Very general question

[Andy16]

How exactly do you care for live plants? Im setting up a cichlid tank and i want to get live plants. I have no idea how to care for them though. Is it expensive??? Do the plants need a lot of maintanance???

[Richer]

A little bit too general if you ask me ;) .

What exactly kind of setup are you planning? What sort of cichlids? How much lighting do you want to have? Low/moderate lighting, or high lighting? Each setup comes with its own cons and pros. How far do you actually want to go into plants?

-Richer

[Andy16]

Lighting is like half actinic and half normal and it looks kinda blue. Its just one bulb. I dont know wat the hell it is. So if you can make anything out of that that is what kind of lighting i have. And ill have Lake malawi mbuna(pseudotropheus). Im not going ot have many plants only like 1-3. And its going to be rocky with slate. Its actually all slate. I have an undergravel filter. I was thinking like some kind of plant that grows on the rocks, but im not sure on this. Whatever you recomend i guess since im clueless. I can at least trust people because you have no reasons to rip me off, so i just do what everyone tells me here:)

[pinballqueen]

Plants and UGF's don't get along very well. The roots will render your filter useless in about a month. Also, cichlids tend to be "uprooters". I couldn't even keep plastic plants buried in my tank once my mbunas got up around 2" apiece....could've just been mine, though....

I've had decent luck with those apon. bulbs they sell at Walmart. Pretty good percentage of them sprout, and they grow pretty quickly. As I said, though, they will root down into your filter and tangle up, causing your filter to not do any good anymore, it'll be reduced to a glorified bubble-wand....

It sounds like you have an okay bulb, but if you are wanting to get into plants big-time (they are a little addictive...), you'll want to invest in some better lighting equipment. One of the plant people can tell you better on that. For now, if you get those apon. things from WM, they'll do okay under a regular flourescent if you light the tank for 5-7 hours a day OR if they get a little natural sunlight (not much, or you'll have algae, bigtime...), say, a couple hours a day, combined with a couple hours of artificial lighting.... I could be wrong, but they did okay in my aquarium on that type of setup...your experience will vary, I'm sure....

Hope this helps a little....

[Andy16]

Well im not going to get big into plants. And ive read that undergravel filters have not effest on the plants and that just to be on the safe side you should put a little more gravel then usual. And the plants wouldnt have much acess to the fish because of all of the rocks.

[pinballqueen]

my gravel bed was 5" deep in places, and I still had to untangle roots from the ugf (wasn't being used, just hadn't gotten around to removing the grates) when I disassembled the tank last week. I'm afraid the big rocks won't help much with the fish digging up the plants, the fish tend to yank them out from the base. You run the risk of the fish pulling all the leaves off.... You might try potted plants, but beware of snails!....

[Richer]

If you want plants with your cichlids, I would suggest various species of anubias (anubias nana seems to be one of the most common), java fern and java moss. All three types of plants can be ancored to rocks/driftwood. Being tied to rocks/driftwood, they won't be affected by a UGF, and would be hard to dig up. Apparently, anubias and java ferns aren't too good tasting neither, so your cichlids _might_ leave them alone. All three types of plants are not too demanding (in both lighting, and nutrients), so thats an added bonus.

HTH
-Richer

[Andy16]

what about like co2 and fertilizers? that always confused me. and the price.

[pinballqueen]

Anubias and java fern? Do you have a pic? They might be a good addition to my native tank when I set it up....(panfish tend to pick at plants more than cichlids or even goldfish do....) Thanks Richer!

[Andy16]

o o ya tahnks richer:)

[Richer]

Don't have any pictures of them from my tanks, but here are a couple of pics I found off the web.

http://www.geocities.com/alpays2000/plantlist/nana.htm <-- Anubias nana

http://www.exotictropicals.com/encyclo/fresh/plants/javafern.htm <-- Java Fern

HTH
-Richer

[fishhead]

If you go with Anubias and Java Fern/Moss then you do not need to worry about CO2. You really should not need to worry about nutrients with those plants, either. They grow very slowly so they do not have a high uptake of nutrients. The ambient CO2 and macronutrients from a typical aquarium environment are fine for them, so if they do really poorly, you could consider some fert that had trace elements in it in case your tap water and the fish food are not covering it.

