Plant Suggestions for Cichlid Tank

[Chaiah]

I'm not sure how many here have cichlid tanks but we do! I received some excellent advice from a very experienced cichlid enthusiast a couple of years ago and it's ended up saving us quite a few $. First of all, no live plants as cichlids love to tear them up and consume them. It's a complete waste of funds. Pet stores sell plastic plants but, they can be expensive and don't look quite natural. This enthusiast suggested we purchase silk plants from a craft store like Michaels or A. C. Moore and just rinse them well, place them into those disposable plastic cups many use for picnics (reuse!) with cement. Allow cement to dry, place into tank and mound stones around the cup(s). Brilliant! The plants no longer migrate all over the tank and they look pretty.

We, intentionally, took the pic of our tank with the blue cups exposed so you could see.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

thanks for sharing

 

[cosmolove]

Just be careful you don't have metal wires in the plants so that its not putting metal toxins into the water.

 

[waterfaller1]

I have plastic plants that look pretty darn real. They can not be bought at a big box store.
here they were set up

 

[Chaiah]

Just be careful you don't have metal wires in the plants so that its not putting metal toxins into the water.

No metal wires. Everything is either silk or plastic. We've had this tank for almost three years and it's very healthy. We are very careful about what we place in our tank. We will, hopefully, be going to a 265 gal this spring and will, then, use the 125 gal as a tank for the sump system. We're going to brace the floor beneath where we will have the 265 gal, then drill a hole into the floor down into our basement and will have the 125 gal sump in the basement.

 

[Chaiah]

Yes, your tank is gorgeous.

My point about plastic plants was that they can be very expensive and a cichlid expert suggested using silk plants, instead, as they are much less expensive. I get them when they are on sale at Michaels or A C Moore and it allows us to add some variety once in a while.

All of our fish will grow to at least a foot long. Or to two plecostomus will grow to about two feet. Cichlids like to drag plants around and eat them. They also tend to like pulling plastic plants. Silk plants they tend to leave alone. However, they've even mucked with them on occastion.

How large is your tank? It looks like a 55 gal.

I have plastic plants that look pretty darn real. They can not be bought at a big box store.
here they were set up

 

[waterfaller1]

This is a 90 gallon with a 29 gallon sump. Thanks for the compliment, though I have since gone back to live plants. These did cost quite a bit. About $10.00 each and I think there were 13 of them total....plus shipping.

 

[waterfaller1]

more recent pics

had problems with driftwood killing some fish and had to remove it

 

[waterfaller1]

I would love to have a 125 for them....could use the extra 2'. These guys are getting huge...

 

[Chaiah]

LOL! They look wonderful. They'd be gone by the next day in my tank as cichlids love to decor plants or rip them apart. I used to have live plants but we went through so many.

This is a 90 gallon with a 29 gallon sump. Thanks for the compliment, though I have since gone back to live plants. These did cost quite a bit. About $10.00 each and I think there were 13 of them total....plus shipping.

 

[GuineaPigster]

I'm getting my 90 gallon soon!
It's going to be fishless-cycled!!

 

[Chaiah]

Oh, as far as driftwood - did you soak it for a few days before placing it into the tank? That has to be done in order to remove toxins from the wood. We soak ours for about three days. We had driftwood in a 55 gal tank, which we, recently, emptied and after taking some baby tiger oscars out of that tank and placing into the 125 as they had grown large enough.

(I've turned two 55 gal tanks into indoor herb garden terrariums so I have fresh herbs all year long.)

 

[Chaiah]

Fish less-cycling is how every tank should be started. Ours took many months before it was ready for fish placement. You just have to be patient.

I'm getting my 90 gallon soon!
It's going to be fishless-cycled!!

 

[waterfaller1]

Yes, have run the gamut with DW...boiled,sun bleached, boiled, soaked...matters not. This piece was ancient,literally. There were no tannins. I never have luck with DW. Have been keeping fish most of my life, and I am as old as dirt.

 

[GuineaPigster]

Fish less-cycling is how every tank should be started. Ours took many months before it was ready for fish placement. You just have to be patient.

Totally! When I first started fish keeping I didn't know anything, including the nitrogen cycle. This will be my 3rd fishless cycled tank, but my first "big" tank to cycle. .)

 

[Chaiah]

Be careful regarding using products to lower things like ammonia because they can mask other readings in your tank. Let the tank mature on its own. It can be a bit frustrating but worth it the end. Our 125 took six months with regular filters. If you have a sump and use Bio Balls, those balls hold the nitrifying bacteria band help to bring higher tank into balance, naturally. You _may_ place some bio balls into your over the tank filters, if that's what you have instead of a sump and those will help the tank mature.

I'm getting my 90 gallon soon!
It's going to be fishless-cycled!!

 

[Chaiah]

I've raised fish for over 45 years. Fortunately, I've never had an issue with driftwood.

(We had goldfish for a while for my daughter's first fish when she was younger. Hated them. They're dirtier than our cichlids and. Cichlids can be pretty dirty. We have a blood parrotfish that reminds me of goldfish. One day one goldfish disappeared and we couldn't figure out where it went. Long story short, one of our cats is quite intelligent and was lifting the lid, fishing, and having a snack. Ours were bugeye, comet, and fantail. We found out Pesky was the culprit when we were cleaning the tank, presump days for us, and Pesky reached into the bucket, grabbed one of the fish and took off. She'd get bit if she stuck her paw into our cichlid tank. LOL!)

Yes, have run the gamut with DW...boiled,sun bleached, boiled, soaked...matters not. This piece was ancient,literally. There were no tannins. I never have luck with DW. Have been keeping fish most of my life, and I am as old as dirt.

 

[GuineaPigster]

Thank you. I will have tons of filter media, plus the gravel.

 

[GuineaPigster]

I adore Goldie's! One of mine knows 5 colors, responds to commands in ASL, Anderson me rub her wen.

 

[Chaiah]

Cool! It got frustrating for us as our water is cr@p and getting the levels right was very difficult. The sump helped a lot.

Totally! When I first started fish keeping I didn't know anything, including the nitrogen cycle. This will be my 3rd fishless cycled tank, but my first "big" tank to cycle. .)