Starting over with plants only?

[Annie]

All of my fish died.

I had another thread on here but haven’t responded . We kept having power outages and blizzards so snow removal took over my life.

All my fish died.  The annoying thing is my roommate does  nothing but fill her tank with untreated water and has no problems. Ever. For years. I  try and fail. 😔

my tank is just sitting with no fish. 
part of me wants to wait  to start again until I find  my own place. That might be awhile…
my other thought is to completely clean it out and start fresh with new plants and decor. Not even add fish….

should I bother or wait till I move? 
advice on easy plants with no co2

i do have a pretty good light 

Aquasky  by FluvalSmart . 
id like a nice looking tank but if it’s too much of hassle to move it. / break it down 
I also want the hardiest fish possible down the road with algae crew… 

Amy suggestions would be appreciated, Annie

 

[Expectorating_Aubergine]

My name isn't Amy, so I can only give Jesse suggestions 😋. So some of the toughest plants around are epiphytes like anubias and Java fern. You can also try growing dwarf saggitaria if your substrate is coarser (it looks like sand to me, but maybe it's not). Subwassertang is, in my opinion, one of the toughest plants you can have around. If you're going to have a plant only tank, be sure to fertilize it.

[DeadStang]

I have had nothing but problems with my fish then my tank top started leaking... 

So I have a jungle of java ferns and nano anubias wired to the "furniture" in my aquarium in a 40 breeder with 5 little fish left (with a number of super cool snails). I am now sticking with "easy" fish that can exist within the parameters of my water only and making the tank a nice place to live.

If I were you, I'd stock up the tank with lots of those plants -- they seem to be the easiest keepers and just require the in-water fertilizer, not the root tabs, and look cool attached to your stuff inside the tank. Once you like the way you've got it set up, get some easy, inexpensive fish like tetras, coreys, and gouramis. I am liking the group idea as it is not as devastating as single fish who break your heart if they don't make it. Add some groovy, colorful snails, then just have a few fish in your nice plant tank .

[Lennie]

Hey Annie!

I'm sorry for your loss.

I agree with @Expectorating_Aubergine. If it is a sand substrate without anything below it to help roots to grow healthy and good, then I would go for abovementioned plants as they should not be planted on the substrate. Subwassertang does better in water on colder side tho. Keep that on mind. If you have  something below the  sand layer, then I can recommend some root feeders too!

There are also plants that can be both planted or kept as a floating plant like Hornwort or Elodea, which help with water quality a lot as they grow like a weed :). Also you can consider normal floating plants, they help with both water quality and to block some direct light for slow glowers like anubias as java fern, and helps blocking algae growth on them. You can't really go wrong with floating plants, except probably duckweed, unless you really want it. It is hard to get rid of later on. Amazon frogbit and salvinia are pretty hardy and easy to keep. You may start with those!

On 1/22/2023 at 7:58 PM, Annie said:

The annoying thing is my roommate does  nothing but fill her tank with untreated water and has no problems. Ever. For years. I  try and fail. 😔

Also don't forget that there is a difference between being alive and being healthy and having a good life. And better safe than sorry, always. There are people who keep a goldfish in bowl for so many years, alive. It does not make it a good way of keeping it tho. As long as you are super sure about something like your own well water and tested, I think It is always better to treat water with dechlorinators.

 

What's your water parameters, the temp you keep your tank at and your tank size? Those would help a lot for some stocking recommendations!

 

Also, moving the tank to a new home can be pain sometimes. If you are planning to move sometime soon, I would probably wait myself, as even cycling a tank takes around a month or so from zero. If your roomie has a good established filter, it may help to cycle faster. Tho if your water has chlorines or stuff, I'm not sure to what extend beneficial bacteria can establish in a tank without treated water, unless your water is free of those

 

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by Lennie

[Annie]

Thanks guys. 
so I’m guessing I’ll have to drain and completely clean out? Even when my water tested good fish kept dying… 
I still have sand for substrate in a bag. Should I ditch the old sand? My filter HOB, has an area where it won’t snap together tightly. Could that be an issue? Do I get a whole new one?

I have a 2o long with one HOB filter size large

And airstone 

And it slightly leaks top seam at times 

[J Saddletramp]

Don’t give up, persevere! Live and learn. 

In a lot of ways we’re in the same boat. Starting over.

Years ago I’ve had tanks that would sustain for a while on their own if they had to. Low tech, box filters, 50-60’s tech. Live plants. An actual thriving ecosystem. It can be done. It’s patience, pay attention, and some deaths along the way. The allusive “Zen” zone…

[knee]

If you want some easy plants I'd start with some floaters like salvinia or amazon frog bit (this could overtake your tank quickly and they get bigger), then I'd add some water column feeding plants like guppy grass, anacharis, water sprite and water wisteria. Have you tried snails? Maybe try some snails when you plant the tank again.

Where did you get your fish?

[MattyM]

I'm so sorry! I would take this time to learn about what plants work for you, as others have mentioned. While my tanks were cycling I had nothing but plants and snails for quite awhile and enjoyed it. Some plants died, others thrived - just had to learn about what plants like my water and how to fertilize them. It also gave me time to rearrange the tank to my liking w/o stressing any fish out. 

