# Jasmine's low tech planted goldfish tank!



## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

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. 










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...





































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!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

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.


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## squidsquiggle (Sep 27, 2011)

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!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

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!


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

What are those pebbles at the top left for?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

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.


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

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..


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

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!


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## buritne (Oct 6, 2010)

goldfish are my favorite especially ryukins XD


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Really! Do you have any pictures of your tanks?


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## buritne (Oct 6, 2010)

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.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

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


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## Lutra (Sep 30, 2011)

Good to see the journal up and running, Jasmine!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Lutra, its your turn now!


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> 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!


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


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Its cute!
But i must urge you to upgrage her tank to something more like a thirty gallon.....i have read that while in a small tank that when goldfish stop growing their organs continue to grow...=/ im not sure if its true though.
Her fungus/parasite could most likely be cause by the size of her tank. 
A goldfish that size produces so much ammonia, that tank probaly needs whater changes once a day or more to keep up with her bioload. Bad water quality leads to sickness....and yada yada yada. 

Im not being mean, or trying to lecture you, i have been in the same shoes as you. Im only trying to educate. 

A good substitute for a tank for her, if you dont have one on hand or the money to buy one at the time is a large rubbermaid container from walmart or some other big box store. Just reinforce the sides a bit add a filter and tadaw....goldfish tank!

The gab.org is a great site to help educate about goldfish, they are really friendly when it comes to newcomes who need help. They even have a sick fish forum and probably will be able to help you with what ever is going on with Dorthy!

Please dont think im trying to be mean or judgemental, i know how it feels for someone to tell you your doing everything wrong, if you have any questions id be happy to answer them for you!

Jasmine


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## Lutra (Sep 30, 2011)

Jasmine's advice is dead on. Plants to use up the fish waste are good. More room is better -- the larger the volume of water, the less likely the parameters are to get dangerous in an instant. (I just moved my fantail from a 10g to a 40g). The GAB has excellent information, definitely it's a great source for learning about goldfish. Your ryukin will be much happier and you'll enjoy her even more than you already do.

All of us have had to learn the hard way, I think. For me the learning curve has been very steep and all too recent!


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> Its cute!
> But i must urge you to upgrage her tank to something more like a thirty gallon.....i have read that while in a small tank that when goldfish stop growing their organs continue to grow...=/ im not sure if its true though.
> Her fungus/parasite could most likely be cause by the size of her tank.
> A goldfish that size produces so much ammonia, that tank probaly needs whater changes once a day or more to keep up with her bioload. Bad water quality leads to sickness....and yada yada yada.
> ...


Yep I just read about the stunting symptom. Planning to get a pond or just return back the fish to lfs... Thanks for your info sharing. :thumbsup:


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, im sorry you got bumbarded...it happens, goldfish are really misunderstood =[ you could put her in a rubermaid and then build a pond!


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

Nice set up. I love your fish.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks, i haven't put them in their new setup yet, i've got them in their old 30 gallon for a week or so to let the plant settle in a maybe grow some roots.


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> Thanks, i haven't put them in their new setup yet, i've got them in their old 30 gallon for a week or so to let the plant settle in a maybe grow some roots.


So when is the time?:icon_mrgr


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Probably around Wednesday or Thursday, that would be a week from when i planted it, i just want the plants to kinda be able to hold their own if they get picked on!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Am thinkin' most of your plants will go unmolested by the fish. You know my vals are fine, and I read that most big leaved plants are too tough for golds to eat. Not so sure about the pennywort or the water sprite, though. Am waiting with great anticipation to see if they eat those because they are the two best nutrient exporters and the two I think are most likely to be eaten. They are both on my potential list of fast growing stems for my tank. I hope all of your plants make it. It's a great chance to learn a lot about goldfish friendly plants all at once. Oh wait, MJ said his(her?) fish destroyed his(her?) amazon sword... fingers crossed on that one.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, my fingers are crossed too!
I really want them to grow big, i really like the look of them when they get that size!
Ha ha, i will post pics of the tank before i put them in, to compare if they do any damage...lol.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Yeah yeah. Before and after introduction of evil (cute) fish. :fish:


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## squidsquiggle (Sep 27, 2011)

I have watersprite and pennywort, and they've both survived so far. Mine will uproot the watersprite if I put it where she can get at the roots, so I stuck is between some driftwood and it wasn't uprooted again. As for the pennywort (which I adore), she'll nibble at occasionally, and has torn up several leaves, but the thing grows so fast the overall plant hasn't suffered and has gotten much bigger since I put it in the tank. She doesn't touch my argentinian sword, either, but I've never tried amazon. Actually, the only plants I've tried so far that haven't worked have been java moss and subwassertang, those were both nibbled into a huge mess and had to be taken out. 

A lot probably depends on the individual fish, though. Good luck!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Hey Squid, I really like the look of pennywort. I understand that it needs medium light to grow fast. Do you think it is a good nitrate eating leaf feeder compared to, say, Cabomba.


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## Lutra (Sep 30, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> Probably around Wednesday or Thursday, that would be a week from when i planted it, i just want the plants to kinda be able to hold their own if they get picked on!


By my calculations -- since it's Thursday -- you should be busily at work on this just about now. And then we'd like to see

PICTURES!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Ha ha, yes, except I think I'm going to wait till I can watch them more closely, I have to work today and Friday but get out at three on Saturday and I will be able to put them in there and watch them so I'm shooting for Saturday now. It isn't such a bad thing though, gives the plants longer to get comfortable and root!


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## squidsquiggle (Sep 27, 2011)

Gold Finger, I only tried cabomba once at the very beginning before I knew what I was doing, and it didn't last very long, so I can't really compare. But I have noticed my nitrates are much easier to keep under control lately, so the pennywort could be helping with that for sure. I'll have to try cabomba again sometime.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have some pennywort that stays just fine when they are feed well =]


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I just ordered some more plants, mostly for my bettas ten gallon that im upgrading him too but i also ordered more jungle val, just the regular and not the red kind this time. 
I think im gonna pull the corkscrew val out that i planted and put it in my moms five gallon and replace it with the green jungle val!

This time i ordered them from aquariumplants.com


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Hope they ship faster from there. I like your plan for the vals. I am not sure how I feel about my mini corkscrews, either. I kind of bought them on a whim, and have come to realize that I prefer the look of straight vals. There's just something about the corkscrews... I dunno. Maybe I'm mad but sometimes they seem to look almost a bit staged, or contrived, to me. Perhaps I associate them with plastic plants. I think they may be not long for my tank. I am nuts about my Cabomba, though, and have always thought jungle vals were gorgeous, especially the way they move in a current.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea me too, I'm thinking I'm going to get them later in the week next week. I figure the corkscrew Val's stay shorter than the jungle Val so they would look better in a smaller tank to cover the background.


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## Lutra (Sep 30, 2011)

Those jungle vals always catch my attention, I love the long wavy look. It reminds me of seaweed.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Alright!
This is what you all have been waiting for.....dun dun dun....tadawww!

