Who Gives A Fish Forums

Hey dunam,
Any plants will work for you, Lionestly. I'd suggest anubias or java fern, they're super hardy and don't need much maintenance. When planting, don't bury the bulb completely in the substrate - you'll see it's thick and all the roots grow from it. Marimo moss balls are also awesome and easy to care for. I take them out during water changes and give them a cool water rinse - they love it. They do fine in heated tanks, but it's a nice treat for them.

For a planted tank, keep these things in mind:
- Substrate should be at least 2-3 inches for proper root growth.
- Do weekly water changes for plant growth - new water means new nutrients. This also helps reduce algae growth.
- Fertilizer isn't necessary, but it won't hurt to add some during a water change.
- Don't stress if your plants start to "melt" after planting - it's normal. They're just adjusting to their new environment and should perk up in a week or so.
- Prune your plants if needed. Dead plant matter can cause ammonia spikes.

If you don't have snails yet, I'd recommend nerite snails. They're almost impossible to breed and are super easy to care for. Snails can reproduce like crazy, so it's nice to have a more controlled species. Just don't overpopulate your tank with them. For a 10 gal or less, 2-4 snails should be fine. For a 15-30 gal, 5-10 snails are good. I've never had issues with these snails eating my plants, and they clean everything up nicely.

What sort of pleco is suitable for your tank? Suckermouth catfish require a diet rich in algae and driftwood, and some species can grow quite large, up to 18 inches or more, so they need a huge tank to thrive.

Goldfish, on the other hand, love munching on plant matter and need it in their diet. Duckweed is a great plant to grow for them, and they can eat it to their heart's content.

Now, about your tank's lighting - do you have a light on the tank? If so, what type is it, what kind of globes are you using, and anything else you can tell us about the light?

Lighting times are crucial for aquarium plants. Most plants need a bit of light to grow, and if you only have the light on for a couple of hours a day, they'll struggle. If the light doesn't have enough wattage, they'll also struggle. I recommend having the tank lights on for 10-12 hours a day.

If you're getting lots of green algae, try reducing the light by an hour a day and monitor the algae over the next two weeks. If you don't get any green algae on the glass, increase the lighting period by an hour and monitor it. If you get a small amount of algae, then the lighting time is about right.

Some plants will close their leaves when they've had enough light. Ambulia, Hygrophilas, and a few others close their top set of leaves first, then the next set, and so on down the stem. When you see this happening, wait an hour after the leaves have closed up against the stem, then turn the lights off.

If you're looking for some good plants to try, I recommend Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, H. ruba/rubra, Elodia (during summer, but avoid it in winter as it falls apart), Hydrilla, common Zorchzon sword plant, narrow or twisted Vallis, and Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/cornuta). The Water Sprite usually floats on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. The other plants should be planted in the gravel.

Ambulia, H. polysperma, Elodia/Hydrilla, and Vallis are tall plants that do well along the back of the tank. H. ruba/rubra is a medium-height plant that looks great on the sides of the tank. Most Zorchzon sword plants can get pretty big and are usually kept in the middle of the tank as a showpiece.

If you want to give your plants a boost, consider using an iron-based aquarium plant fertilizer. The liquid iron-based fertilizers tend to work better than the tablet forms, although you can push the tablets under the roots of plants and that works well too. Use an iron test kit to monitor iron levels and keep them at 1mg/l (1ppm). I've used Sera Florena liquid plant fertilizer, but there are other brands available.

Now, about carbon dioxide (CO2) - there's no point adding it until you have the lights and nutrients worked out. Even then, you don't need CO2 unless the tank is full of plants and only has a few small fish in it. There's plenty of CO2 in the average aquarium, produced by the fish and filter bacteria all day, every day. Plants also release CO2 at night when it's dark, and more CO2 gets into the tank from the atmosphere.

Avoid using liquid CO2 supplements, as they're made from toxic substances that can harm fish, shrimp, and snails.

When turning your tank lights on and off, remember to do it gradually to avoid stressing your fish. Open the curtains or turn the room light on at least 30 minutes before turning the tank light on. This will reduce the stress on the fish, and they won't go from a dark tank to a bright tank instantly.

At night, turn the room light on and then turn the tank light off. Wait at least 30 minutes before turning the room light out. This allows the fish to settle down for the night instead of going from a brightly lit tank to complete darkness instantly. Try to have the lights on at the same time each day.

I've gotta say, I've had great success with a variety of plants in my tank, even with Goldfish. Crypts, Swords, Anubias, and Water Sprite are all pretty hardy and can thrive in the same environment as your Goldfish. Just make sure you're providing the right conditions for them, like plenty of nutrients and proper lighting. Also, keep in mind that Goldfish love to munch on plant matter, so you may need to prune or replace plants regularly.

Crypts won't do well in cold water, they're pretty sensitive to temperature changes. If the goldfish tank gets too cold, it's likely they'll struggle to survive, possibly even die off.

I've had no issues with Rotala rotundifolia in my outdoor 60-gallon tank with Goldfish. In fact, it's one of the few plants that they don't seem to bother. I've got six Goldfish in there, including two larger Shubunkins, and the Rotala has held up just fine. It's also handled our chilly California winters with ease, tolerating water temps as low as 55-60°F.

Goldfish are notorious plant-eaters, unfortunately. Swords and Anubias seem to be the only plants that are safe from their voracious appetites. On top of that, they'll also happily munch on snails, even the larger ones like Japanese Trapdoors. When it comes to tank size, goldfish require a lot of space - a single fancy one needs at least 20 gallons, and each additional one needs 10 gallons more. And let's not forget the single-tail varieties, which eventually require a whopping 100 gallons. I'm afraid your tank is severely overstocked, I'm sorry to have to say it.

It's slightly different for me, though - my tank is outside and the water temperature rarely exceeds the high 60s, even during summer. In the winter, the fish slow down due to the colder temperatures. I have six goldfish in a 60-gallon tank, and two of them are hefty-sized Shubunkins. The other four are feeder fish I picked up for a dime each, and surprisingly, they've made it over a year and are still thriving - a far cry from the fate they'd have met otherwise.

I've been thinking of setting up a small pool for the fish and bringing that nice tank and stand indoors, but my wife isn't too keen on the idea, thinks it's a terrible horrible idea.

Wow, that Comet is massive, I'm talking huge. I'm wondering if it's crossed with a Butterfly Koi, those things can grow. I've seen them get big in breeder ponds, but 12 inches is just incredible. My feeder fish are just basic Prussian carp with a red color, one of them developed some white, that's it. No comet tails on those guys. My Shubunkins, I picked them out with some blue at 3 inches, but they lost all the blue by the time they hit 6 inches. That's just how it goes with goldfish keeping.

I started out keeping goldfish, had a bunch of beautiful Shubunkins, Orandas, and what I thought were top-of-the-line Calico Orandas with lionheads. It was always a blast watching them spawn in the spring, all that noise they made thrashing around on the plant roots near the surface. I miss those days, it was a lot of fun.

My comet's about 9" now, and even the baby shubunkin born last June is already 4" - they've just always been moved to bigger tanks before stunting occurred. I've had the 12" one for 4 years now, and I only paid 35 cents for him - my grand daughter fell in love with him, so that was that. The pic doesn't do justice for my one moor, she's much larger in real life - she was having tight turns in the 55G, so we upgraded to the 75G. She's doing great now, and people are always amazed when they see her in the tank - she's 5 years old, and I've got to find a pic of her as a baby, she was only about 2" at the time. I also keep a pond net over their pond to keep predators out, it's worked so far.