The cohabitation (coexistence) with cichlids that tend to degrade the water quality

To keep Cichlids such as Discus and Angelfish in an aquatic plant layout, you must provide a large enough aquarium and filter. This is not only because they grow large but also because the highly nutritious food they require, such as blood worms, to maintain their form tends to turn the water eutrophic quickly. It is definitely to your advantage to have as large a volume of water as possible to maintain the water quality. Aquatic plants also contribute to the water quality through their water purifying ability. Planting aquatic plants densely as in this aquascape increases the self-purifying ability of an aquarium. It is important to keep in mind that you should create a layout composition that provides enough swimming space for Discus or Angelfish to swim around comfortably and to use plants that do not require frequent trimming. 0Putting hands in the aquarium for trimming frightens Discus unnecessarily. An aquascape is easier to maintain for a long time if it does not have a very elaborate design with fine details. In this layout, actively growing plants in the Echinodorus family, which favor rich substrate, help prevent the eutrophication of the water, and at the same time they create an aquascape in the image of the fishes' home. The sight of Echinodorus plants that flourish in a large aquarium is quite spectacular and worthy of sharing a place with main characters such as Discus and Angelfish. (Photo: Heckel Discus)

Water quality data
Water temperature: 25°C; pH: 7.0; TH: 50 mg/ℓ; NH4: 0 mg/ℓ; NO3: 1 mg/ℓ; PO4: 0.2 mg/ℓ; COD: 2mg/ℓ

Cichlids

Green Discus (Left and Second right), Golden angelfish (Second left), Scalare angelfish (Second right, Right).