How important are plants in a fishtank? I have four african cichlids, I had like 3 plants in the tank. But after a while they ate em up, now I can barely see the roots of those plants.
I heard the plants are important for fish, for O2. I have a bubbler for the fishtank though. Is it important to have plants in the tank for any other reason?
Plants and fish help each other and help stabilize an ecosystem. First of all, a plant will provide fish with a natural hiding spot in the event that it becomes startled or frightened. Its even considered a good sleeping place. Some fish like to sleep on plants too (labyrinth fish especially).
Second, people are often intimidated by the Nitrogen Cycle and usually end up buying very expensive commercial products to cycle their tanks. Plants are usually cheaper than these commercial products and help a great deal with the Nitrogen Cycle because aquatic plants can consume anything with Nitrogen in it as fertilizer. So basically, ALL the components of your Nitrogen Cycle (Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrates) CAN be taken by plants as food. Fish will excrete Ammonia primarily through their gills. Plants can remove this from the water and make your water safer. This is by FAR better than commercial cycling bacteria.
Also, plants consume fish poop as fertilizer, but they wont "clean" it for you, you still need to siphon it out. And, plants take in carbon dioxide from your water and with light convert it to oxygen and glucose for your fish. In a planted tank, shaking the surface with air stones is not good. It allows oxygen to enter, yes, but it will also allow precious carbon dioxide to escape. If you just wait, and give your plants sufficient light, they can convert the carbon dioxide to oxygen naturally. Don’t forget that if you have plants in your tank, they will compete against algae for nutrition and slow its growth. If you have really fast growing plants, they can sometimes completely stop algae growth all together.
Finally, some fish like to give birth in plants, or lay their eggs in plants too. They basically see plants as a good nursery or a hiding spot. Moss is very good for fry as it holds all sorts of microorganisms which fry can eat in their early days. Also, it gives fish fry cover from adults.
You probably need plants that have broad leaves so your fish simply don’t eat them up. Try some Anubias Nanas or Java Ferns. But the benefits of plants are too many to mention. Seriously.
it isnt necessary but your frogs will be much happier because they have a place to hide (behind the leaf)
and feel more safer and they will be more active and live longer lives
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fishy whisperer
Plants and fish help each other and help stabilize an ecosystem. First of all, a plant will provide fish with a natural hiding spot in the event that it becomes startled or frightened. Its even considered a good sleeping place. Some fish like to sleep on plants too (labyrinth fish especially).
Second, people are often intimidated by the Nitrogen Cycle and usually end up buying very expensive commercial products to cycle their tanks. Plants are usually cheaper than these commercial products and help a great deal with the Nitrogen Cycle because aquatic plants can consume anything with Nitrogen in it as fertilizer. So basically, ALL the components of your Nitrogen Cycle (Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrates) CAN be taken by plants as food. Fish will excrete Ammonia primarily through their gills. Plants can remove this from the water and make your water safer. This is by FAR better than commercial cycling bacteria.
Also, plants consume fish poop as fertilizer, but they wont "clean" it for you, you still need to siphon it out. And, plants take in carbon dioxide from your water and with light convert it to oxygen and glucose for your fish. In a planted tank, shaking the surface with air stones is not good. It allows oxygen to enter, yes, but it will also allow precious carbon dioxide to escape. If you just wait, and give your plants sufficient light, they can convert the carbon dioxide to oxygen naturally. Don’t forget that if you have plants in your tank, they will compete against algae for nutrition and slow its growth. If you have really fast growing plants, they can sometimes completely stop algae growth all together.
Finally, some fish like to give birth in plants, or lay their eggs in plants too. They basically see plants as a good nursery or a hiding spot. Moss is very good for fry as it holds all sorts of microorganisms which fry can eat in their early days. Also, it gives fish fry cover from adults.
You probably need plants that have broad leaves so your fish simply don’t eat them up. Try some Anubias Nanas or Java Ferns. But the benefits of plants are too many to mention. Seriously.
References :
i am new to fish tanks, but as a kid we always had fish and never had plants so id say not important. i talked to the local fish store here, and the owner said with some fish you dont want plants because the fish will just eat them. so i think plants help but arent necessairy. just do your weekly chemical checks and keep the water clean and you should be good.
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Totally optional.
They don’t do anything that you can’t do with a power filter, air-stone and water changes.
While having plants in the tank is beneficial, most African Cichlids (and most cichlids in general) will simple destroy them.
None of my tanks are planted at the moment, cichlids and big plecos destroy them.
Ian
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You don’t need plants. African cichlds can mean anything since it encompasses a massive range of fish, but they do tend to shed plants. A few tough, slow growing plants like anubius can last with the cichlids, but tough, slow growing plants don’t much in the way of nutrient use or o2 production, and will make no difference to your tank except for looks.
The fact is your filter does all the oxygenating your tank needs unless you start overstocking a lot. The bubbler makes extra sure of this. The main thing is your tank is big enough for the africans, as they do need very larger tanks for their size and are commonly mistreated.
Africans like mbuna do great in tanks with lots and lots of rocks, and do (and show) best when the owner lets lots of algae grow on these rocks, since mbuna tend to be natural algae grazers. I find it adds the grazing behaviour and gives them something to do besides chase each other, and looks very nice and natural when the tank is clean of algae except the thick carpet on the rocks.
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