help me decorate!

[mtdewlover]

I'm getting a new 55 gallon tank tonight! I'm putting my three red zebras and two yellow tailed violet cichlids in the tank. What else should I put in? I don't know what other cichlids would go well. Or how many more I can get. Or maybe some snails, or SAE's. Maybe botias or....I don't know

I also don't know how to decorate it. I'm thinking like rocks and plastic plants. Any pictures or ideas would be great!

Thanks

 

[JazzyB]

Lots of rocks forming caves. I prefer live plants to plastic. Just keep in mind that there is plant maintenance to consider...

 

[valerie]

Since you have rift lake cichlids i would decorate with lots of rocks and maybe a few java ferns(as you have mbuna and they will try and eat plants, java ferns aren't usually eaten).

I have a 90g african tank and i have the whole back wall covered with rocks going about half way up the back. I used black ABS pipes and built the caves around that to make sure the caves would be big enough and stable. Plus by using the ABS pipes i used way less rocks, making it lighter. I also added a bunch of java ferns tucked into the rocks to make it look more natural. Now that the raocks are starting to get a nice algae covering it is looking quite natural and my fish love it.