[Kayte]

Good day all -

I need some serious advice. I have an image in my head of an Asian themed planted tank. I am essentially creating this as my little green garden zen meditation space in my apartment. Hence I am placing a Buddha in the middle of the tank. It is a 40gal breeder tank. I have painted the back and bottom of the tank black. I intend to use dirt as a substrate capped with black sand. I will have a canister filter as well as an aquaponics HOB planter growing pathos and lucky bamboo. I plan to build a planter table made of engineered bamboo plywood which will sit on cinder blocks to elevate it above the tank so I can pump the water from the tank, to the planter, and then use a bell siphon to filter the water back to the tank. The tank will also sit on cement cinder block framed by the bamboo plywood.

I intend to set the tank up with just plants and hardscape until the water chemistry stabilizes. Then... and here is the kicker... I want to add three fancy goldfish.

So what kind of aquarium plants should I use especially considering the asian theme of the tank? I was thinking about surrounding the Buddha with green temple narrow leaf. But I want a variety of plants. I really want to create a kind of zen garden in the tank. What other plants could I add? Does anyone have some ideas?

Cheers,
Kayte

 

[bigbadjon]

If you are keeping goldfish then the obvious plant choice is java fern. Anubias also is usually good. Lots of tender plants may be eaten by them and you will also want to cap the plants with gravel at the bases. Also a 40 gal might be too small for 3 goldfish. Assume a fancy variety to hit at least 5 inches , with good food in the first year potentially larger. You could keep them in there for awhile but be prepared for many a water change.

As an idea you may also check out gold barbs. They look like a miniature hibuna but are plant safe and small aquarium sized.

 

[Kayte]

Thanks bigbadjon. I appreciate the reply. From what I have read, the rule of thumb for fancy goldfish stocking is 20 gallons for the first goldfish and an additional 10 gal for each fancy goldfish thereafter. So the max I can go is three if I don't want to overstock. I had thought about java fern. Java fern seems to be a bit boring as plants goes but on the upside it does have origins in Asian. Anubias are amazonian plants so I am trying not to consider them.

If anyone has any more suggestions and advice, I'd love to read them.

Cheers,
Kayte

 

[bigbadjon]

I thought I'd give someone else a chance before chiming but there may not be many goldfish keepers on this forum. Crypts, tiger lotus, and some fancy mosses are ideas with this caveat. Goldish are going to eat almost all plants except java fern, thats why most plant keepers don't use goldfish. That said you can keep any plants you want as long as you don't mind the expense of replanting when they eat it down. That said sometimes a goldfish won't touch plants at all. Sometimes they will eat even java fern. I suggest you go to a goldfish specific website and ask there.