Jasmine's low tech planted goldfish tank!
 

Hello All!
This is my first journal, i have been keeping goldfish for about four years now and i absolutely love them!
At the moment i have two fancy goldfish, they started out living in a 29 gallon tank after about three years i decided that they have come close to out growing their tank, so i bought them a fifty five gallon tank.

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...l/bb85da66.jpg

They love it!

But then i got hooked on plants and i just had make their tank planted! Hopefully it will reduce my water changes and provide a more healthy environment for them!

So after modifying my hood for my new light and going through the motions of setting up a dirt tank i have created this...

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...l/d6241823.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...l/42b8008b.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...l/f9f450fd.jpg

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d1...l/9e9002cb.jpg

Specs:
55 gallon tank
Solarmax HE 2 bulb light fixture (2 10k t5no bulbs)
Miracle grow organic choice potting mix capped with pool filter sand
1 whisper ex 70
1 whisper ex 45 (both with homemade filter pads and purigen)
jager 150 heater

Flora:
Ludwigia Repens
Cryptocoryne Crispatula var. Balansae
Red jungle Val
Corkscrew val
Amazon sword
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Green
Water sprite
Cryptocoryne Retrospiralis
Dwarf Sag
Pennywort

Fauna:
Two fancy goldfish
Two albino cories
Pond snail
Nerite snail
Ramshorn snail

If i left anything out that you would like to know just say so!

Fantastic! I bet you love those plants. I'm really glad you started this journal. I can't wait to see how both of our tanks turn out. Maybe someday we could start a group for planted goldfish people here. It would be cool to have them all linked.

Hurray for planted goldfish tanks!

I really thought about using Miracle Gro Organic under my sand, but the stuff I bought wouldn't sink in water, even after having it in a test bowl for over a week. I would scoop out whatever was floating, and the next day it was all gross again. Even with a sand cap, I think it would have made a mess. I couldn't find anyone having the same problem, so I figured I had a bad batch, but decided to stick with root tabs anyway. I'll have to give my next tank a better plant foundation.

I bet your goldfish love their home!

Goldfinger- It would be cool! I know my plants have a long way to go but i really hope my vals, ludwiga and amazon swords grow big and strong because they can really make an elegant looking tank!

mjbubbles- hmmm, maybe your sand was too fine.....just a thought and sifting out the bigger wood chunks could help there too if you didn't do it that is. I really hope they like it, lol. And that they leave the plants alone, i had some pennywort floating in the tank for a week or so and they pretty much left it alone except for a nibble here and a nibble there but no real picking on it or chowing down. I hope that with the gel food i feed them and the kale, brine shrimp, oranges and what ever else i feed them that they will not have the need to eat my plants!

What are those pebbles at the top left for?

It's Walmart suction cup holder thingy for the shower, I have pothos growing in it as a riparium plant to help suck out ammonia and nitrates.

Cool... i am thinking to have some riparium plants as well in my 10g since i have a lot of those small plastic cups that came with plants..

Do it, for me it's the hope that it will help suck out the ammonia and nitrates but eventually it will look really pretty!

goldfish are my favorite especially ryukins XD

Really! Do you have any pictures of your tanks?

sadly no at first i had goldfish but it was during a new tank and i guess my goldies could not handle it and i was inexperienced so i had to change it to tropical.

what type of goldfish are they? one of them looks like a fantail or ryukin.

I have two fantails, an all gold one and then a white and orange with a tad of black one =]

Good to see the journal up and running, Jasmine!

Thanks Lutra, its your turn now!

I've just done it... lol..
check it out in my sig (ryukin's)
Pothos are cool :proud: