[knm<><]

Today I received my two Ranchu water piglets so I thought I would start a journal. Goldfish are a minority segment of this forum, but I know there are some who have kept them in a planted tank and talked about it here. I'm going to add to that small segment.

It's been a while since I did a journal and I could have done one on any of my 4 tanks and I might start a separate one to keep track of all other tanks in one place. But, for now, this is my focus and my biggest experiment. These are my first fancy goldfish and I expect there will be a learning curve. With that in mind, I went with a submerged potted plant look because A: I have only seen one other aquascape similar to it (the inspiration) and 2: it's easier to feed the fish in open area and clean up after them.

Tank: Top Fin 36g bowfront
Filter: aquaclear 70 and a sponge filter
Substrate: pool filter sand
Hardscape: planter pot filled with river pebbles
Flora: Anubias barteri, Christmas moss, subwasertang
Fauna: Chinese Ranchu Calico, Chinese Ranchu Kirin

Light: right now is the stock LED that came with the top, seems bright-ish... This is a rimless tank, but with the air stone and sponge filter, there is a lot of water trying to escape. I could ditch the top and upgrade the light, but I'm not sure what to go with since ally plants are centered. More on that later...

I'm really looking forward to this new adventure in planted tanks and fish keeping.

Pics:

 

[Discusluv]

They are gorgeous! Look forward to following along with your journal.
I haven't kept gold fish before.
What are their diet needs? Or, more specifically, diet needs for the Ranchu?
Any other special requirements?
How large do they get?
Did you get from a breeder that specializes in these fish?

Thanks for sharing

 

[stevewb]

I’ve always wanted them but not enough to devote a tank to them. Those are some nice fish though!

 

[xjasminex]

Yay! SUBSCRIBED!! I love goldfish planted tanks! I’m waiting for the day I can set one up again! Looking forward to your progress. I have an old journal thread that you might find interesting on my fifty five planted goldfish tank. I think it’s in my signature. If the link is broken let me know and I’ll link it!


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[knm<><]

They are gorgeous! Look forward to following along with your journal.
I haven't kept gold fish before.
What are their diet needs? Or, more specifically, diet needs for the Ranchu?
Any other special requirements?
How large do they get?
Did you get from a breeder that specializes in these fish?

Thanks for sharing

They just need a balanced diet, not too much protein or they will get constipated, which can lead to swim bladder issues. Most recommendations I found say to feed a quality sinking pellet or gel diet 5 days per week, followed by one day of a high fiber veggie (peas) and one day of fasting per week. It is also recommended to presoak the pellets to reduce the amount of air that the fish ingest, it is really easy to bloat them.

They can be quite messy, so That's why I went with a minimal scape, easy to clean. Some even go with a bare bottom, but I just can't bring myself to do that.

Goldfish secrete a growth limiting hormone, so they will grow to the size of the tank, not sure how bit that means for this tank. However, constant water changes dilute the hormone and can cause them to grow larger. It's pretty interesting. I plan to add another one in here to complete the trio. I got these from a distributor in the US, their fish come from Thailand or China. There are breeders in the US if you want to dig around on the web a bit and pay more. I couldn't find a US breeder with the colors I prefer.

I’ve always wanted them but not enough to devote a tank to them. Those are some nice fish though!

Thank you!

Yay! SUBSCRIBED!! I love goldfish planted tanks! I’m waiting for the day I can set one up again! Looking forward to your progress. I have an old journal thread that you might find interesting on my fifty five planted goldfish tank. I think it’s in my signature. If the link is broken let me know and I’ll link it!

It is broken, but I can find it pretty easily. I hope you get to set one up soon, I love these little guys!

 

[knm<><]

Lighting... Ultimate goal here is lush and dense Christmas’s moss in the planter.

Okay, so giving some thought to this, but I’m not a lighting expert. I’m really only using about half the length and width of the tank for plants. However, rough estimate is 19 inches from light to the moss once mounted. Bearing that in mind, I’m considerIng a couple options, but am open to anything:

1) a pair of the Lominie Asta 20s with the 60 degree lenses splitting the center 1/3 of the tank should cover what I need and still light the rest of the tank for viewing

2) an 18-24 inch Finex or Current USA programmable LED.

I’m still torn on keeping the top, so I might cut an opening in the top and silicone glass in its place. The light will disperse a bit through the condensation, could be a factor, but I’m not sure.

Any lighting experts out there, please feel free to hit me with info on what you think would work best.

 

[knm<><]

Option 3) found this light Nilipal LED Aquarium Light - 25W Freshwater that might work. I’m just not sure about effectiveness at 19 inches.

For some reason I find it difficult to get people to discuss lighting with me here on this forum :icon_ques:icon_ques

 

[knm<><]

Research does pay off...

While reading through the lighting sub forum, I came across a recommendation for someone else about the pawfly 18-24” adjustable LED light for a low cost alternative to the big names. I suddenly realized I have one, brand new, never opened in my garage. Problem solved!

 

[xjasminex]

Jasmine's low tech planted goldfish tank!
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/to...ead.php?t=156649&share_type=t&link_source=app

Theres the link for my old tank, I hope it works for you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[knm<><]

Finally seeing signs of new growth from the Christmas moss. Hoping I have the light dialed in and can avoid algae... knock on wood

 

[nicoleah]

I'm in love, they're adorable!

 

[AutumnSun]

Bump...How are the little water pigs doing? I would love to do something similar next year after I move.

 

[knm<><]

Bump...How are the little water pigs doing? I would love to do something similar next year after I move.

They are doing great! The Kirin (Gray) has ballooned and is now bigger than the calico. I added a red/black Yuan Bao Oranda to the group and moved them into a 65 gallon. I quickly learned how much more waste these fish produce, it’s hard to keep up with cleaning and preventing algae in this tank. I tried adding snails to help, but these fish eat everything! I started letting the algae grow and they love to graze on it, but it makes an unattractive tank, so I don’t take many pictures of it. Oh, and they destroyed all the Christmas moss, so I added some anubias nana petite, narrow leaf java fern and trident java fern instead.