So I did a water change, moved some plants around, added a sweet piece of driftwood, some more river rocks, a few more strands of pennywort and took out a few of the corkscrew, I think I left two in. 

This is the finished product...























































Now these pictures do not do my tank justice! Niether do my iPhone camera or the fact I need better picture taking skills... Lol. 

I will be placing the goldfish in there in a matter of minutes....so pictures of them in there will be next!


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## squidsquiggle (Sep 27, 2011)

Looking good! I bet it will look even better once it grows in more. What is that really tall plant in the right corner?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

It's some kind of apogenton that I grew from a bulb. It has flowers that sprout out of the water and leaves like Lilly pads that hang out at the surface. There's one in the middle of the tank too but it's not as big as that one. 

So far with the fish in there everything's still looking good!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So after sitting on my bed reading and watching my tank for hours this is what I have observed. 

My smaller goldfish is very interested in fondling the plants in the right corner, I say fondling because she hasn't really bothered or hurt them yet, where as my larger goldfish is more interested in eating the kale I put in the tank for them. my cories haven't relaxed and chilled at the bottom yet like they do. They keep swimming from one end to the other, mid way up the tank. I'm hoping this is just because they are not used to the new tank yet and that they are happy they are in the 55 compared to the 30.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I woke up this morning to find no real harm has come to the plants!

Yay!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Fantastic! I smell SUCCESS!:biggrin:

Your tank looks awesome. Them fishes are happy in there fer shure!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

*Jasmine's 55 Planted Low Tech Goldfish Tank*

Thanks goldfinger! 
I'm hoping all goes well and the plants thrive!


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

Is that red jungle val I see bouncing back very well in the back left corner?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes it is, it was nearly deadish when I got it and it's starting to come back, I did however find two pieces of it floating this morning and in my gold fishes defense they strands are kind weak right now, lol.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Now I'm thinking I need Malaysian trumpet snails, my sand layer above my dirt layer is quite thick because I wanted to be sure that they wouldn't get to the dirt with their constant picking, do any of you think that this would be a good move?


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

Are you in my closet? I literally just did a search on them. They are asexual, which means just one has the ability to make one hundred. Up to you if you want to keep them. With a dirt tank, tit's great for your soil, but they also might breed like crazy. What about: http://www.eeob.iastate.edu/faculty/DrewesC/htdocs/Lvgen4.htm Seems they'd accomplish the same purpose in your substrate (as well as give your fish protein), if your objective is to stir it up?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Interesting, I never thought of a worm, they could go deeper than the mts would too, I will have to look into it, maybe post an individual thread about it to get more peoples perception on it! I have two cories and I'm sure they will love eating them too!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Exactly how deep is your soil/cap? and ~ what size is the cap grain?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Between the dirt and sand its gotta be 3-4 inches just a guesstimate and it's about 45-55mm size grains for the sand, and I'm glad it's that thick because just watching the Goldie's pick at the sand makes me nervous, lol.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

I think you are OK without MTS. (I also think you mean .45-.55 mm) I did a lot of research before doing my dirt. It should be 1 inch dirt and 1 inch cap, but apparently up to 2 inches of dirt is fine. Your sand is large grained which does not hurt, and would help keep your dirt from producing sulfide gas if aeration were really an issue. It isn't. Despite what many people think dirt is completely anaerobic just below the surface and it is supposed to be. Problems come when it is too deep though. The other issue is if you want detritus to penetrate easily and become food a la Walstad, which I don't think you want. Even if you did, the fish would take care of that.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Alright, i need to read her book again, you can only soak up so much knowledge at once. I love science, but alot of things were over my head, i understood the concept but not the individual parts that make up the whole concept.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Do you want to keep the mulm, or not? I can't remember if you said.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Well i will vacuum mulm when in sight, as it collects behind the wood and such it will stay there and as the plants grow in thicker the mulm that will collect there will stay.
So yes and no, lol.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

It's fertilizer or poo depending on how you look at it. Whatever gets trapped... think of that as fertilizer


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, ok!
Now i have a question how did you get your journal link to say what it says and not be the address of the journal?


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Oh boy. Someone told me... umm... There's an insert link icon in the message box tool bar and I think it has something to do with maybe typing what you want it to say then highlighting the text the using the icon...


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## squidsquiggle (Sep 27, 2011)

lol, that was me that told Gold Finger how to do the signature link. Since I was about to comment on the snails, I'll chime in with that, too!  Like he said, just type what you want to say, then highlight the text, click the insert link icon, and type the link in the popup. 

As for the snails, I have pond snails and mts. I really thought the pond snails would be mostly removed when I switched to sand, but they've already started coming back (and I definitely don't overfeed). But the one trumpet I have in the sand tank, and the two I have in the other tank, haven't had any visible babies yet, so I think they might breed more slowly? Either way, I love the mts. I think they're really cool looking, when I do see them. My LFS thought I was crazy when I asked for some, until I said planted tank, then he said, "Oh! These are exactly what you want, then. They're perfect for that." 

So, maybe not very helpful, since I don't know if you really *need* them, but I do enjoy mine so I thought I'd throw that out there.


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

+1 on the MTS.

I got one accidentally hitchhiking on my plants. Now I see some babies MTS. They're so cool. Burrowing in the soil like some zergs. But that's just me, i prefer MTS over *any* worms, cuz I get the heebie jeebies with worms, esp if I can see them slithering around in my tank... ack ack ackack


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you both for your input, I think I got like two or three mts in with some plants, I put them in my dirt planted vase and haven't seen them since, I should go night hunting for them. I just thought it might be wise to take advantage of them and Diana Walstad likes snails!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Ski just found out what plant my large goldfish likes to eat! As far as I have seen she hasn't had very much interest in the planted plants but loves to eat the frogbit. I hear thrashing and splashing and I look up and she is wrestling the leaves off of the bunches!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Too bad. Frogbit is the absolute best lookin floater IMO. Oh, and thanks for havin my back on my sloppy technical advice, Squid.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, i might make a corral for it when i grow more, because its so great for sucking nitrates and ammonia!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

And feed it to them? That's really cool. It makes an awesome filter and love the idea of the fish eating the plants which filtered out their waste. Since I am not doing that, I hope you do so I can enjoy it vicariously.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I hope so too, i really want some duckweed. I hear it grows really really fast and that goldies love it!


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

You'll have to take a container and start a duckweed farm on your windowsill, otherwise It doesn't last long :icon_lol: especially if you've got surface agitation.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have a soon to be ten gallon five gallon betta tank and a 3 gallon betta bowl too so i can grow in there and then put it in the goldfie tank when it becomes to much in there!


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## defiesexistence (Sep 13, 2010)

Good idea! I can't keep greater duckweed alive...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Well thats how i have the frogbit, its been growing in my five gallon betta tankm i just pull some out and put it in the goldies tank.


