cichlids with clown knife and arowanna?

Question
hey,im in the process of setting up a cichlid tank with live plants.i want to have some of the same fish i had a year or so ago which was a few variety of cichlids a clown knife and an arowanna.im not so sure of this at the moment although they got along in the past im not so sure they will this time..what advice can you give me about this idea? and what do u think about adding live plants into that whole mix? i have approx. 125g tank just so you know..im aiming for a tank with lots of colors(live plants and bright colored cichlids) but i want it to also be gracefull like how the arowanna and clown knife swim.

Answer
Hi Robert,
 Hmmm.. I don't see the live plants as a big problem but I do see mixing of arrowana and cichlids as being problematic, particularly if the cichlids are small enough for the arrowana to eat them.   

 If the cichlids are large enough not to be eaten by the arrowana, then I suspect that the cichlids will eat/uproot the live plants.    

 Keep in mind that arrowanas are from South America (or from Southeast Asia) depending on the species, and most "colorful" cichlids are from East Africa.  The former want
soft, acidic water and the latter want hard, alkaline water.

 I encourage people to stick to fish from the same geographic region in a single tank, so personally I wouldn't mix east African cichlids with an arrowana.

-- Ron
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
  Cichlid Research Home Page <http://cichlidresearch.com>