the journey of my planted goldfish tank

[yannachka]

I have always loved planted aquariums and I have also always loved goldfish. whenever I would try to find suggestions for setting up a planted goldfish tank I was always told that it wasn't possible so naturally, I decided to test that. Now maybe I lucked out and got goldfish who don't really want to eat plants but from my experience, goldfish are more prone to digging them up than actually eating them. The only two plants that I've witnessed my goldfish actually eat are mosses and duckweed. I wanted to share my journey in the world of goldfish and plants.

 

My Planted Goldfish Tank Journey

Let's start with the tank info first.

• tank size: 90 gallon
• filtration: 2x fluval fx6 (they were on sale so I splurged, flow is way too high so I've turned the outflow down by like 50% which I know is not good for the motors long term but that's a future problem), 2x zeiss filters (once again over-kill but I had a couple extra ones with no other tanks to put them in so why not. they double as airstones as well)
• lighting: 3x fluval 3.0s (2 on the glass and 1 suspended from the ceiling for the emersed plants)
• substrate: Safe T Sorb - it was the cheapest substrate I could find that had the natural brown gravel look I wanted in the tank. I did no presoaking which I highly recommend and I have found that it absorbs nutrients/ferts very well.
• co2: none at first but I decided to set it up for faster growth later on.
• ferts: Flourish comprehensive, it's the lowest nitrate comprehensive fert I've found + root tabs
• temp: between 74-76F

Planning Stage

I knew from my experience with goldfish that they would likely dig up all of the plants. There are really only two ways this can be avoided. The first is to let the plants grow in for the first 1-6 months before adding the fish in so they develop strong, large root systems and are more difficult to dig up. The second option is to block the plants somehow with various decor (or Aquarium Co-ops plant holders) so that the goldfish can't reach them to dig. A combination of the two is your best chance at success.

I used driftwood and large black river stones to block off the back 1/3 of the tank so the goldies would have a more difficult time digging there and left the front 2/3 open for them to dig to their hearts' content.

Ignore the mess but this is the newly set up 90g. I built the stand for it as well out of butcher block. At this point I only had 1 fx6 from their previous tank and I was using a hob with media from a different filter to help quickly cycle the tank. You can see the caves hidden in the substrate for the plecos/catfish. This is from November 2019.

I picked up some more driftwood to add and some more plants. This is when I tried to add riccia flutens to the driftwood and it did not last. Photos are between February-March 2020.

I tried covering the moss to give it a chance to attach to the wood but they are right through that. 

goldfish tax. You can see the substrate better here, I am a big fan of it personally. Very good absorption and it has a very natural look. The only negatives are how dusty it can be, it breaks down over time as it compresses, and it's lighter than eco-complete so it is harder to get plants to stay rooted.

April 2020 I added some emersed plants using a diy planter. Being furloughed and locked in my house meant I had time to dedicate to this tank. Plants include: 2x peace lilies (one on each side), lots of photos, corkscrew rush (did not do well long term even though it is a pond/marsh plant), and a sweet potato. The diy planters hold a mix of fluval stratum and red eco-complete which was the extra substrate I had laying around.

I also added a second Fluval fx6 at this point cause I impulse bought it on sale. Still only running the one Fluval 3.0 at this point.

Growth of the tank as of May 2020, the emersed plants really took off. I picked up a second 3.0 to add since the plants were blocking the light for the hanging light.

A few days later I decided to get co2 for the tank.

You can see the rock retaining wall blocking off the plants well here alongside the driftwood. I have pleco caves hidden underneath the rocks as well dug into the substrate so the plecos and catfish have good hiding spots that are still visible to me. Because they are in the substrate, I can plant plants above them so they aren't taking up valuable space. The cave on the left is a 3" pvc I cut and spray painted brown for a larger hiding spot. There is one on the right corner as well. Ignore the empty snail shells, goldfish love snails as I learned.

July 1, the emersed plants are looking amazing and are doing fantastic. I added a few red mangroves I wanted to try out as well.

Unfortunately I didn't take photos but I did add some new plants to the tank between June and August. I added some leopard val, giant jungle val, pogo stellatus octopus, and a few others I can't remember. August 2020 and the tank is being filled in well. The barriers for the plants is working and the goldfish don't have access to dig behind the driftwood and rock barrier wall. It also doubles as a great safe space for the plecos, platys, and snakeskin gourami.