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## pagemee (Nov 29, 2011)

I always thought that sand substrate was dangerous for bottom feeders like goldfish cause they end up swallowing a lot of it.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Nope, my goldies love it, and I haven't had a problem yet. And I researched it too, many people have kept goldfish with sand without having an issue.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I also got more plants in the mail yesterday, i ordred jungle val for this tank and they are BEAUTIFUL!! I cant wait to plant them on saturday or sunday!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Mine ate the lesser duckweed but not the greater duckweed. Some people say salvinia grows faster/filters more than duckweed. I had some at the same time as the duck, but not long enough to form an opinion.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, i think i might have gotten some lesser duckweed when i got my frogbit, but only like two pieces and i think it has double to four, so hopelly i will be able to get it to grow more!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Yeah. It would be a quintessential part of a gourmet, grow-your-own goldfish salad bar!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I know right!
Well to day i did a water change on the tank and i added the other jungle vals that came and they really fill up that end, its quite green!
I will post pictures tomorrow night so the water will be all clear. 
I am also going to be picking up an albino bristle nose pleco for this tank, hopefully it will be a younger one, i like when fish grow up in the tank because they learn the rules of the tank!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Careful. They attack and even kill goldfish sometimes.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

They can't resist the delicious slime:flick:


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yepp, i know, thats why i want it young and a male will stay smaller than a female, plus i plan on feeding it well!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Right on!


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## Lutra (Sep 30, 2011)

Just thought I would stick my nose in here to say hi and that it sounds like you have a great tank in progress!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Lutra!
I promise i will get a new pic up, but i have been sick so within the next few days you will see it!


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## Lutra (Sep 30, 2011)

Take care of yourself. I hope you feel better soon!


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

Yea that's true about sands giving problems to goldfish. larger pebbles are better. in fact pebbles are good for them, so when they have some kind of indigestion, they'd swallow some pebbles and the pebbles help to dislodge some foods in them and they spit it out. that was what i was told by the lfs owner. not sure it's true or not.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Hello!
I have been dogsitting all week and i havent been home to observe my tank, my mom and dad have been feeding them but they didnt get any fresh veggies though. So today i went home and found that all of the corkscrew vals had been mowed down, theres like a half and inch of them left and a jungle val has been pulled out too so when i do my water change i need to plant again!

Lesson learned, always give them fresh veggies or they will eat the corkscrew val!!!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Sounds like they got their fresh veggies all right. Have you tried scolding them?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

i tell them they are bad fish all the time.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

New pictures!!!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I want to replace the red ludwigia with somethink else.....not another stem plant though.....im thinking maybe java ferns, windelov and regulars attached to some wood or something....but im not sure.

Any suggestions?


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

Cool stuff. How about Fern and Anubias?


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Yeah, the Vals are perfect there. How about an Apongeton Ulvaceus to replace the Ludwigia?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Java ferns were what i was thinking....i will look into that type of apongeton too, thanks!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I bought a big mother crypt from knuggs, it should be here tomorrow, so ill either be planting it tomorrow night or friday morning! Pictures will be a must!


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## RiseAbove (May 26, 2010)

hmm i may have to spend more time on my goldfish tank after seeing someone else try. i did plant crypt wendtii in my 10 gallon. the two in theres only touch it if they go without food for too long. yes i know 10 al is small for two golds(ones a koi, yikes!) but theyve been in their for 3 years now, water peram's are good and theyre happy. i have two filters turning the ater over, and a good amount of crypt helping eat stuff up. 

i love the sand, but i always thought that would pose a health hazard? especially cause mine like to pick through the rocks.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Mine have great fun picking up sand and spitting it out on everything, its a heavier sand, bigger grained sand and i have not noticed any health issues yet and its been in there for a few months now.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Any pics of the crypt yet? Awesome goldfish!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Sooo, i finally took pictures today!


Here they are!














































I also wish i had a better camera!


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Wow I cant believe how small that crypt looks in that tank! How tall is the tank? Its going to look good when it bushes out though! You will have a couple leaves melt away but thats natural in transplanting them. Your goldfish eat all that celery?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, they have picked a bit at the crypts, i kinda wish i bought more but im also putting two plants in my ten gallon betta tank so some at least will survive if the goldfish eat all the ones in their tank. Its a standard 55 gallon so like 21 inches high by the way.

Thats actually kale and they eat all of it, right down to the stem and sometimes they eat that too! They love it, if i forget to give them it for like two days they start on the plants big time, i had dwarf sag and corkscrew val in there too, but they mowed them down when i was gone for a week and all they got was the gel food and flakes.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Yeah your goldfish def. look like some eaters  They look great! That was smart keeping some in the other tank. Hopefully if they do decide to eat a piece of the crypt it will leave a bad taste in their mouth. I wonder if there is a plant that would taste bad to them or if they even have tastebuds?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Well they have taste buds alright, for instance they love kale....and mustard greens, well they could care less, or zucchini, they dont seem to like that either. They ate all of my corkscrew val once when i didnt give them veggies everyday too. They tend to leave the amazon swords alone and the wisteria they dont eat that either they just pick at it and tear pieces off and the leave the jungle val alone, but its tough stuff so i think its hard for them to tackle.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Interesting, learn something new everyday  They def. look like some healthy eaters!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

They are but they make the biggest messes.....I just cleaned out my smaller filter last week and its already slowed down again......im sure its from all the ity pieces of kale that gets in there when they eat...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So heres a some tank pics after i did a water change and cleaned the tank the other day!

I added two more anubias to the driftwood too!





































Today i also caught my biggest goldfish trying to eat my fairly large pond snail.....i promptly fed thema and added a piece of kale to the tank....maybe she was just hungry?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So the pond snail still lives!

I think she was just acting out since i hadnt feed them yet....they can be very moody sometimes!

I also just received some osmocote plus caps in the mail so when i do my next water change i plan on putting a few in. mostly for my amazon swords that dont seem to be doing much!


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## green_valley (Sep 14, 2011)

Good design, and nice fish.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you! 
I'm hoping that these plants will do well with my goldfish! It also looks like the dwarf sag is trying to make a come back! I'm trying to keep them well fed so they won't harass the plants...and the smaller snails


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So i added a black background on this tank....and i think i added another anubias too since i last updated. I wish my vals would spread faster too...and my swords to grow bigger too...hmmm.


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Got any new pics? Would love to see how the crypt is doing.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, actually, I cleaned it today and took pictures, I will post them in a bit!


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## doncityz (May 17, 2011)

55g... i wish have space in my house to get one. good job on the tank... i like the scaping. it'll look awesome when the plants fill in. have you thought of doing a background?


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

xjasminex said:


> Yes, actually, I cleaned it today and took pictures, I will post them in a bit!


Awesome


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Ok here are some new pictures!

I meant to post them last night...but i feel asleep watching survivorman...i love that show but i cant seen to keep my eye open past ten o'clock pm.....

Knuggs- the crypts are fairing well...not doing great but i think they are gaining a foot hold so to speak....i just added more osmocote plus caps under them and added two or three other crypts i received in a package deal, they are kinda pink looking...im hoping they will keep growing more than they have! 

