Live plants... help and Rocks vs Sand?

Question

I know this sounds stupid, but I've never had live plants before... so what do I do just bury them in the gravel or sand? and on that note which is better for a cichlid tank? And how do you even clean sand?

Answer 1

yes you do just bury them in your gravel. although puting plants in with a african cichlid isn't a good idea the tend to destroy stuff including plants. to clean sand you need to clear the stuff off the surface of the sand. in order to do that you need to ster up the left over food and waste into the water so its of the sand and thats when you can siphon it out. you can lose some sand but its better than loseing all of it. And gravel would be the best for your cichlid.

Answer 2

Well, yes, all you do with live plants is bury the roots. Also, make sure that the light you have has at least 1 watt per gallon, so the plants have enough light to grow. 1 more thing, if you have a tank of african cichlids. They do NOT like plants, they will uproot them in a heartbeat! If you have dwarf cichlids or most other kinds, live plants should be fine!=)

My african cichlid tank has sand. But if you use live plants, I say pebbles work the best to hold the plant in place. Good luck with your tank!=)  

Answer 3

It depends on the type of plant. Most of them you bury the roots in the gravel/sand then cover it up again. But slow growers such as Anubias, Moss, and Java Fern prefer to be tied to rocks or driftwood. Here's some links on planting aquarium plants: http://www.floridadriftwood.com/planting...

http://fish.mongabay.com/plant_care.htm (scroll down a bit)

http://www.ehow.com/how_2149193_grow-aqu...

African Cichlids or South American Cichlids? All African Cichlids will destroy all plants except for Java Fern and Anubias. Most South American Cichlids (Oscar, and others that grow large) will destroy plants. However, the ones that are from the Amazon (Rams, Kribs, Apistos, etc.) appreciate plants.

To clean sand, use a regular gravel vacuum but hover it a couple inches above the sand to suck up the detritus but not the sand.

E-mail me for any questions!

Answer 4

No plants for most cichlid tanks, they'll just root them up.  Exceptions are angelfish, discus, and possibly severums.

A cichlid tank should have small to medium pebbles, but cleaning sand involve using a pump syphon.  Either that or remove the sand, place in a plastic container, and rinse well.  If you're referring to river sand you've collected on your own, don't use it in an aquarium.

As a point of interest for Zoo Tycoon, kribs are African cichlids.

Answer 5

ok first of all i have 2 cichlid tanks, live plants,and sand. i have lost alot of plants because they eat them.. cichlids love to eat plants!!!!! the only ones i have that they haven't eaten is anubias, melon swords,amazon swords, and jungle vallisneria .alot of people just give up because they get sick of spending all that money and losing the plants, but i have had great sucess with these.

for the anubias you can't plant them . the roots have to be exposed so you can tie them to rocks or driftwood, you can use a stapler or a rubber band to secure them to the rocks and you will need alot of rocks for the cichlids anyway because they love rocks and sand because it mimicks their natural habitat.and for the swords and jungle vals i just plant them in the sand no problem, i don't even use any plant food they live off of the waste from the fish.

about cleaning sand if you mean before you put it in the tank then you get a 5 gallon bucket put a small amount of sand in i would say maybe 1/3 of the bag of sand, use a water hose ,spray the hose in the bucket and at the same time swish the sand around with your hands, it will bring all the debris and dust to the surface, then drain off the water  and keep doing itagain and again until the water is clear and no particles are floating on top. just keep up this process until all the sand is clean. i know it sounds like alot of work but it is worth it in the end. your tank will be beautiful. wash the sand even if it says it's pre-washed on the bag... i didn't do it the first time and my tank never cleared up and i ruined my pump. i had to take the sand out and start over. and after you get it washed put it in the tank and be sure your pump is turned off until  allthe sand has settled on the bottom.

it's fun to watch cichlids with sand they will dig in it and scoop it in their mouths and spit it out digging themselves caves.

when it's time to do water changes you just use a python syphon and hold it maybe 2-3 inches above the sand to get up the pooh on bottom, because unlike gravel all the p**p stays on top of the sand so you don't dig in. if the syphon starts pulling up the sand then just hold it a little higher.

your take will be so much clearer and look cleaner i will never go back to gravel.

hope this helps>..... and it's not a stupid question at all