would like discus, oscars, a FW ray, arowana, bichir, and possibly a gar. I know these live in all different levels of the tank.
Assume its like a 2000 gallon or something...
What about driftwood, fake rock background, or other decor?
Oscars can destroy a tank, plants included, they can also make life miserable for other fish, depending on the fish.
Discus are fine but are probably best kept by themselves, or with cardinal tetras which like similar conditions (not with oscars!!).
Arowana don't eat plants, but they have been known to go nuts and fly around (or out of) an aquarium, so they could be destructive.
Bichirs, no problem in fact they sometimes lie around on top of the plants smiling their little grin!
Gars may damage plants when feeding on prey items.
The books all say that rays dig but you could possible place the plants in a barrier of large smooth stones or plant them in plastic egg crate material where they cannot be dug up.
keeping a planted tank with oscars would be like trying to keep kerosene from lighting on fire.
You will be pulling your hair out if you want any plants to survive in a tank with oscars.
I think discus would go well with plants and rays and arowanas but they are in no way a monster fish by any means. The arowana will eventually out grow them and make a meal (a rather expensive meal out of them as well).
I would suggest adding some Severums!!!!! They are a cichlid that gets nice and chunky and won't tear up your plants (they never did in mine at least). They resemble discus a little bit too. Also look into some Uarus. Those would do great in the same water conditions as the arowana and rays and severums.
good luck though figuring out the planted situation though if you want rays. I would say put them all on rocks and driftwood off the substrate. And if you want a backround put a terrace and have the plants grow off that to keep them off the substrate as well.
You will be pulling your hair out if you want any plants to survive in a tank with oscars.
I think discus would go well with plants and rays and arowanas but they are in no way a monster fish by any means. The arowana will eventually out grow them and make a meal (a rather expensive meal out of them as well).
I would suggest adding some Severums!!!!! They are a cichlid that gets nice and chunky and won't tear up your plants (they never did in mine at least). They resemble discus a little bit too. Also look into some Uarus. Those would do great in the same water conditions as the arowana and rays and severums.
good luck though figuring out the planted situation though if you want rays. I would say put them all on rocks and driftwood off the substrate. And if you want a backround put a terrace and have the plants grow off that to keep them off the substrate as well.
Any pics of those severums or Uarus? You have peaked my noobish interest...
Any other Amazon suggestions? Any particular rays? I was thinking leo or tiger or a combination of the two but I know nothing of price or compataility. How big do discus get? What about angels? PLEASE excuse the ignorance! lol
No one has really responed to my matamata comment though...
I'm just tryin' to sort out my 'dream tank'. We all have one dont we?
Any other Amazon suggestions? Any particular rays? I was thinking leo or tiger or a combination of the two but I know nothing of price or compataility. How big do discus get? What about angels? PLEASE excuse the ignorance! lol
No one has really responed to my matamata comment though...
I'm just tryin' to sort out my 'dream tank'. We all have one dont we?
PoopSmart;1209099; said:
Severums will eat plants! I used to feed mine any salad we had left over after dinner (no dressing!). They like leaf lettuce, romaine and bits of certain fruit. That said, I have kept smaller ones with tough plants like Osirus Swords and Jungle Val. Less tough plants though will be eaten!
If you protect the root zone with a few well placed rocks, the Earthmovers (Geophagus, Satanoperca, Etc.) are really nice cichlids for a planted tank, and they keep the sand/gravel turned over. I have never had one dig up a well rooted plant and they are really cool fish, often with beautiful colors. Just be aware some are very mean, others perfect community fish: Research!!
Instead of rays, try discus and angelfish along with corydoras, tetras, pencilfish, hatchetfish and otocinclus.loconorc;1209164; said:
Angelfish should reach 6 inches but there are people who managed to grow them bigger than that. Are you talking about Pterophyllum scalare? There is Pterophyllum altum but are more expensive and as they are wild-caught, they are considered more sensitive in comparison to Pterophyllum scalare and captive-bred discus. Discus should reach 6-8 inches. Tom Barr(plantbrain in Aquariacentral) has plenty of discus which I believe are 8 inches or the size of dinner plates (if memory serves me right based on his claim) in his client's tank. Find his thread.
Haha nice avatar, Im a pokemon nut 
Instead of rays?? Thats like the centerpeice of the whole thing I have in mind. I can do without plants though, I could always just decorate around it to make it pretty.
Im not sure about angels and discus, I know little about them... Im new to fish... I'm a reptile guy.
Instead of rays?? Thats like the centerpeice of the whole thing I have in mind. I can do without plants though, I could always just decorate around it to make it pretty.
Im not sure about angels and discus, I know little about them... Im new to fish... I'm a reptile guy.
