Comments/suggestions for my 40 breeder cichlid tank

[im2smart4u]

Okay, well I traded in the Christmas Fulu at the lfs. (I got a couple of pieces of zebra rock for my new 12 inch cube and a giant sprouted red tiger lotus bulb, or actually 2 bulbs stuck together.) Anyways, now that the fish that ate/tore up my plants are gone, I am looking to add a few more plants to this tank. I still have to be careful in what and where I plant, because the fish I have now won't mess with the plants directly, but they do like to occasionally rearrange the substrate.

The tank has 2 1bulb T8 lights, so only low light plants will survive. Any suggestions? I was thinking maybe jungle vals across the back, and maybe a few sword plants. I have 2 smaller swords that I could steal back from my 25 gallon (they were originally in here, but the fulus almost killed them, so I moved them to my other tank where they bounced back fairly well). I would love to have some kind of moss that I could attach to the driftwood in a few places that would droop down (kind of like spanish moss in a tree), but I don't know if it would be possible in this set up.

Pics below are how it looks right now. I messed up the rocks trying to catch those stupid Christmas Fulus... I ended up having to take out the wood and most of the rocks to get them. When I put the rocks back in, I left one out, and I am not as happy with it as I was. I need to rearrange again tomorrow. Also, I know I still need a background. I am trying to decide on the color. I either plan on doing black or gray.

[mrlucky923]

Really nice tank!! What kind of wood is that? I have a piece that looks very similar in my tank..

[im2smart4u]

Originally Posted by mrlucky923

Really nice tank!! What kind of wood is that? I have a piece that looks very similar in my tank..

I have no idea what kind of wood it is. I got it from my lfs where it was unlabeled. All I know is that it looks neat, but it won't sink. It isn't as dense as the wood in my 25 gallon tank. This wood was under water for 2 months and never did stop floating. It was actually held down by the glass top previously. Upside down, how it is now, it doesn't float as bad. It is being held down now by the rocks around it.

[im2smart4u]

Well, I rearranged the rocks a bit today. I like it better than before, but I am still not completely satisfied. I also moved the sword plants from the 25 gallon. I only had 2 swords, but one of them had way more leaves, and it split in two when I pulled it out. I went ahead and planted both pieces, so I hope they do okay. All 3 swords are in the front, 2 near the left and one on the right. I also moved around all the anubias, again. I

still need to pick up some vals to go along the back. Which val would you recommend? Jungle? Americana? The tank is a 40 breeder, so it is only 16 inches deep. I want one that at least reaches the surface, but I don't want it getting TOO big.

[im2smart4u]

Anybody on here have any vals for a good price? My local lfs doesn't have many vals right now, and I would need several to plant along the back wall...

Also, opinions on what other plants I should try are welcome. Remember that they need to have good roots, since my fish sometimes like to move around the substrate. I can place small rocks to help some, but it doesn't always help.

[im2smart4u]

Well, the tank has been rearranged again. There was just too much stuff in there before, with very little open space. I decided I wanted to open up the middle so I would have more room to plant. I removed the rocks that were in the middle and rearranged a few of the others. I planted a couple of little amazon swords and a few chain swords (planted along the rock at the left of the opening), both of which I got from a RAOK from longgonedaddy. I planted 2 of the 7 plantlets from the red lily bulbs in my 25 gallon. I also added a few more anubias plants and a plant I can't remember the name of (in the back left corner, looks like a val but isn't) that I got from a local fish club auction last week.

As always, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Below is a current pic of the tank, and a close up of the open area. Excuse the dirty glass and bad cell pic...

[im2smart4u]

Well, I am going to have to move some of the little rocks around the base of the plants. Two of the plants are already uprooted and floating around. I am actually surprised that it was only two.

Does anyone have any comments or suggestions on my new scape? Or, do you like one of the older ones better? If so, please explain why.

[AirstoND]

Have you considered a riparium setup if plants and substrate keep getting dug up?

[im2smart4u]

Originally Posted by AirstoND

Have you considered a riparium setup if plants and substrate keep getting dug up?

I have, but this tank isn't a good shape for that. Being a 40 breeder, it isn't very deep, and with my roommates' 3 cats, an open top tank is out of the question. If not for them, I would probably remove the glass tops, lower the water level a couple of inches, and grow plants out of the top using riparium planters and planting on the driftwood.

But, since the cats aren't going anywhere, I have to make do with the current setup. They have actually left most of the plants alone this time, except for a few in there favorite hang out spots. I guess I am either going to have to work around their favorite spots, and leave them bare, or find some more rocks to help hold the plants down. All I have right now are huge stones and tiny thumb size chunks. The thumb size pieces are not quite big and heavy enough to keep the plants in place when the fish don't like it.