[nelsoa3]

I have a 45 gallon tall tank that I have cichlid in. I was wondering what types of plants would be best to put in that will help fill the tank vertically. Because the tank is a tall, I have had problems finding anything that makes it to the upper third of the tank. Also, any suggestions on driftwood? Thanks

 

[nelsoa3]

Off the top of my head I don't know. I go to school near albany, ny and am working in michigan for the summer. I transplanted my cichlids back home to my parents 55 gallon for the summer. I will basically be starting from scratch when I return to school in august. The water in the area has a very close to nuetral pH.

Also, I read that live plants usually do not fair well with cichlids as they like to chew on them and move them around. Would just using a large amount of driftwood be a better solution? I am just trying to get my fish to be in more than the bottom half of the tank and I know cichlids like to move in and out of rocks/wood/plants/etc.

 

[nelsoa3]

What about getting proper CO2 levels? Will I need to get something that will bubble CO2 in or will there be enough naturally?

 

[nelsoa3]

Thanks for the help everyone. I just have another question to ask since I am getting closer to getting to work on getting plants for my tank. What gravel/sand should I use on the bottom of the tank? Do I need a specific kind for planting? Right now I just have regular 1/4 inch gravel in the tank.

 

[nelsoa3]

I planned on growing plants off of driftwood. Probably one with a java fern and the other with anubias (not sure yet which species). Besides attaching them to the wood at first so they can get rooted without fish tearing them apart do I need to do anything else? I forgot to mention this in my post before.

 

[nelsoa3]

Ok so I am finally back at school so now I have some information. I have very low light (15 Watts for my 45 gallon tank). I bought a peice of driftwood that is currently soaking to get the tannins out. I have 3 cichlids and a pleco in the tank. I was hoping to grow plants on the driftwood. I am just looking for advice on which plants would work.