RE: [GSAS-Member] Back to plastics?

["Hess, Clay A" <clay.a.hess@boeing.com>]

Anita,

Some Africans dig substantially, others don't dig much at all.  Again,
this depends on the species.  You have the same situation with South
American cichlids.  I don't think this is a big issue with many of the
Africans available today.

I think the reason Africans gained a reputation for not doing well with
plants is due to the Pseudotropheus Zebra varieties and the Tropheus
Moorii/Duboisi varieties, as well as a few other African types.  These
fish are really good at grazing plants to the ground when they are
hungry.  If they are not hungry, they do fine with plants.  

So, I have a tank with Zebras and T. Duboisi in it, and plenty of java
moss, java fern and a couple of Amazon swords in the tank.  This works
only when I feed the fish really well.  The moment I go on vacation and
they do not get fed for a couple days, the plants are readily eaten by
the occupants.

The point here is that a person can keep plants with just about any fish
if they are willing to be a bit flexible and persistant in their
approach.  Oh, and there are exceptions to darn near every rule is the
other point....almost forgot that one.

Clay

-----Original Message-----
From: A JACOBSON [mailto:amjacobson52@msn.com] 
Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 10:37 PM
To: Greater Seattle Aquarium Society member chat
Subject: Re: [GSAS-Member] Back to plastics?


I read a site description of a beach on Lake Malawi, and remember that
it included vallisnaria and water lettuce.  Evidently the hard water
made the val very stiff & brittle, but it was the same val we use,
because when the author then raised some of the val in a neutral
aquarium, it became "soft" again.  

Correct me if I'm wrong, but one of the big reasons that african
cichlids don't go together with plants is because the african cichlids
dig.

Anita
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: DELPHILABS@aol.com<mailto:DELPHILABS@aol.com> 
  To: gsas-member@thekrib.com<mailto:gsas-member@thekrib.com> 
  Sent: Thursday, April 07, 2005 7:47 PM
  Subject: [GSAS-Member] Back to plastics?


  Listers,
   
  For many years (decades) I have not kept live plants  because I was
told it 
  could not be done with African Cichlids.  After  reading GSAS for a
few months, 
  I realize some of you are successful at  it.  
   
  On a whim while at the local PetCo, I bought Melon Sword, Green
Sword, and 
  Hornwort.  These plants were gorgeous upon purchase, but the  next day
one of 
  the swords was developing large black patches and the Hornwort  is 
  disintigrating into little bits.  The fish (Brevis,  Marleii,
Brichardi) in the tank do 
  not appear to be disturbing  them.  Is the problem the water chemistry
for these 
  species of  plants?  One of the swords is doing OK...
   
  I realize to do plants correctly, it requires much more effort  than I
have 
  provided.  But is it possible to keep some easy varieties  without
fertilizers 
  and additional lighting?  Or is it back to  plastics?
   
  Thanks,
  Keith
   
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