Doncityz- I did add a black background since the last pic i took, i think it really gives it some depth and makes the plants pop! 

I also added an anubias on the right side of the wood since last pic and yesterday i added some windelov java fern to the top of the wood....i kinda want another nice piece of wood to attach more things to, i really love the look but it would take away from swimming space so i don't think im going to.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Some of those pics look really bad....wish i had a better camera than my iphone....


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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

I use my IPhone a lot for pics. I think it does a good job. There's a app called Mag. Light that gives you better close up shots as well. Glad the crypt is taking foot. It starts slow but should get going in time. Not the fastest grower bur the more it grows the faster it goes, like most plants.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks for the tip, i will look that app up!


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

nice work~!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks!
I've put a lot of time into it!
I should post some new pics, I also added an aquatop cf-500 canister filter too and so far I like it.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Soo today I found eggs in my tank...Cory eggs to be exact. But when I came back too see them my goldfish were eating them...oh well! 

I guess cories need the tank temp to drop to encourage spawning....we had a foot of snow on Monday and lost power for more than 24 hrs...the tank dropped from 74 to 64...then I found the eggs...I am very happy to find out that my tanks somewhat healthy enough to support spawning....yay!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Found more cory eggs on the back wall of the tank...don't know if there good or not....they are right next to the intake so they might only make it that far...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)




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## knuggs (Mar 5, 2007)

Glad to see the crypts growing in nicely! Looking good! Hows the cory eggs doing?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Oh, yea, they got eaten I'm sure, they were gone a day or to later...and I haven't seen any wigglers either, I think tomorrow after my water change in going to leave the heater off till the next morning and see what happens =]

Oh, and I'm loving the crypts too, I hope they keep going!


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Love your tank. someday I hope to be able to do a planted goldfish tank, right now I just don't have the room so I live vicariously through you.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, it's alot of work! I still do weekly water changes to keep the nitrates down, I feed them so much so they don't eat the plants that there's still alot of waste, I wish my Val's would grow better too!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Here's an updated pic, te swords were really starting to grow nice and big...until my goldfish thought they needed to be trimmed...I was so mad, bad fat fish! The Val's don't really want to grow...but I will have some coming in the mail to try again. And I have some hygro coming too so we will see!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)




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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So new things with this tank/inhabitants....
I just added needle leaf java fern to the drift wood, I bought seachems potassium and phosphorus to help them, I have a problem keeping java fern varieties alive...

I added some more jungle Val in the back left corner, I'm trying to hide it with the wood right now to give it a fighting chance. It's not as big and thick as the stuff I originally got but I think its already taking hold and growing/ sending off shoots. 

I also added some other plant in with the swords, can't remember what it is. It's pretty beaten up though...also added a few tall crypts, since the goldfish don't seem to eat them. 

Speaking of swords, the goldfish kinda like them...they also kinda like anubias leaves too...

I found that these fishies love love love dandelion greens, and I just put beet greens from the garden in there to try out and they are loving them too.

I bought a hydor ETH 300 watt inline heater, but I have to fiddle with the tubing, the tubing on the canister filter is too big, and the tubing I got from home depot is to small for the heater. Errr. I can't do anything about the tubing on the canister filter but I can attach smaller tubing to the bigger tubing just for the heater. 

Last but not least I just turned my hob whisper ex 70 from a mechanical and bio filtration deceive into a hydroponics and bio filtration device, I have had bamboo and other plants growing out of it for a couple months now, but I'm sick of my nitrates being sooooo high and I'm trying to solve it with plants. Im going to go to Walmart and buy a whole bunch of their tacky bamboo planters and stick them in there now that the filter pad holder is gone and I have a lot more room.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Current pic!


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## chibikaie (Aug 2, 2012)

Very nice goldfish tank 

I have the same nitrate battle. I'm about ready to give up on plants and use an algae scrubber; plants are so finicky and stop growing for no reason that I can identify.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, nitrates, I will take a pic for you of my hob and show you the plant mass in it...plus the tank looks so good because I just added a ton of more crypts to it from knuggs, seems to be something my fish don't actually eat. I am also expecting some seachem equilibrium, I'm thinking that my well water may be missing something since my java fern always dies....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)




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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

Awesome tank!! I'm seriously considering planting my 40b. I've got 3 fancies in there w/ a medium rock w/ 1 lonely anubias. Maybe not so lonely, it is happy as it just threw out a tall pretty flower for me!
Any tips? I have a heavily planted 10g and 2 smaller planted betta tanks so I'm not a total beginner to this. From all your trials what plants do you recommend? Are you still happy w/ your substrate choice? My goldies have never chewed at the anubias which has been in there for at least a year now... So I'm hoping that my good luck there will continue ;-). I'm going to start a thread about it when I begin but wanted to ask you to share some of your experience while I'm in the planning stages!

Sent from my SGH-T959V using Tapatalk 2


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Hey Charms! Thanks for the kind words!
As far as plants that i recommend...i love crypts, and my fish hate the taste of them...at least so far, lol. Every thing else has been munched on, dwarf sag, anubias, amazon swords, hornwort, frogbit, duckweed and a few others i cant think of. The thing is that it all depends on your fish and what they like to eat. So yours might love crypts...who knows...

Im still liking the sand, though i do have dirt that comes up sometimes it no big deal to me, i especially got a lot of dirt when i planted this last bunch of crypts. The goldfish dont choke, and they have fun in the sand, plus its easy to clean. 

The only think i am having a hard time with is the nitrates...like i have mentioned before i think its due to my over feeding, but im afraid if i dont feed them enough they might decided its salad bar time...im not overstocked....but i would love to have a third fishy in there and cant because of my nitrates. Im wondering if like a breeder box would work for more bamboo, i read a thread on a goldfish site that said that all of the plants they tested, babmboo eats more nitrate faster.

If you have anymore questions feel free to ask, im def going to subscribed to your thread! I think i have found all of the planted goldfish tank threads on here but no one keeps up with them, so you better keep up with yours!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Playing with my new camera, trying to figure out which setting is better for what...


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

Pretty fishes!!

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

How does a breeder box attach? I was thinking about using a shower caddy, like the ones that attach w/ suction cups. Lol 

Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


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## nerdariostomp (Aug 23, 2012)

Looks great! I wouldn't have the patience to have a planted tank for my goldies. They're so hungry!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

The breeder box hangs off of the tank and I think its filtered with water from the tank via an air pump, but I'm not sure, I have to go to my lfs and check it out. I tried the shower caddy thing and I came home to it on the bottom of the tank. 

Yes it has taken alot of patience...I yelled alot at my fish, but the crypts are working well so far...lol.


