Who Gives A Fish Forums

Here are some pics of my 75 gallon African tank. Just set up a new school - 20 Demasoni and 12 White Labs, been in there a week now. So far, they're doing great, settling in well. Not much aggression, just some male Demasoni staking their claims, no major conflicts yet. Been feeding them Spirulina flake, frozen Spirulina brine shrimp and frozen Emeflaked Cuisine.

I love the setup, especially the rock work.

Those plants in your tank look great, rivelo. What type are they? I've been wanting to add some greenery to my Malawi tank, but I've heard they can be pretty rough on plants. Do you find yourself replanting often?

Your tank looks amazing, by the way. The rockwork is particularly impressive.

Thanks for the kind words, I was going for a natural look with the rockwork. The plants are Java Fern and they're doing alright so far. They were just some leftover clippings from my other tank, so if the Demasoni do decide to tear them up, no big deal.

I'm actually on the verge of a major rescape for my cichlid tanks, so it's awesome to get a look at what others have done for some inspiration. One thing that really stands out to me is how boxy my current layout is - guess it's time to get a little creative and break out the tools to give those rocks a makeover.

In both my tanks, what I did was either set the rocks in first or push the sand to one side and place the rocks. This way, the rocks are more secure and you get these deeper caves when you sweep the sand back over the rocks. The sand doesn't fill the void underneath the rocks, so it creates this nice space. Used beach rocks in this setup, seems to work pretty well.

I've opted for limestone rocks in my setup, with some having a flat slate shape, while others are more rectangular or square. I'll definitely give the sand-sweeping trick a shot when I rescape tomorrow, see how it turns out.

I'm a bit concerned the Java Fern might not make it if it's just stuck in the sand like that. Those Demasoni and White Labs are gorgeous, though.

The Java Ferns in my 55g are thriving, by the way. I just realized I mentioned they were clippings, but I should clarify they've got roots on them now. Those were actually clippings from a while back. What I do with any clippings is toss them in a 10g to grow out a bit, then when I need some, I just grab a few from that tank.

Java fern needs its rhizome exposed to thrive.