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Ok I acquired some new rock yesterday...after feeding the cichlids last night (in hopes that my hands wouldn't become desert ; as I've discovered they nip pretty well) I pulled all the old rock out, and redid the tank with it and the new rock...So minus the fact I needed a panaramic view, and had to splice together the photos...what do ya'll think? It seems to be missing something, or is it just me? I want some plants...but John said they would destroy them...any suggestions?
Tanks, Heidi




heidi attached this image:


"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

I would put a background on your tank.
If not a background just painting the backglass black can make it look so much better.

You can try to grow plants on rocks, that may work.

Also i would try and get a varierty of coloured rocks for that tank, not all just the one colour.
It always looks nice with a bit of variety.






Last edited by PJ at 28-Dec-2004 18:33

javafern, they wont eat it and will grow on that texas holey rock real easy. there are many other plants they wont eat that will grow fine in that tank. dont give up i assure they exist they have just slipped my mind.

Onion plants

In my peacock/lab tank i grow red melon sword, dwarf chain sword, anachris, hygro ( all 3 kinds) jungle val, Saggitaria, and a water lily. Occasionally some of my plants get dug up or covered with gravel. But that only happens once in a while. Biggest problem with plants in a cichlid tank is that they get knocked around before they have a chance to root well.

A background or painting the back of the tank would help alot ... however its a pain either way once the tank is running. Olive oil on the plastic backgrounds will help to bring the picture out. Just use a squigee or pancake turner to get all the excess then tape it down well.

Driftwood twigs/small branches can be used to break up the look of the tank a bit. They are small enough they shouldnt mess with your PH.

Java fern and anubias can be attatched to your rocks ... however they may get dislodged if your cichlids decide that that is their cave. Hornwort and anachris can be used as floating plants ... i usually tuck them behind my heater to tether them in place.

Even though im not a big fan of fake plants i need to use them in my oscar tank to add some height and visual interest ... they do have some fairly realistic looking ones now. Set them behind your rocks so that they can be seen through and barely over them.

Bdadawg

I would suggest the anubius and some driftwood. There is hardly a cichlid that will eat the anubius plants. And they can grow on the rock or driftwood. Also, they do not require high lighting. Just add some fertilizer to the water about weekly or even every other week. As their roots will get nutrients from the water.


HTH.....

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There is always a bigger fish...

I would paint the back light blue and change the colour of the substrate. It seem's a little dark now.
Man, I wish we could get that rock here in Australia

Actually, you want to go with a darker blue or black for the background. The lighter colors will cause the fish to be lighter in color. The darker colors will bring out the fish colors more.

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There is always a bigger fish...

I actually don't really like that type of rock

A good rock you can buy here is Australian desert rock, it looks so nice and looks very natural. Once my tank is up and running (i'll steal my friends camera and take a few pics.