Cichlids with Live plants

[isaac newton]

Kinda a newb question, but is it possable to have live plants with them?? From what ive seen the tanks holding cichlids are quite rocky.. Does keeping cichlids require very high ph?

[dcallen]

Cichlids for the most part tend to tear up or eat plants, so while live plants look really good I don't think they are necessarily the best thing to put in a Cichlid tank, some may rebuff me on this. Cichlids like a higher Ph level. The Africans that I keep like it at or above 8.0. I keep my Ph at about 8.2 to 8.3. Some species of Cichlid like a lower Ph closer to neutral but still on the alkaline side say around 7.5 or so. Good luck.

[Cloud-9]

I have kept a planted cichlid tank (55 gallon) with an orange pike cichlid, green terror, and a synodontis species. It wasn't what you would call an attractive tank. Most of the plants were of the floating variety, like Java Moss. I also had Anubias and Java Ferns tied to rocks and driftwood. The answer is yes. You can have plants and cichlids, but you have to choose your plants carefully. This might not work with plant-eating cichlids.

I'm assuming that you're interested in keeping South American and Central American cichlids and not Rift Lake Africans. Plants generally prefer soft, slightly acid water. They would not do well in a hard water, alkaline tank. The exception might be the Java Moss.

[inxs]

You can keep cichlids with plants - the best bet is to post this question with the inclusion of the cichlids and/or plants you would like to keep in the plant forum.

[RTR]

Disagree that plants prefer and only flourish in sift slightly acid water - that is mythology.

[ChilDawg]

Originally posted by Cloud-9
The exception might be the Java Moss.

Among hundreds, maybe even thousands, of others found within the aquarium trade. Any good book on Tanganyikans lists a half-dozen to a dozen cheap and hardy plants well-suited to those aquaria.

[jimbo]

African cichlids from the “Rift Lakes” require a relatively high pH
8.4 for Cichlids from Lake Malawi… up till 9 for those from Lake Tanganyika.
In water conditions like this, most plants will not survive.
High pH levels automatically means very low CO2 levels, which is good for fish but not for plants. The plants I have in my 120 gall are: Anubia barteri, Anubia nana and Vallisneria. So if you’re aim is Africans cichlids, these are the plants to look for. I don't have any experience with South or Central American cichlids/tanks so I will leave that for somebody else to answer.

Jimmy

[ChilDawg]

Isaac, I didn't see this in the original post, but many Cichlids will die with high pH...there's not a cut-and-dry pH for Cichlidae as a family, but individual species have their preferred ranges...dcallen, think about the blackwater species from South America and some of the riverine species from Africa, and you will see that your statement has a limited amount of truth.

Jimbo, I agree that many of the fish mentioned require high pH, and that there are few plants that can withstand such conditions, but they are there in force, and not just limited to one species.

The answer: it depends on the fish--not all Cichlids tolerate high pHs, not all of them live on rocky surfaces, and definitely not all of them will be able to be kept with plants for one reason or another.

Once you narrow it down, Isaac, we can help you a little more with the specifics.

[superstein61]

Depends on the cichlids. I have many different dwarf cichlids in my 72 gallon planted tank and they don't bother the plants at all.

Other cichlids - putting plants in would be like adding an all you can eat salad bar to your tank

So it really depends on what cichlids you plan to keep

[jimbo]

Chilldawg, but could you please explain this sentence for me:
"but they are there in force, and not just limited to one species"
I can't make anything of it. (I'm Dutch) Thanks.

[ChilDawg]

I do have a tendency to speak in odd dialects of American English, so feel free to question me.

That sentence was intended to oppose a statement made by a previous poster. "In force" means that there are quite a few...and there are, at least when compared to ONE as Cloud-9 put it, but some are just a little too expensive for the tank. It was not meant to oppose your statement in any way and I apologize for using it there.

[RTR]

As Lake Malawi has extensive Vallisneria beds, so there is one family that you can bet will do fine under hard alkaline condition, as long as the fish selected are not plant eaters. Most swords do well also in such tanks, although not native there, and with the same exemption from plant eaters. Anubias nana does fine in Rift Lake tanks also.

[mogurnda]

I have java fern, a small crypt of some sort, and Anubias nana in my Tanganyikan tank. The java fern is anchored to the rocks, or tied to small rocks to anchor them. The anubias and crypt are rooted in the substrate. They all look great, and are growing, albeit slowly.
The main problem I have is that the cylindricus love to move the substrate, so I have to choose areas they don't like to dig for planting. Even then, I have to un-bury plants every once in a while. Vallisneria wouldn't like that.
To repeat an earlier post, choose your cichlids, then choose your plants. It's likely you can find something that will work.