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## baggy007 (Sep 13, 2012)

hello jasmine

ive just came across this thread and its fab, i can see you have put a lot of effort into your tank, looks great ( very envious )

im new to TPT and have a 125g tropical/temporate tank with a 6yro comet (sasha)

i want to have more plants in it, at the min i only have amazon swords, i did try jungle vals but she ate about 5 foot worth in 2 days

im not really up on the whole plant thing but i want to learn, do you think i should just try a couple of species and she if she leaves them alone

i have a thread (125g suggestions) with more info there

any tips suggestions welcomed, thank you


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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

I think you need a solid wall of vals! 
=D


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Baggy007- that's exactly what i think you should do! Lots of people say java fern is a good goldfish plant, but I have a hard time keeping it alive, not due to my fish but because of my water...I think you should try it, you might have better luck than me! The crypts have worked really well for me too, they fill out nicely and grow well! If you have good luck with the amazon swords you should plant more! Especially if your tank is 125g, swords can get big, so you have a good tank for them! I also have never really tried stem plants, they seem fragile and would probably get torn apart and eaten. My Val's I have trouble with, my fish did eat some but they also don't seem to want to grow either =[

secuono- I would love to have a wall of Val's! But they don't seem to want to grow =[

I also did a water change on this tank today, I found a ton of dirt that had come up the surface....no wonder I can never get my nitrates under control! 

I have a ten day vaca from work in the end of October, I plan on redoing the tank, either with dirt again or something else, but I cant keep having dirt escaping into the water column....


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Hey Jaz, your tank's lookin great!

About those nitrates... Now that my little dirt bottom experiment is over I have returned to keeping a bare bottom tank. For me, its the easiest way to keep the nitrates down. Most people prefer the look of a tank with a substrate. I think I do too but, with goldfish, I find it too much work to keep clean so I just jam my plants into cracks in the driftwood. (I will post a pic in a sec) You know how much crap gets into the sand and how hard it is to get out. With the bare bottom I just siphon out the poop and junk off the bottom every day (more or less). This way it *ALL* comes out quickly and easily with just a gallon or two of water (out of 80). there is none left behind to continue breaking down into nitrogen; the tank requires less WC and stays clean and nitrate free. I mean with substrate trapping all that waste, even if your plants eat all the N you still have to do huge WC for all the other stuff they and the bac don't eat... PLUS the bac and plants themselves are part of the bioload. My tank (bare but with plants) is a cross between the hobbyist's display tank and the breeder's bare bottom one. It is a compromise I make to cut out some labor.

I know it is may not be an attractive option for you, but I figured I would share anyway. 

Another thing that might help is using excell (if you don't already). It gives the plants a super boost. I don't really believe that it works like they say it does ( by providing carbon). They (Seachem) say that "must be" how it works (though they say they don't really know) because the plants respond with better growth. I think the real reason is that it is a powerful algacide and kills off an invisible layer of algae which is smothering the plants and allows them to feed, photosynthesize and breathe freely. I speculate that it may be hard on the fish too, since it is a general biocide...but perhaps not.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)




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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks for your thoughts goldfinger! 
I do like the look of a planted tank, it is very relaxing and kinda like therapy when I come home from my stressful job. So I think I'm always going to have the plants. Java fern doesn't like my tank and I haven't been able to figure out why...but if I could find a way to make it thrive I would just have it, anubias, and hornwort and anything else that doesn't need to be planted. 

I do have excel but don't use it like I should, I will try to use it more regularly =]

I just moved into my new room so I'm going to be moving and redoing my tank, I'll post pics before and after =]


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

I wasn't suggesting getting rid of any of your plants. I think that even the ones which want to be rooted do fine when they are not rooted in anything. I don't think any plant needs substrate. I think they can all be grown hydroponically. I have lots of root plants in my bare bottom. the root balls are hidden in the driftwood. . As for the Java, mine looks pretty poor too. I hear they just take a long time to start to look good. Its too bad. I really dig 'em. They have no allopathic resistance to algae so they are good fodder for my ottos, but I might get rid of mine cuz I don't want to wait a year for a plant to look good.


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## andrewss (Oct 17, 2012)

great tank


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

BEAUTIFUL tank Jasmine!!!!

I really dig SOME goldfish, but can't stand others! The type you have and the "NORMAL LOOKING" gold fish I really like! I HATE how people have screwed up a lot of the other kinds! 

ANYWAY, Your tank has come a LONG WAY and is one of the best GoldFish planted tanks I have seen in a long time!!! One of these days when I am able to get a 90g+ I think I will have to try gold fish in my 55g!

Your thread has a lot of great info, and will help out any goldfish newbie a great deal so I am subscribed!

I have a question on how you did your bubbler across the back of your tank! Is it a store bought bubble wand, or did you DIY it somehow?

The new camera really shows off your Goldies well! 

Keep up the awesome work!
Drew


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Goldfinger- i just dont like bare bottoms, lol. With a 55, there is not much space from front to back (12 inches), putting more drift wood in might compromise swimming space/ foraging space. Plus im always afraid that they will hurt themselves on it...more drift wood means more probability that they will do it, but it is an intriguing idea for when i get a bigger tank with a better foot print. Do you have any crypts that you are growing like this?

andrewss- Thanks for the nice words and smiley face!

BoxxerBoyDrew- Thank you!! I love my goldfish!! The plain fancy kinda are my favorite, im also a fan of orandas, their wen can really give them some personality! I also have a comet goldfish too, im guessing thats what you call a "NORMAL LOOKING" goldfish, ill have to post pics for you. 

My tank is ever changing, for instance, the hornwort is gone, it was growing algae and slowly dying....and most of my anubias are gone, between the goldfish and them rotting from the stem they have all but disappeared.

My bubbler was/is a 48 inch bendable bubble wand buried under the sand, i dont have it on anymore because it wasnt working so well, i like that i couldnt see it, but i dont like that it started to not work/slow down, when i redo my tank im going to use it again cuz its really good for the fish at night.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

I didn't think I would convert you. Most people greatly prefer substrate tanks. The driftwood does pose a threat risk. I have had a telescope poke his eye pretty badly on some. I have some crypt wendtii in there but it has only been this way for a week so I don't know how well anything will do. most people pot their plants when they do bare bottom. Mine have their roots hangin' free. We'll see how it works out. I think I will have to fert a bit now that the dirt bottom is gone. Will add a little Flourish once a week and watch the plants. ps. if I did a substrate again it would be more like gravel sized so it could be vacummed thougroughly. sand is so light it gets sucked up with heavy vacumming.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Jasmine - Bare bottom can be done with plants and it doesn't have to look bad.

My Orandas:










At 2:20 in the video, you see the 40gl Oranda tank, Anubias planted in pots, Java fern on Driftwood, bare bottom tank.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0HAg5ffzPg

Just another option. :smile:


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I know, i just never liked the potted plants that much, and id be afraid that i wouldnt be able to reach a heavy plant mass with pots.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> I know, i just never liked the potted plants that much, and id be afraid that i wouldnt be able to reach a heavy plant mass with pots.


Any plant that Goldfish won't eat will do well in a pot. The worst might be you'd have to pull a pot every 6mos and thin it out. Just saying. 

