Planted Cichlid tank? PLEASE HELP!?

Question

Iv just set up a planted tank (30 gallons) and i know that some cichlids eat live plants? so what cichlids could I have?

Oh! and can you have malawi cichlids with live plants?

PLEASE ANSWER!!

Thanks!

Answer 1

I haven't heard of cichlids eating plants so much as some of the larger and more aggressive ones uprooting them.  A lot of cichlids seem to like shoving things in their tank around, including plants, which can mean that they dig them up if they are planted directly in the substrate.  Usually the best solution for a planted tank with cichlids is to put the plants in pots with heavy, weighted bottoms so they can't get tipped over or make sure there are heavy weights around the plants so they can't get uprooted.  If I were you I'd just research the specific kinds of cichlids you want and see if they are prone to uprooting plants.  I know oscars, green terrors, red devils and jack dempseys are bad plant uprooters, but I don't recall all the others.

Answer 2

Hi,

Malawi cichlids will destroy plants so they aren't any good with live plants only plastic. The only cichlids what won't destroy them are dwarf cichlids such as kribensis, but other cichlids will just destroy it and uproot them as they like to dig gravel.

Answer 3

African (Malawi) cichlids will decimate any plants, about the only thing you can keep in a tank with them is a rock.

Large Sth American cichlids are hard on plants too, they will eat them, rip them out etc.

But in a 30gal tank you aren't going to be keeping Oscars or Jaguars anyway.

If you want cihclids in a small planted tank then look for some Kribensis or Apisto dwarf cichlids (Rams etc). They wont outgrow your tank, eat your plants or any tankmates you put in.

Ian