# 55g *Goldfish Jungle* No-Tech: updated pics Sept 25!!!



## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

I have kept goldfish for almost 10 years now, but only recently with plants! 
Most recent picture (As of 9/25/11): 









Fauna:
-4 goldfish

Flora: 
Jungle val- vallisneria americana gigantae
Corkscrew val- Vallisneria americana v. 'Biwaensis'
Anubias barteri
Echinodorus 'rose'
Java fern- Microsorum pteropus
Rotala rotundifolia
+Dwarf sagittaria

Equipment: 
Fluval C4 filter
Inert gravel 
2x35watt T8 bulbs
No ferts

3/23/11 
This is my tank (sorry for the bad quality, I'll try to get better pictures. It's not really that murky or dark, lol) :


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

I like it. I was recently thinking of keeping some goldfish in a planted tank. I'm going to try to find some plants they won't try to destroy. I've never had any goldfish before, but I've been wanting to get some Red & White Ryukins. Since you've been keeping them for so long, do you think keeping 2 in a 29G with a canister filter would be OK? I know they need a decent amount of space and filtration because they can be messy, so I wasn't sure if it's enough space. I really wanted a nice pair in there.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Ryukins usually top out at 6-9'' when fully grown, so they are smaller than many of the goldfish in terms of length. I think 2 of them in a 29g would be fine, but that would really be the limit for fully grown ones...of course a larger tank is always ideal!


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## Loop (Jan 8, 2011)

Yeah, I didn't want to put anything else in there. I assumed that would pretty much be pushing the limit for stocking. I've heard they can be that big, but I've never really seen it. I think the biggest I've seen, with fins all spread out was probably only the size of my hand fully extended. Thanks for the info.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

No problem! 
Yeah, 9 inch ryukin are not common, but I've seen a few in the LFS of that size. They are worth $130 LOL. Mine were like 13 cents.


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## Capsaicin_MFK (Nov 15, 2009)

Get some root tabs for those swords or they might start declining in health. Good luck with the goldfish/plant combo...the 12" common goldfish at my house sees any plant as a tasty treat.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Here you can get Seachem root tabs for $9.53 with no shipping cost.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Yea I was wondering about the root tabs too, and I'm really on a budget for this tank so I had to decide between liquid ferts or tabs, and after reading this


Hoppy said:


> Almost all plants can get their nutrients from the leaves, including terrestrial plants. Aquatic plants will do very well in inert gravel as a substrate, if the gravel is sized so the plant can be held down and there is room for roots to grow. Even those plants commonly called "heavy root feeders" are only assumed to be that because they have big vigorous root systems. But, many aquatic plants grow roots just to anchor them in place, not to feed themselves. I have grown "heavy root feeding" sword plants that completely took over the tank in a few weeks, with only water column dosing of ferts. The ideal substrate would have lots of nutrients so the plants can obtain their nutrients from either or both the water and the substrate, but that isn't essential.


I thought it would be better to get the liquid ferts. 

My goldfish try to eat the plants too, they already ate the anacharis and the cabomba, so I had to remove those. They can't eat the large leafed ones and the rotala seems uninteresting to them.


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## ryndisher (Jun 1, 2010)

Capsaicin_MFK said:


> Get some root tabs for those swords or they might start declining in health. Good luck with the goldfish/plant combo...*the 12" common goldfish at my house sees any plant as a tasty treat*.


 Yup


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

sweet chariot said:


> I'm really on a budget for this tank so I had to decide between liquid ferts or tabs.
> I thought it would be better to get the liquid ferts.


Then check out LNT.com. Some of their products are cheaper and they don't charge for shipping.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Thanks for the tip!
Do you think it's true, though, that "heavy root feeders" really can absorb their nutrients from the water column and that their roots are mostly to hold them in place, as that post said? Should I try and find out, or try to get root tabs anyway and be safe?


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## Huckins91 (Jan 19, 2011)

You never have to worry about snails 

I like it. I thought I was the only one that kept a goldfish in my tank.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

sweet chariot said:


> Should I try and find out, or try to get root tabs anyway and be safe?


I think your plants are doing okay. Other tanks that use root tabs don't have goldfish. Goldfish are good fertilisers. Just vacuum the substrate lightly around the plants that usually need root tabs.


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## Hilde (May 19, 2008)

Huckins91 said:


> I like it. I thought I was the only one that kept a goldfish in my tank.


Got a link to the tank?


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## Huckins91 (Jan 19, 2011)

Hilde said:


> Got a link to the tank?


 No, the tank isnt scaped, just growing out some plants and threw him in there to get rid of the snails.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

I am right behind you. I am hoping my goldfish will not eat the plants I have chosen. I am setting up a 90 next week.
Good luck with yours. Can't wait to see how it goes for you.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Ok, I will add the Flourish tomorrow...Here's a better pic of the tank: 









I'll add fish pics tomorrow, can't get it to work right now.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Inhabitants:


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Awesome photos of beautiful fish!


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Aw Thanks! 

I am looking for a grassy foreground plant that spreads quickly and is suitable for low-tech. I heard dwarf sag and pygmy chain sword are good, any suggestions?


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

With background:


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Golds as fish are a bit messy, some seem to dig a lot, and some are not great at eating all their food. 

They have a reputation for producing more ammonia than similar sized fish. 
Where do they get the ammonia from? Essentially it comes from the food they eat. Since they are larger fish than many that we keep, we feed them a lot, and this counts as plant fertilizer, whether they eat and digest it or if they miss it and the microorganisms digest it.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Added some dwarf sag, trimmed and repositioned some plants.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

How do I gravel vac with all the plants? I don't want the substrate to go anaerobic...


