Plants come in a variety of ‘formats’ bunched, single stems, rooted in rockwool or in some cases attached to bogwood or terracotta sticks. Do I go for stems, bunches or potted plants? This will stop the fish from getting close to the roots when they are digging and help weigh down stems against being pulled up. It is a good idea to put some heavier stones or terracotta planting weights around the base of new plants in tanks which already have fish living in them. If your fish are in the tank already and you are looking for ideas to re-vamp their tank you may need to take extra measures to help keep the plants in place while they establish. If you are just starting out and have not yet set up your tank and added your fish it is a good idea to get the plants in first so they can establish their roots whilst you are doing your fishless cycle. If I wanted a Takashi Amano masterpiece I wouldn’t have goldfish, but that’s not to say they can’t have something that will look good and work with their nature. When they were babies I had much more of a range of plants in my tanks but as the fish have grown I’ve found that the range has reduced to a few stalwarts which have stood the test of time. I’ve found that the options have changed as the fish have got older and bigger. Consider too that their ancestors came from rivers these would have had a gravelly bottom rather than a fine carpet of delicate grass-like plants. Robust plants are a better choice than delicate frondy ones. Goldfish make a mess, they eat a lot and they produce a lot of waste so their tanks need to be easy to clean. Consider the maintenance of the tank goldfish tanks need to be robust and easy to maintain. Those amazing aquascapes in the magazines and websites are beautiful but are not likely to last against a tank of goldfish. When designing your set-up be realistic in your expectations. Expectations of planted tanks for goldfish This article is written from personal experience and my own opinions other people will agree/disagree so use this as part of your research into finding the best planted set-up for you and your goldfish. So, planted tanks for goldfish? Of course it can be done it just takes a little trial and error. Goldfish are intelligent, busy, ‘doing’ fish they really do benefit from an interesting environment with plenty of things to do. It makes a more natural habitat for them and encourages natural behaviours. Goldfish enjoy the sensory experience of playing around with plants, swimming through them, hiding in them and of course snacking on them. But goldfish really benefit from having live plants in their tanks, they are just as deserving of a nicely planted set-up as their tropical counterparts. So many people say it can’t be done after all goldfish eat plants, they dig, they blunder about, they pull up plants, and they like cooler water whereas many aquatic plants are tropical. We hope you’ll find some ideas to try out for your own set up. Planted tanks for goldfish … it may sound like an impossible dream … but is it? This article will help you find a successful route to a planted tank for your goldfish (hopefully!) and take you through some of the issues you might encounter when setting up a planted tank for goldfish.
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