Java Fern is an oddball since a lot of fish places do not seem to carry it despite it being a perfect beginner plant - almost indestructible and a great for tanks with poor lighting. It has a thin rhizome which you can attach to rocks and it will manage fine, no need to bury it. Depending on the place I have seen it for $4-5 range.

Anubias should not be too hard to find, all the PetSmarts around here have potted Anubias Barteri for about $4.00. It has pointed spade shaped leaves that are thick and leathery, about 4-6 inches long growing out of a rhizome. Clean off the rockwool and don't bury the rhizome, just tie it to something or gently wedge it in somewhere. Anubias Barteri Var nana has smaller rounder leaves and is a very pretty plant, but costs more, these days I have seen it at about $6. Anubias Barteri Var coffefolia is one of my favorites, it has leaves similar to nana, but they are larger and have ripples on them running from the center to the edges fo the leaf, pricing is about the same as nana.

Aquabotanic.com is having an anubias special right now with a really good deal if you order online :
http://www.aquabotanic.com/specials.htm
$2.40 for Anubiases is pretty nice, with shipping, that's $3.40 per plant with nothing else ordered - and some are very uncommon plants. I have ordered things from Robert before and was always happy working with him.

Java Moss is sold in bunches for various amounts depending on who is running the counter... I have a feeling Java Moss might become a Cichlid snack.

African Bolbitis is another plant that might do well in your tank. It is another fern, it look more like a traditional terrestrial fern, it handles lower light. It likes to be in a current.

[Andy16]

wow thank u for all of the info my dad might order the plants off of the internet. He said he would look at them.

[Tempest]

Andy- If you just use the light you have with the plants attached to a rock then you can just dose a little of the fertilizer from the LFS that has potassium, traces, and iron in it once in a while. Your fish will probably supply enough nitrate and phosphate. CO2 is useful for any plant but it's not a necessity of life in the low light plant tank... Don't expect really lush growth but some plants like the java fern will grow for you.

[plantbrain]

Andy,
Floating water sprite looks nice with slate/rock hotels that Pseudotropheus often are kept in.

These plants don't need CO2, special or more light etc.
You get the benefits of plants with very little work.

Pots for the plants with rocks placed around them is another idea.

Aunbias placed into the cracks of the rocks work okay.
Java fern can also be used.

Without getting into too much plant tech stuff, these are some of the better choices. The water sprite will grow well, the other will grow very slowly if at all.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[Andy16]

Thanks for your information tom,ill look at the floating sprite because all i have is slate:) Although i have a power head,will that affect floating plants?

[Richer]

Ah, I forgot about floating plants. Those would work for sure. Powerheads shouldn't affect floating plants.

HTH
-Richer

[Andy16]

wouldnt the plants be like zipping around all over the place then?

[Richer]

They should find places to hang onto.. (ie. heater cords, filter tubes etc.). When they grow in, they should also be able to resist water currents better as well.

-Richer

[Andy16]

Are you saying they can like swim??? My fish cant even get away from the current if they go buy it.

[punch]

pinballqueen,
I have a decent pic of my anibis an a pc of driftwood.http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1282755&uid=653489&members=1

[Andy16]

If my tank isnt fully cycled yet do i stiff need to wait to add plants if htey are attached to rocks and float?they wouldnt have any roots to put in the substrate anyways.

[Richer]

Allow your tank to fully cycle first. Ammonia + light generally equals algae outbreak.
For the floating plant thing, try it out and you'll see what I'm talking about... my smaller tanks generally have much more surface movement than my larger ones. The floating plants usually find a place to gather and they usually stay there.

HTH
-Richer

[Andy16]

Well im going to get the plants for sure when my tank is ready. Right now my nitrite levels are inbetween .8 and .3.
it seems to be taking to long:D

[Gumby7]

Originally posted by Andy16
Are you saying they can like swim??? My fish cant even get away from the current if they go buy it.

I think what he is saying is they get circulated around the tank until they end up in a calmer area (like a corner) or get hung up on something (your filter intake tube, not necessarily the strainer).

If you've ever had duckweed you'll know!

Gumby

[Andy16]

Thats kond of what i thought but i wasnt too sure.:) Are fertilizers and co2 injections(or what ever those are) expensive?