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## sampster5000 (Oct 30, 2010)

Nice! I'd be afraid my goldfish would eat all of my plants up. I'm sure you hear that a lot though  Its good to see a tank large enough for goldfish.

When you siphon make sure to just such off the top of the substrate. You dont want to suck up whats in the substrate.


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

sweet chariot said:


> How do I gravel vac with all the plants? I don't want the substrate to go anaerobic...


Just skim the top to get rid of excess mulm, and then poke the substrate with a skewer or chopstick to prevent anaerobic spots. If you have any, you can bleed the H2S out by doing this. Or get some Malaysian Trumpet snails.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Thanks for the advice! 


> Nice! I'd be afraid my goldfish would eat all of my plants up. I'm sure you hear that a lot though Its good to see a tank large enough for goldfish.


Yeah I do hear that a lot LOL and it's true. My goldies destroyed the anacharis and cabomba I tried into bare stalks. They also eat the corkscrew vals sometimes, but only the dying leaves.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Oh noes! 








So this is why vals keep getting shorter...


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Hahahaha! I love the look on that goldfish's face. He's like "Uh-Oh. I'm busted." The tank is very pretty.


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## [email protected] (Apr 27, 2011)

Love the way your tank is coming along. Looks like u have the low-tech route figured out. Can't wait 2 c how u progress, gl.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

sewingalot said:


> Hahahaha! I love the look on that goldfish's face. He's like "Uh-Oh. I'm busted." The tank is very pretty.


LOL! true :hihi:

So, progress on the tank- no pics today, but the skinny vals are certainly filling in, starting to get invasive. I don't know how people could complain about fast growing plants, though- it's a lot easier to trim them than wait for an empty tank to fill in. The thick vals aren't doing too well, unfortunately, but I'll wait and see if they adjust. I also added some "creeping charlie"- I think it's cardamine lyrcata. (sp?)

Also, I've discovered worms on the back wall and in the gravel. The fish REALLY enjoy eating them. No wonder they've been growing so fast :-/ I think I'm going to have to cut down on feeding them....


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## bearcowski (Jun 6, 2010)

Nice tank. My wife had some gold fish a while back but gave up.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Updated pics: 
Looks like the swords, vals, java fern, and rotala is doing well. Unfortunately the dwarf sag appears to have been crushed by the invading vals. The middle vals are kept chewed short by those pesky but adorable goldfish.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

New goldfish pics: 

Bobby- Almost 7'' now. 









Stubby- 3'' 









Vector- 3.5''









Scalar- 3.5''


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## CKJ (Oct 3, 2008)

Beautiful gold fish! And love the tank! Very nice!

I've always loved goldfish


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Updated FTS:








Added bacopa caroliniana.


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## 2in10 (Feb 8, 2011)

Tank looks great


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

Thanks!

Does anyone have tips for getting rid of green hair algae, by the way?


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

Tank looks great and those fish are real nice too. Where did you get the fish from?


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

hydrophyte said:


> Tank looks great and those fish are real nice too. Where did you get the fish from?


Thanks! The red fantail was from a "feeder" tank in a mom and pop shop. They knew I was getting it as a pet so they picked out the fantail for me since the rest were commons. The orange lionhead is from another mom and pop shop. The calico and yellow ones are from petsmart.


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

More pics of the fishies


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

The tank is looking great and your fish and pics are awesome. 
Some questions to troubleshoot the GHA that come to mind~
How old are your bulbs?
Do you run them on a timer?
How many hours? 
Do you know your readings for NO3, GH, KH, etc? 
Are you dosing anything?
How often, and how big of a water change are you doing?
What type & size is the filter, and how long has it been since you cleaned the media?


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## sweet chariot (Nov 14, 2010)

waterfaller1 said:


> The tank is looking great and your fish and pics are awesome.
> Some questions to troubleshoot the GHA that come to mind~
> How old are your bulbs?
> Do you run them on a timer?
> ...


Thanks for your help! 
The bulbs are 7 months old. 
They are on a timer. 
10 hours per day. 
NO3 is 0ppm, don't know about GH and KH. 
Not dosing anything. 
20% water change per week. 
Filter is a HOB, 264 gph. 
I don't remember the last time I cleaned the media, maybe a month?


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

If the bulbs are T-5's I might be thinking of replacing them in the next few months.
10 hours is a bit much if there are algae issues, even without... I cut back to 6.5-7, and nearly all my algae problems are gone.
NO3 is being taken up by the algae present, giving you a 0 reading, most likely.Are you using a titration test kit?{drops} or test strips? The latter is really unreliable.
I do 50% on my 90 every week. Goldfish are messy.
The filter seems a bit inadequate. What size tank is this? Goldies should have 10X gph. Perhaps a second filter might need to be added?{ETA:I see a 55 gal....yes, you should have at least 550 GPH} Unless it is a nice big canister or more efficient filtering system, then you can get away with slightly less.
If there is a filter pad{s}, at least shake it clean in your change water as you do water changes.


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## saturniidae (Aug 8, 2011)

Wow. I love goldfish. This is a beautiful tank.


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## Fizgig777 (Aug 20, 2004)

Sweet! Another planted tank Goldie keeper =) Lovely tank! The calico Goldie's a real beauty!


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

This gives me hope for plants in the Goldie 29 eventually!


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