Of course you are the one that will be looking at it, ultimately it is what you like.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Hey, Dog. Nice tank/video. Hey, Jaz. If the main goal of your heavy plant mass is algae controll I strongly reccomend lots of cabomba. Cabomba is known to have a very strong alleopathic anti algae factor. I may be talking about something you already know here, but algae controll all comes down to alleopathy, though it is only the Walstad people who ever mention it. Plants don't outcompete algae for nutrients. That is impossible because alga need less than plants do, so if there is enough for plants there is enough for alge too, which is why people like Tom Barr are always telling folks not to limit nutrients to combat algae. Algae is in fact killed off by the "immune system" of a large enough mass of plants which exhibit said alleopathic response. Java fern has no alleopathic response, so I keep some in there to grow some algae for my otto cats to eat. They are usually on the Java fern. I also keep Cabomba to keep the general level of algae throughout the tank low. The ottos never land on the Cabomba. In my mind, the algae levels in my tank took a nose dive when, and only when, my cabomba reached a critical mass.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Algae isn't an issue, it's the nitrates, I'm hoping with redoing the substrate level I will stop the raising/ leeching of nitrates in this tank, it can't be all coming from the fish... But I am taking thought into the potted plants.


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Gold Finger said:


> Hey, Dog. Nice tank/video..... Cabomba is known to have a very strong alleopathic anti algae factor.


Thank you!

and roud: for "alleopathic anti algae factor".

In tanks without moss I use Hornwart. I've read it is allopathic to moss too. I'm bait concerned the goldfish will just eat it. I also like Water Lettuce I don't think it would handle the ebb & flow cycling.

I'm sure I'm dodging the algae bullet in my Goldfish tank due to the insane about of Bio-filtration from the Mattenfilter and the grow bed. I've had to dose a few times as the Orandas were not creating enough waste when they were smaller. I believe at their current size I should have a 5th one too.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Dog; my telescopes don't touch the hornwort. Jaz; did you mineralize the dirt? If not, it may well be leaching; if so, it is probably coming from the poo factories.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Moss gets eaten, hornwort grows what I believe is bba and growth on it slows way down in this tank. Crypts are the only thing they don't eat...so I'm going to get more variants this te around now that I know what works. 

The soil was not mineralized, it has been in the tank for over a year or so, so it is now. The soil is shifting up through the sand layer, probably from me planting new plants multiple times. That's what I think is causing the high nitrates.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Hmm... There is something else you _could_ do. Though people would think you're nuts. I keep my tank at 86 degrees. WHAT?!?!?! 86 degrees?!?!?! Yes, 86 degrees. Yes, my goldfish tank. I don't often mention it because people don't understand. The fish love the temperature and I believe the fish are healthier than they are at 76 degrees, but that is not the reason I do it. I do it because nitrifying bacteria (all of them) are 100% proven to perform their duties much much better at this temperature. So you get lower nitrates even though you have more waste production. Goldfish immune response and digestion is known to be better at this temperature too. My only warning would be that you would not want to do it in a tank with a lot of excess waste or low oxygen. Not that I would ever recommend having those things in any case. Call me crazy, but I think the common idea of a good temperature for a goldfish tank is plain wrong. If my fish all loose their color one day I will, however, retract this statement.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Get rid of the substrate and you can rearrange your tank everyday.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Oh wait. You don't get lower nitrates at higher temps... You get faster conversion to nitrate. My bad.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

More crypts is a good way to go. Your cabomba is only having algae issues because there is not enough of it. Get enough plant mass in there and your algae will dissappear along with your nitrates. Though I hear bba is a bugger. better squirt some excell right on that stuff.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

It seems like there is too much N in a tank until there is enough plant mass then there is not enough N. It is like it is never a good idea to try to have just enough of anything good. Like you should have a surplus of everything good. Avoid a balancing act on the edge of enough. Now that my rich substrate is gone I suspect I will have to start dosing something. Perhaps dogfish has some advice. He keeps goldfish with plants in a barebottom. You there dog? Whadda ya say? A little flourish once a week?


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

86 degrees, interesting approach. How long have your current Goldies live at that temp? 

Mine are kept at 22C (71.6F).


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, crypts are the way to go for my goldfish....I don't know how much oxygen is in the tank...but I do keep my tank at 75. 

The only plants that grow the bba, are my anubias and the hornwort, it really slow growing on the anubias, and my fish are eating the anubias so I'm not so worried. I do with I had better luck with the hornwort though...i haven't tried cabomba in any of my tanks, I should get some and see. I'd love floating plants, but my Goldie's eat everything =]


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Jaz; I (used to) plant my Cabomba. It roots heavily and won't grow much until some roots are down. Whatever you add, add lots at once.
Dog; They've been like that about six months. I used to keep them at 77 for years and before that at 72 for years. They seem fine at all of those temps. Just a bit better, to my eye, at 86. I have never heard a good argument for the temp being too high for the fish directly, only rumors of color loss. I guess I do it to keep the fish metabolism and immune response up and to convert ammonia quickly. I imagine it advantages the bacteria over plants ( which would love to have the ammonia for themselves). You can cycle crazy fast at these temps.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

To me, Goldfish keeping is all about waste removal and that is primarily about ammonia levels and that is all about nitrogen reducing bacteria. Unless you want to change 40 gallons a day, which I don't. I don't really know that plants don't uptake ammonia as quickly, reularly and dependably as bacteria do but this way I feel I maximize both forms of removal. Bac can take a day to adjust to ammoina spikes and plants might have to wait until the lights come back on, so a humming bac colony seems like the way to go. The fish health I can't really reason out, but there are asian fish farms which produce top fish at these temps so... I dunno. Seems to work.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

For clarity, I think 78 is best for fancy goldfish, but 86 is better for bacterial response. I spent a year in china and all the big producers there kept their fish at 78.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I think I'm still going to go with a dirt layer and a really good pool filter sand cap, that's what I have supplies for, if I continue to have issues I will consider and plan for potted plants. I have lots of plants growing hydroponically in breeder boxes and a large hob filter and I plan on getting more. Im hoping that with the new substrate I will cut down on the nitrates since no soil will be leeching into the water coloumn. I also plan up upping my plant mass even more with more crypts.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Sounds like a good plan. I'm glad you're keeping the sand. It looks way better.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, I love the sand and I'd keep it regardless of the dirt or not. It is also the cheapest stuff to use too.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

You mean pool filter sand? If so, Yeah it's my favorite. I will probably always miss sand, but if you ever try bare bottom there's one thing to look forward to. You can re "scape" your tank everyday. It takes about ten seconds to shove all the driftwood with the plants attached around into a new layout. The fish seem to dig it.

Ps. I just made my first ever gel food and am pretty stoked. I feel qualified to join the GAB now  Gonna put a little post here but I don't know how many non goldy people care about DIY food.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Gold Finger said:


> You mean pool filter sand? If so, Yeah it's my favorite. I will probably always miss sand, but if you ever try bare bottom there's one thing to look forward to. You can re "scape" your tank everyday. It takes about ten seconds to shove all the driftwood with the plants attached around into a new layout. The fish seem to dig it.
> 
> Ps. I just made my first ever gel food and am pretty stoked. I feel qualified to join the GAB now  Gonna put a little post here but I don't know how many non goldy people care about DIY food.


