Cichlids that don't eat plants.....

[firemouthkid]

Hi all,

Was wanting to set up an african male display tank.I recently heard that one family or lake of fish dont eat plants....
I was wanting to set-up a tank that has some plants in it, but i didnt want them to rip it up ,or any plastic/artificial plants.

Any help would be greatly apprecieted...

[GTR73]

Can't help you there sorry. You don't like Java Fern?

[Paul]

I have a successfully semi planted tank with a whole lotta africans. I find the following helps:


1. ensure you have a preferable food source for the fish than the plants in your tank. Feed your fish often and plentifully. I find the only time my plants get eaten is if I am not keeping the food up to my africans.

2. Choose fish that are more carnivorous than herbivorous. This pretty much rules out the entire Mbuna lot. choose fish like frontosa, venustus, red empress, lithobates, e.blues and peacocks.

4. choose plants that are not the fish equivelant of a garden salad. ie, you want stuff that they don't really like. Such plants include Java fern and spath.

5. be prepared to replace a few plants every couple of months. Although they don't get destroyed, the plants in my tank get tatty. a new plant every couple of months to replace an old one is not too expensive.

I find if you follow these guidelines you should do ok.

[quote:bfc3f81bb5="Paul"] frontosa, venustus, .[/quote:bfc3f81bb5]

Good choice, but make sure your frontosa are larger than the venustus, and in charge, i had a venustus male kill a male frontosa that was the same size.

[ndoboi]

You'll find most anubias sp will survive living in with Africans. Their hard, waxy, leaves are a deterent to being munched on.

Cheers
Steve

[Paul]

[quote:a3b9a13452]anubias sp[/quote:a3b9a13452]

that's the one, I couldn't think of the name :)

[firemouthkid]

Thanks for the advice guys.....

Will try and look into the whole carnivore and herbivore thing....
I appreciate everyones replies and know more about plants and africans together.

Thanks again,

Timothy