General Questions

[Thumpya]

I have general questions with regards to my 60gal mbuna cichlid tank I have running. I currently have a T5 light lighting the tank with a calico style rock color (brown,white, black) with rocks for caves. Is this too bright? also would there any kinds of plants that would go with these guys?I've read most of the time they'll just pull them up , there's got to be some sort of plant they won't bother.

Well that's a start for now.   

[synodontis]

Anubias and java ferns usually do well with african cichlids.  Don't plant them, but rather tie them to rocks or driftwood.  The roots will anchor themselves to the rocks or wood over time.

I don't know much about lighting - hopefully someone else can answer this.

[RoxyDog]

I can't comment on the lighting either.  My mbuna tank has java and african fern, anubias and large valisenaria.  The fish leave them all alone, but maybe I'm just lucky that they don't dig up the vals?

[Demasonian]

Not a lighting expert by any means, but T5 NO lights should be fine in an African setup. The NO refers to normal output, I think, or something to that effect. I've used the Coralife T5 NO fixtures on my 75 gallon in the past. Didn't like the light it gave off, but it wasn't too bright for the fish.

When keeping plants, there are certain rules about watts per gallon in order to ensure good growth, but I think the plants mentioned above can survive in lower light conditions and are generally left alone by Africans...Colour temperature is also important for plant growth, but once again, I'll leave it to others to comment on what colour temperatures work best for promoting health plants.