# Goldfish vs Plants



## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

I find through experimentation is the best way to find. My goldfish don't eat any plants but other goldfish owners report their goldfish eat everything. I would give the plant a try and see what happens.


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## JustJen (Jun 20, 2011)

White ribbon plant is not true aquatic, so it's not going to be very long lived in your tank regardless. I haven't had goldfish in a while, but I have friends that have had good luck with anubias, large swords, java fern, jungle val, and even some larger crypts. The little experience I had with goldies vs. plants was that they were more likely to pull plants up than they were to actually eat most of them. So basically, stick to well rooted plants (or stuff you can glue like java vern and anubias) and if you can, give them a little time to adjust and get rooted before the fish go in. But like the other poster said, it can largely depend on the specific fish - some are going to totally ignore plants, some are going to eat everything, and some of everything in between.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

try crypts and amazon swords.

'white ribbon' plant is not aquatic even though it is sold as such.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

I agree with everything that has already been said. With goldfish, plants are experimentation. You may find your fish totally ignore them and you can keep anything you want, they may have a taste for very particular plants, or they may attempt to eat everything, it all depends on the personality of the fish. But I think most goldfish fall into the 'ignore the plants' or 'enjoy tasting very specific plants' category. There are very few goldfish keepers that I know who have had fish that attempt to eat every plant.

You really can't go wrong with anubias and java fern. Swords and crypts are also great choices, along with valisneria, water sprite, water wisteria, hygrophila corymbosa, even ludwigia. I would just get the plants you like and try them out  My fish have never attempted to eat plants. My current plant list includes blyxa japonica, rotala wallichi, rotala nanjenshan, rotala indica, ludwigia repens, ludwigia atlantis, erios parkeri, staurogyne repens, star grass, water sprite, a couple small swords, and limnophila aquatica. They do uproot them sometimes, so stem plants can be a little tricky until their root system gets established but it is possible to keep a variety of plants with goldfish.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

Ill try some swords next, Ill still be watching this thread


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## ThatGuyWithTheFish (Apr 29, 2012)

Swords wouldn't do well in cold water.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

ThatGuyWithTheFish said:


> Swords wouldn't do well in cold water.


"cold" in this context is in the house around 70-75F. It should be fine with those temps.
I agree, anything lower would be a problem like in the low 60's.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

My water will be around 67 to 70 degerees


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## Bruce_S (Jul 26, 2012)

Hey, Coldwater!

With my goldfish, I've been keeping swords, crypts, banana plants and several of the bulb-things that they sell in the blister packs at the big-box stores. (Apogenotons and a dwarf lily.) For the most part, the goldies leave them alone, and they've been doing it for a year. (However, these are younger, smaller fish - X-ray, the biggest of the bunch, is just now approaching handball size.)

~Bruce


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## Chrisinator (Jun 5, 2008)

If you like floating plants in your other tanks, goldfish will gladly eat them and hopefully deter them from eating your other plants


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## fish_22 (Jun 13, 2013)

i have heard jungle vals are good because most fish wont eat them and they grow quickly


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## Indian fern (Jul 16, 2012)

Ludwigias, Valls, Bacopas, Java fern, Anubias, Crypts, Amazon swords and dwarf sag. All of those are plants in my outdoor goldfish tank. They usually leave them alone.


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## Blueangel (Aug 19, 2012)

I have swords and java in my tank with my gold fish. They don't really bother the plants. There tank is a bar bottom that I put/pot the swords on with dirt and gravel as a topper. They move the gavel around but thats about it. I had hornwort they did like that ate it up pretty fast.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

OK 
Java fern, anubias, swords and some crypts.

what type banana plants?


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

I concur with all the above plants, my golds could never get far. Nymphoides aquatica is banana plant. I had success with Rotala rotundifolla and R. indica. Aponogetons are good too. Egeria densa, and maybe other fast growing stem plants like Ludwigia or Hygrophilia. Just remember, anything that fits in the mouth goes in the mouth. Large leaved plants like crypts, aponogetons, etc should be great. Smaller stuff like Rotala they will munch on, but as long as you pick a plant that will grow faster than it's turned into salad, you'll be good.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

My Orandas in the sump of my Aquaponic system the 1st month, 2" body fish.










They are now approaching tennis ball size. The anubius remain unmolested. I tried some C. Nurri....Stripped down to the crown.


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

I've had good luck with anubias and Java fern with my comet and shubunkin goldfish.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

Just wanted to share my current plants that I have had success with; Anubias, Amazon swords, Corkscrew val (this stuff is going crazy without ferts and sand as a substrate!), Java fern and some anarchis (spelling?). I will be adding many more plants in the future but so far, I have had major growth with these plants.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

The goldies seem to be leaving the rotala and onion alone...


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## chibikaie (Aug 2, 2012)

I can't get rotala to grow in cool water :/ might be the species/variety that I have.

My previous goldfish was a lawnmower. She ruined every suggestion given to me. I might try the onion if I can find it with my current one, who is not as plant-hungry.

Watch the anacharis, goldfish do love to eat that one. Some people say it grows too quickly to be eaten completely, mine proved them utterly wrong on that front.


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## KatherineL (Nov 8, 2013)

plants that worked for me were any floaters like water lettuce, salvinia, frogbit, pennywort. They reproduce faster than the goldies ate them in a LIDLESS tank. They also didn't eat the following submerged plants including swords, java fern, anubias. They did like to eat dwarf sag, ludwigia, and other stems. 

Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

To make this thread known to more goldfish enthusiasts;
Bump.


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