New member: Starting my first African rift tank (Malawi)!

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PTabar

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Mar 21, 2013
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Hi all--New to this forum---

Long-time aquarist, and starring my first African Rift tank! (This one is for Lake Malawi) Ready to start cycling the new tank on 50% river stone and 50% domolmite, while I'm planning the stacked-rock interiors... Anybody know the best places in the Cleveland, Ohio area to buy live plants that can handle the needed alkaline, hard water?
 

Pittbull

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Apr 14, 2007
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Louisville Kentucky
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Talk to your local pet stores and see what they can obtain from their order lists of plant species, Malawi setups will be very limited on what you can add due to the destructive nature of African Cichlids, usually your attachment type of plants like Anubias varieties and Java Ferns are a better choice where you can lay a plants root system in between two rocks to hold them in place and will be efficient for light and nutrient source..

If your local pet shop does not have a list to order from, then ask them about local fish clubs where you can obtain valuable information, If that does not work in your advantage then you will be subject to on-line ordering, a good place to start is here in the classifieds section of AC, aquabid.com is another good source for ordering plants..

Welcome to AC..
 

PTabar

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Mar 21, 2013
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Just scored a bunch of broken granite & marble rock pieces from my local countertop stone company for free... Any reason why I can't use these for rock-stacks & caves in my (coming soon) Malawi tank?
 

PTabar

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Mar 21, 2013
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THX,Pitbull-- I got found only one decent Java fern at my local store today, but I got an Anuba for a good price... so we'll see what happens!
 

Fishbreeder101

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Apr 11, 2012
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i would sugest getting java fern it is very hardy mine is doing fine and it is reproducing. anubias is another good plant i dont use it but my friends do
 

Dino

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Jan 27, 2013
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I live in the Cleveland/Akron area. RMS has nice plants. I don't know how you feel about petsmart, but the Anubias that they sell in the tubes have done the best for me in our hard water. I add a maintenance dose, 1 ml per 10 gallons, of flourish xl when I add the new plants and they grow new roots and leaves quickly. I have not encountered any BBA, snails or any other pesky hitch-hikers on the petsmart plants. I hate to admit it but they may be the best plants available. The store near me usaully has 3 varieties of Anubias in stock. If you buy from petsmart look at the stuff in the lower part of the tube. If it looks like clumps of soft gel you are good to go. If it looks like little clumps of clear gravel it is dried out and may not do well.
 
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