Taken during a water change so you can see the diy planters I made. They're positioned in front of the fx6 outflows so they get plenty of water flow through the roots. You can see that at this point the corkscrew rush isn't doing well, I think it was not getting enough light since it would turn brown where it extends above the light. Peak summer so I have a fan going to keep the tank from being 80F. 

The pogo stellatus is a great goldfish plant, they don't touch the stems and it is a fast grower so it is one I recommend trying with goldies.

Post water change

September 2020, kitten tax with Benji my rescue goldfish up top. You can see that the plants are nearly reaching the surface at this point. I am still only dosing Flourish comp and iron whenever I remember to. 

I have added a third 3.0 now to add light to the front of the tank as well. Also taken September 2020 during sunset hours. You may have noticed that a few goldies are missing, I fed some newly nought frozen foods from my lfs one night and the next morning half of them were dead. I think the food was thawed and refrozen at some point or I got a bad batch but it killed most of them. It was heartbreaking and I've avoided both that lfs and that food since.

October, this guy was a gift from a friend in the beginning of the year. He was about 2-3" when I got him and this is him at around 7". We have very hard and mineral rich water so he is thriving in it. You can see the plant growth behind him as well. 

This is the tank in November, the giant val and pogo stellatus took off and I added some monstera to the top.

catfish eating some rasberries. I have some amazon swords in here that neither the goldfish nor the plecos touch. Maybe I'm just lucky in that aspect.

December 2020, the emersed plants are looking amazing and the aquarium plants are also filled in and looking fantastic. No issues with the goldies digging them up and the val that has spread to the front of the tank as no issues either cause of the dense root system. Taken as the lights are dimming so it's a little dark.

late night water change. I removed the planter from the left and the roots just hang in the water since they outgrew it. No issues that I can see of the roots being nibbled on

And that brings me to 2021. These photos are of my snakeskin gourami pair from January hiding in the val. The platys are constantly breeding as are the plecos, I just allow whatever fry to survive in the plants to survive. 

I finally had the heart to add some new goldies in January. Goldfish tax. A couple of the new additions:

A good shot of the pleco caves.

And finally, some glamour shots from last week showing the tank as it is now. I have added some bolbitis earlier this year. I need to trim the emersed plants since they are getting choked out now for light with how dense they are.

susan and sam (snakeskin pair) have really grown since I first got them at 3". They're between 7-8" now and I want to breed them this year. The blue gourami is an opaline gourami, she has also been in here since the beginning. I wouldn't recommend this combo to anyone but I've had her for about 5 years now so I'm attached and she's too much of a bully to go into my other tanks. In this tank I think the combo of cooler water and bigger fish keep her calm and I have zero issues with her picking on anyone. She's a big girl at around 5" as well. You can see how big Benji has gotten in the few months I've had him/her as well.

new ranchu tax

 

 

 

If you scrolled through all of that, thank you! I would love to hear suggestions, thoughts, etc. I can also answer any questions you may have. I plant to keep this journal updated with future growth and progress, I did remove half of the bolbitis to add to a different tank I am redoing. I do also have a tank upgrade in the future for these guys since I know they're gonna outgrow the 90g. The pandemic put a hold on that but I think this home is good for them for this year at least.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by yannachka
photos

[Colu]

Wish I could have so many plants with my 12in common goldfish he eats or digs them up your tank look great

[yannachka]

35 minutes ago, Colu said:

Wish I could have so many plants with my 12in common goldfish he eats or digs them up your tank look great

thank you! try the coop planters and see if that stops them from getting dug up 

[Streetwise]

Awesome tank, and excellent journal! Thanks for sharing it.

[kammaroon]

Amazing. Beautiful tank, beautiful fish and beautiful photos!

[Fish Folk]

This is amazing. Wow! Super inspiring . . . 

[OceanTruth]

That is one amazing planted goldfish tank. Your goldies are real beauties!!!

[yannachka]

the goldfish loft is slowly coming together

[OceanTruth]

That really is a beautiful setup.

[yannachka]

this needs a trim! i threw in some leftover subwassertang hoping the goldies would eat it and they didnt so now i have it everywhere 

 

[Lifeisgood]

7 hours ago, yannachka said:

this needs a trim! i threw in some leftover subwassertang hoping the goldies would eat it and they didnt so now i have it everywhere 

 

That is a beautiful tank!  So it looks like you have some kind of garra?  And what is the fish in the last picture?  Is it some kind of Bicher?