Yay! Gel food is good stuff, just keep it cold or else you will have goo. People should care about gel food, it's the healthiest way of feeding your fish! What did you use for the ingredients?


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

I used agar not gelatin for the gelling agent so it stays firm even when warm. Agar is way better. It comes from seaweed and is high in fiber, protien and nutrients. I used:

50% peas
20% water
15% New Life Spectrum large fish formula
10% pure spirulina
5% agar
a few drops of garlic oil
9 probiotics blend 

The fish flipped out. I have never seen such a mad feeding frenzy. They even did something really odd; When the food was gone, all four stopped dead still and stared directly at me in unison for like two minutes. Very wierd. They really like the stuff. What do you use?


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Ps. I blame my constant uprooting of plants for some algae troubles I had. Probably released ammonia into the water. It's partly the reason I scrapped the soil/sand. Just couldn't stop messing with it.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I use a recipe from gab, it has pumpkin, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, mackerel and vitamins and probiotics. I also add in garlic too. 

I never rescaped, I just added too which eventually made dirt surface, that's what I think my nitrate problems are from.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Nice. Next time around I might add more vitamin C. My fish seem to digest this stuff very well. Do you use gelatin? Agar? I have no comparison for gelatin but like the agar.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

By the way, I froze my food which must have killed the probiotics .So much for all the care I took not to expose them to much heat in the process. Oh well.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I use gelatin, that's what the recipe called for, I'd like to try agar but would have to figure out how much. I freeze mine too, or else it would all go bad.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

any trouble/complaints with the gelatin? I might try it.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

It took about six teaspoons in maybe 350 ml. of cooked food to get the consistency I liked. It gels real fast. I tried with less and the food broke up in the water a bit so I reheated it and added more agar. Ten minutes later it was set and worked great. I though it seemed better than gelatin but who knows? I'd like to try gelatin at least.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Hmm, I'll do some investigating and maybe I'll use it formy gel food next time!

Thanks for the idea!


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## SpecGrrl (Jul 26, 2012)

xjasminex said:


> Well thats how i have the frogbit, its been growing in my five gallon betta tankm i just pull some out and put it in the goldies tank.


Me too! Except it's my shrimp and snail tanks!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, well now it's a ten gallon tank and it has bugs in it that arnt in my Goldie's tank...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Fifty five gallon has been broken down, all the old dirt and sand has been removed. Tank and stand moved to my new pretty room =]










And here it is with the crypt clay...










I'm now going to add a few osmocote caps and then add the dirt.


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

EXCITING! What's crypt clay??

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I'm not sure, lol. I bought it from chad320, he said a lot of the serious crypt growers use it to grow crypts and since this is almost a crypt only tank I figured that it would probably do me and my crypts some good.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

With dirt...









I plan on letting the dirt air out for a few days, hopefully dissolving the gasses out of it!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Sand and some water are in the tank, plants arrived today in the mail, will start planting tonight when I got outta work.


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

Such excitement!! I've been checking every day to see if you've updated yet!! Can't wait for more pics!!

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, well I ended up working late till 4 am, so no planting got done. But hoping to do some before I go in to work at three. Gotta soak the plants in pp, I'm just wondering for how long....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I got almost all the plants in the tank before work, will try to finish it off tonight before bed!


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

Sweet!... And then try and post some pics too! ;-)

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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Here's what it looks like so far, I still have one large crypt in the mail, should be here Monday =]










The crypts are still straightening out from being curled into boxes. Mts snails are back in the tank and I plan on picking up some nerites and ramshorn snails from the lfs soon.


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

Wowzers! Thats really looking great Jasmine! 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks! I have anubias to go through, make sure they are not covered in algae, then I have rocks from the adirondacks I plan on using too.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have more crypts coming in the mail! Yay!


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

Yay for more plants! How is everything looking? Fishes back in yet?

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## secuono (Nov 19, 2009)

I had a heavily planted tank with goldfish, they never ate any of the plants...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

No fish in yet, maybe tonight or tomorrow, I have the other plants to plant, should have the rest in the mail today and will get them all planted tonight.

The crypts are the only plants I have tried that the fishies won't actively eat, sometimes they look a little beat up, but nothin to bad.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I am done planting....water has to clear and I have to try to pick out the melting crypt parts but I will post a pic soon!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Done!











I decided against anubias, they were getting pretty eaten before the tear down.

Some of the crypts have algae, I plan on dosing with excel everyday to help combat it. 

There is also crypt melt going on, so I'm hoping it won't get the best of the crypts and will grow back faster and better than before!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Oh don't know if I said anything but my bigger goldie is a boy!


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

OOOoooo its so pretty!!! ♥♥

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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Crypts are still melting, but i think its at the tail end...only a few here and there.

I can see new growth on some of the bigger crypts though, which is major exciting =]

Bought a magnum hot 250 canister filter, added some bio media and two 100ml bags of purigen, hoping it helps make the water clearer. It looks like im getting some really good circulation of water in there now compared to before, thats always good. 

I also added some dwarf water lettuce from my ten gallon, it been in there a few days and so far it still floating around, most of the roots have been munched on but the plant itself hasnt been eaten, i can only hope that the goldies hate the taste....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Still seeing lots of new growth on the crypts, especially the ciliata! 
Did some water testing today here are the parameters...
PH- 8
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 40-80 
GH- took nine drops to change the color
KH- took seven drops to change the color

I am hoping that once the plants recover from melting, the floaters (which still havent been eaten yet!) grow in number, and the soil becomes established my nitrates will decrease in number!


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## charms (Jan 8, 2012)

This is really turning out great!
The date on your last post really threw me off for a minute tho...

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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So more parameters after todays water change...

PH- 7.8-8
Ammonia- 0
Nitrite- 0
Nitrate- 40-80
GH- 11 drops
KH- 7 drops

This time when i excahnged out my filter pads i placed a deep blue nitrate remover pad in as well so i will be re-doing the nitrate tonight or tomorrow morning to see if it does anything by then. 

I will be posting a new pic soon!


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

AWESOME Job again Jasmine!!!

I can't wait to see the crypts start taking off! 

Keep up the GREAT WORK!
Drew


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Can you list what equipment you have running on the tank? Just curious! LOL

Drew


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you so much Boxxerboydrew! 
I didn't go home tonight so the pic will be taken and posted tomorrow night. 
The crypts are doing good so far except for the algae, I reduced the photoperiod a bit and think I'm going to do it again soon, I have been trying to dose excel everyday to fight it off too. I also bought two more nerites to help as well.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Right now I have a aquatop cf500 with the uv bulb, but it's not working, there's a inline heater attached to it too and I keep the tank at 73-74 degrees. I just added a magnum hot 250 filter for more flow and I have some bio filtration and purigen in there. I also have two breeder boxes attached with pumps that have lucky bamboo and some other plants in them for nitrate removal since that's my biggest downfall with this tank. I also have a bubble wand that spans the back of the tank with an air pump. Then I have a DB double bulb t5 no fixture that's in for about seven hours right now. 