Then when I slowly started introducing fish, I never had problems (knock on wood). Compared to the store it was like the Garden of Eden for them. Good luck 👍

[Tanked]

I was just reading the responses from December.  It is possible that you are trying too hard.   I would first suggest comparing your roommate's successful tank to yours. What is the stocking levels, plants, temperature, ph., any information you can compare. What fish/plants is your roommate keeping? When you test, do you follow instructions exactly? If you are using a liquid test kit, are you shaking the bottles before testing?  30 seconds too soon/late on a test strip will give an inaccurate reading.  Large frequent water changes are stressful. Consistency is important.

I would try for temperature and ph. ranges that are mid range for all of your fish. I consider a ph. level of 6 to be too low.  It might be doable, but the community might be happier with 6.6-6.8, or above.  Do your fish require 80 degrees?  If you are prone to short outages, than a blanket over and around the aquarium will slow heat loss.  Someone will correct me on this, but I think that a 15 degree drop is twice as stressful than a 7-10 degree drop.  It also takes longer to get the fish back into their comfort zone.  I have also read that fish kept in cooler water tend to live longer. 

You might move.  Should you start over with plants only or add fish?  With a little patience and planning, fish are easy to move.  There are many opinions as to how to and how long it takes to cycle a tank You already have good substrate, hardscape and lights. If your roommate is having success with plants start with those. Give them a month to see how they work out for you.  Anubis are easy but slow, PSO and Wisteria are usually very easy, and faster growing starters.  Hornwort grows for almost everyone.  The best range for ammonia is zero! The others have already mentioned borrowing filter material, You can also borrow substrate and to a lesser degree water from your roommate. If your Ammonia does not spike, add two fish. Wait at least a week to add two more.

Sorry for the ramble, I hope something here helps.

 

 

 

[Annie]

Thank you all for your suggestions. After researching there is no good place for my aquarium in the current house I’m in. I’m waiting till I have my own place and will make sure I get the proper size aquarium . And want to have 8 goldfish and one black . Here’s where I get to practice patience. And begin planning for what I really want… A beautiful planted tank with those fish I mentioned. Because I am studying Jyotish and learning about energies I am wanting to follow the rule of Vastu.

thanks again. I’ll probably be reaching out when time gets closer ✌🏾🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟Annie

[Val]

@Annie  That just sucks.  So sorry for your frustrations.  Goldfish can be hard on plants.  And they can uproot the anubias and java fern that were so highly recommeded sinde those are not planted very deeply in the substrate.  I gave on plants long ago, but plants and GF can be done.  I think it just increases the degree of difficulty.

Goog luck on working on your patience...

[Annie]

Well since I’ll be starting over from scratch I can do different substrates… what about floating plants or bulbs ?. I really want a lotus . 
the only thing I kept was my FluvalSmart Aquasky light which I believe is pretty decent . Am I correct?  And I also kept my airstone. 
how big of a tank would I need for that many goldfish?

[Lennie]

On 2/7/2023 at 11:28 PM, Annie said:

how big of a tank would I need for that many goldfish?

Well, ideally, VERY BIG. Goldfish get huge, and they are super duper dirty. Bare minimum, 30g/per goldfish in my opinion. So 270g/1000Liters bare minimum aproximately for 9. Still sounds small when I think twice. I wanna say up to 2k Liters after Seeing Cory's 800g lol. I believe that in normal fish tanks overstocking a lil bit is okay, but not with goldfish, no. Check the background aquarium size in this video. That tank is 800g if I'm not wrong, so 3000Liters, and see how many gf there are.

 

On 2/7/2023 at 11:28 PM, Annie said:

Well since I’ll be starting over from scratch I can do different substrates

People usually keep them without substrate because first, they poop a lot and it is easier to clean bare bottom mostly,

Second, they have super poor genetics unless you get one with a body shape that is similar to their ancestors, they usually have swimming problems and stuff like swim bladder, so they potentially end up not being able to swim and sit on the bottom and substrate cause even worse damage on the bottom of the fish.

They tend to eat everything that fits in their mouth, so you really gotta be careful with substrate so they don't end up choking. Also no decorations in the tank. Any decoration or rock means potential injury. Anybody can disagree with me, but this is my opinion

Please make a research before deciding on fancy goldfish, and try to get the ones that has similar body shape to their ancestors if you still decide to keep some. Goldfish are hard to keep because they are so prone to get injured and diseases due to inbreeding, body defects, and poor genetics.

 

Edited February 7, 2023 by Lennie

[nabokovfan87]

On 2/7/2023 at 12:28 PM, Annie said:

Well since I’ll be starting over from scratch I can do different substrates… what about floating plants or bulbs ?. I really want a lotus . 
the only thing I kept was my FluvalSmart Aquasky light which I believe is pretty decent . Am I correct?  And I also kept my airstone. 
how big of a tank would I need for that many goldfish?

Depending on setup, I know you'd mentioned having issues with location. Maybe a Bolivian Ram would be a good place to "start"?

They are hardy, they are very fun and will enjoy interacting with you. The tank setup is pretty perfect as is and any changes would only benefit the fish. 

A few water changes, test and get some feedback on maintenance, set up (or verify) filtration, cycle the tank, and then you're ready for fish.

We've all been there when it comes to the struggle to get things going. We all started somewhere.  Hoping for the best for you, keep doing the right things, you'll get there! 🙂

[Annie]

I broke that tank down already.

I am searching for a new place to live at the moment. Once I get moved in a can go from there…

id like to go up to a 30 gallon so I can have more options but I’ll have to wait to see the space I have to work with…

thank you all, Annie 

if anyone live in Lake Tahoe and has a house me and my dogs can rent… or Carson city🤞🏽🤞🏽🤞🏽🐟🐟🐟

im desperate to move forward