[yannachka]

26 minutes ago, Lifeisgood said:

That is a beautiful tank!  So it looks like you have some kind of garra?  And what is the fish in the last picture?  Is it some kind of Bicher?

thank you! the first is a sumo loach and the second is a violet goby:

 he is nearing 8” now and getting chunky

[Lifeisgood]

12 minutes ago, yannachka said:

thank you! the first is a sumo loach and the second is a violet goby:

 he is nearing 8” now and getting chunky

Never knew about these guys!  What does the violet goby eat?

[Colu]

Beautiful tank 

[Dawn T]

Beautiful! One of the reasons I've avoided goldfish over the years was exactly what you said - you get told by everyone under the sun that they can't be put with plants. At all. I've watched MD Fish Tanks play with different plants and such with success, and it's great to see what you've done with such great success. I might just have to look at a goldfish tank down the road when I can have a bigger tank (limited to 29g or smaller at the moment).

[Kat_Rigel]

I was very glad to stumble across this post- I am new to goldfish and it's been tough to find accurate information; most people will just repeat things they've read online, so it's nice to see some first hand info. Thank you for this post!

[Patrick_G]

I agree! Goldfish are my favorite. I’m happy with my little pond but would love a big planted tank with a few Orandas. I really wanted this big girl that @Coryfeatured in a recent shop tour vid.

[Kat_Rigel]

1 hour ago, Patrick_G said:

I agree! Goldfish are my favorite. I’m happy with my little pond but would love a big planted tank with a few Orandas. I really wanted this big girl that @Coryfeatured in a recent shop tour vid.

So pretty! I must admit, I'm falling head over heels for the little chubsters.

[yannachka]

On 5/26/2021 at 8:28 PM, Patrick_G said:

I agree! Goldfish are my favorite. I’m happy with my little pond but would love a big planted tank with a few Orandas. I really wanted this big girl that @Coryfeatured in a recent shop tour vid.

i eyed her too until i realized i unfortunately live across the country 😢 luckily i live near some really good breeders

[Griznatch]

Very inspiring set up! Can't show this to my wife, or her 55 will be a goldfish tank lol

[MichelleN]

Oh my word that's a gorgeous set up!  

[yannachka]

photo dump + updates

it's been a little bit since my last update and there has been a new addition so thought i would do a photo dump of the current tank. it is pretty overgrown but i dont want to make any changes since it is balanced, i tried to clean up the emersed plants on top but wasn't very successful as you can see 😂

excuse the poor photos, it's hard to get a good photo without reflections and at night. full tank shot.

i added a school of blue danios (danio kerri) which i think are a seriously underrated fish. i wanted some fast moving schooling fish to add some activity to the tank and these did the trick. they've been in for about a month and a half and are doing fantastic, very active and they are gorgeous with their blues, purples, and reds. i had a hard time photographing them so i hope the photos do them justice. watching the males dance in the morning is always fun, i have around 20 something of them currently.

some photos of the rest of the inhabitants

billy the rescue moor

this is robert, i was picking up the danios at my local store and he looked so sad. the other goldies were active and swimming and this poor guy was listless in the back giving me the saddest look. so naturally i took him home and now you would never be able to tell! (don't worry he and the danios went through a full round of qt with meds)

the knight goby is doing great

this is one eyed joe, he came to me this way but his lack of an eye definitely does not affect his behavior and how much he loves to eat.

another underrated fish in my opinion. given the right set up these guys are amazing tankmates for goldfish. they need a lot of cover and plants so as  long as you can manage those they do well. my pair (sam and susan) are 8" or so and much more bold/comfortable the larger they get. i dont expect them to get much bigger than this though. once i have the space i want to breed this pair.

sam loves his krill flakes. here's him lost in the sauce...

here are a few photos of the emersed plants up top. i have a rather extensive houseplant collection and i cant stop myself from adding new, random plants into the mix to see if they will work. these are all quick iphone shots i just grabbed (it was too dark last night).

the tank is in an upstairs loft and the pothos has started trailing down the wall

th

these golden leaves are larger than my hand!

i hope you all enjoyed this update and the photo dump.

 

Edited June 7, 2021 by yannachka

[Colu]

Beautiful tank just gets better with time

[yannachka]

5 minutes ago, Colu said:

Beautiful tank just gets better with time

thank you! im scared of what it will look like in another year, i might not be able to see any fish. i am planning on moving once the market is somewhat more stable and i will probable have to drain this tank and move it as is lol

[yannachka]

i am planning to be more active on here, ive just been so busy with life and work that i havent had time but its all slowing down just a bit and i have cool projects up my sleeve! i just redid my medusa tank (after many months of saying i would) and am excited to give updates on that.