plant tank... What fish go well?

shawnstve

I just bought a 60 gallon fresh water set up... I know for sure that I want to make it a heavily planted tank. (I'm using florite as a substrate) I will be adding the plants tomorrow. But, anyone know what type of fish go well in a planted tank? Cichlids are my favorite but I hear they will rearange my plants, so my question is. What other type of agressive fish are there that I can watch them tear appart a tiny minnow but won't tear appart my tank? Pleco's will eat my plants too right? Or should I not worry about them when they are small

Lupin

There are plenty of cichlids that will do fine in planted tanks. Your options would be Discus, angelfish, keyholes, festivums, rams and apistogrammas. I prefer apistos and rams more than anything else.

As for plecos, it depends on what species you plan to keep. Try Ancistrus, Panaque maccus or the small species of Hypancistrus for a start. Research their diet and size before you buy them. Veggies and wood are a must for several species of plecos.

SeaSerpant

If you want a planted tank this is the best place to go for these kind of questions- www.plantedtank.net/forums

jeaninel

African leaf fish

tophat665

If you're looking for predators for a heavily planted tank, then ambush predators are the way to go. Leopard Ctenopomae are wonderful. If you're set on cichlids, consider on of the smaller pike cichlids, Crenicichla regani, C. notophthalmus and C. compressiceps.

shawnstve

if I go with the Leopard Ctenopomae, than I really cannot add many other fish can I? I really like that fish, its awesome, but is there anything else that wont be attacked by it (its really aggressive) that will go well in a planted tank? I guess the pike ciclids also. But I want more than 2 variety's of fish.

shawnstve

I guess I will just go with...

A pair of angel's
A pair of blue german rams
A school of tetra's (dont know what kind yet, maybe you could help me)
A few shrimp (to help with the cleaning)
A small catfish (like a corey)
And maybe some type of pretty live bearer.

What do you guys think?[/i]

Cody

You would need a larger Tetra, or the Angels will see them as a snack. Good larger Tetras are Black Skirts.

herefishy

Angels will nip at plants unless you use a tougher leaved plant. Festivums, Discus, keyholes, apistogrammas, rams are good suggestions, as are some acaras and Nannacara species. Cories would do well to round out the tank.

tophat665

The Leopard Ctenos are not actually all that aggressive. They will eat anything that fits in their mouth, though, but, given some nice tall plants to lurk in or some driftwood overhangs to lurk under, they'll pretty much leave anything else alone. Larger Tetras are fine (Congos in particular), as are barbs, plecos (I have my Ctenos in with a pair of albino bristlenoses that will clean the driftwood right around a lurking cteno without it batting a fin), and larger livebearers (swordtails and mollies - platies might be pushing it.)

Inch for inch, they're less aggressive that my blue gouramis.

I was just reading about Pikes in TFH last month. There are some of the smaller species that do fine in a community tank (again, with nothing small enough to eat), and at least one species that is not a fish eater at all, preferring snails and shrimp.