I have more tech running on my tank than i would like but so far this is what is working for me.


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Well the tank is looking good, and with the output you get from big Goldfish I would say you are doing it right!!! So just keep on keepin' on, and let the plants grow cause it is looking GREAT!!!!  

Drew


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## le0p (Mar 28, 2012)

Love the tank! Those crypts look great.

I have a planted goldfish tank too, but my goldie came late to the game. She's been with me for a little over a month now. I think she likes it though:


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Looks good!
Is that a twenty long?


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## le0p (Mar 28, 2012)

Thanks, it's a 40 breeder. 

It needs some serious aquascaping but I need to supplement the lighting because my LED is leftover from a smaller tank and doesn't have enough spread. I have some LED's coming in from ebay, which will give me some more flexibility on plant placement.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Ok, that tank is perfect for a goldfish then! I would love if you could keep me dated with its progress, it's always a learning game!


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## le0p (Mar 28, 2012)

Totally, I will.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

SOOOO, my mind was just blown....i found out that the nitrate kit that i had been using was inaccurate....even though it wasnt expired, it was old and was almost empty.

So with the new nitrate kit my nitrates read 10-20ppms instead of the 40-80ppms i had originally thought....

WOW. My way of life has been altered.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

I've had the same problem. What I found out was that the second bottle if not shaken well gets "thicker" as you reach the end of the bottle. I now shake it really forceful and throw it out when it gets close to the end of the liquid. 

Glad you found your nitrates are lower than you thought. Hurray for less frequent WC


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I know, that's what I figured was that the solution became concentrated...and I have more lucky bamboo, fifty stalks more, on the way to place in a third breeder box...my nitrates should be low all the time after I add those. I'm really excited to monitor my nitrates now =]


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Please update your thread if the bamboo lowers your nitrates. I just got a big bunch of wisteria in hopes to help control nitrates. Goldfish = quick rising nitrates. I've been thinking of doing bamboo. Anything to stretch WC by a day or two. 

Tell us how it goes


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## Lyctpsis (Jun 19, 2012)

This tank makes me so happy! Goldies are still my favorites.

Where have you been getting your crypts? I wanna add some variety and I have no good stores near me...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I get my crypts from here, i received some from gordonrichards and others from other hobbyists. Some i had from my previous scape, and those one i received from other hobbyists on here!

And i will keep you updated about the bamboo, i have so much of it that im sure what i already have does a decent job but more will only help!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Here's a current picture of what kind of plant mass i have going on now before i add the additional bamboo i have coming in....


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## jhenry (Feb 15, 2013)

Gold Finger said:


> 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.


Good idea Gold Finger! I'm a newbie, first post actually. My first tank in 30 yrs is 20 gal, two sarasa comets with plastic plants and 80 ppm nitrates, so I planted anubis and anacharis 4 months ago. Nitrates slowly going down. I know I need a larger tank and have also become interested in ripariums. A planted goldfish group would be a big help to beginners like me. 

jhenry


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, i agree =]
The goldfish world of planted tanks is growing!
I often visit kokos goldfish and theGAB.org for goldfish specific issues, they have a lot of good info, check them out, im sure you will learn something =]


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## Barbgirl (Feb 24, 2012)

Just read this entire thread. I laughed about about a dozen times "BAD FAT FISH!" was probably my favorite, mostly because I could picture myself saying it as well and then the weird look from my husband hahaha. 


And you may have officially converted a self proclaimed "never going to own a goldfish person" to a goldfish owner. If I can ever get a big enough tank. I wish they would make dwarf ones.

Love the new look and the fish look amazing!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you sooo much Barbgirl!!
Goldfish are really great fish and can be comical to watch! I love just watching mine, its really relaxing and they are so beautiful too and not to mention fat! Mine would probably be much fatter and bigger with longer flowing tails if knew how to properly care for them when i first got them. 
Certain breeds of goldfish stay smaller than others but nothing along the "dwarf" variety, they all get pretty big compared to other species of fish. 
I feel the same way about the tank, i always want a bigger tank, probably a 120 long would be perfect =]

Im glad i helped you see goldfish in a different light, lots of people dis them =[ Most people think they are just starter fish, but really they require a lot of care and maintenance. A forty breeder would be a good tank for a pair of goldfish =] 

If you ever want to keep them and want some help just PM me, id be glad to chat!


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## Barbgirl (Feb 24, 2012)

I will definitely take you up on that if I get some goldies!

PS keep me in mind if you ever part with some of those crypts! They're beautiful.


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## Barbgirl (Feb 24, 2012)

Oh yeah, I saw that you are an RN on a med/surg unit, that is where I am doing my clinical rotation at the moment and it's awesome!


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## le0p (Mar 28, 2012)

Hey Jasmine, check out my new 20H thread! I rescued (well, my wife insisted) a couple feeder goldfish from the hungry jaws of my frogs and set up this tank as a grow out till I move and upgrade to a tank big enough for all my goldfish in a couple months.

I also re-worked my 40, took out the jungle leaving just the crypts behind.

Your tanks are looking great by the way!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Will do le0p!

Barbgirl, I love my crypts! And I'm still waiting for them to grow out more, I can only imagine how wonderful it will look when they are all big and reaching! But if I ever do need to thin them out, I'll try and remember you! Good luck in nursing school by the way, it's super tough!


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## javajive1981 (Feb 20, 2013)

Hey Jasmine. Your tank looks great I am thinking about using dirt in my goldfish tank but was a bit worried they would dig it up. You seem to have had good results.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks for your comment!

I have lots of sand on top of dirt, lol, I also have lots of river rocks, I think that helps too!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Your tank is lookin great!


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Beautiful tank!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks goldfinger, thanks saxtonhill! 

Here's a pic from today, I was feeding them so there's stuff floating around....but it shows plant growth and plant destruction....


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Ahh, Growth and Destruction... the yin and yang of goldfish tanks.


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## GMYukonon24s (May 3, 2009)

Beautiful goldfish!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you! 
They don't always seem so beautiful when they are eating the swords though...


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

jhenry said:


> Good idea Gold Finger! I'm a newbie, first post actually. My first tank in 30 yrs is 20 gal, two sarasa comets with plastic plants and 80 ppm nitrates, so I planted anubis and anacharis 4 months ago. Nitrates slowly going down. I know I need a larger tank and have also become interested in ripariums. A planted goldfish group would be a big help to beginners like me.
> 
> jhenry


I agree. But good for all levels not just beginners. Sharing advances everyone even experts. Lets do it. Whadda ya think Jaz? Any thoughts on a name? "Cult of the Great Gold Fish"?:icon_eek:

P.S. I don't have any science on hand to show you but I believe that the secret to growing goldfish big and fast (not that that is necessarily a good goal in and of itself but it can and does reflect health) is super low nitrates (and lots of food of course). I would suggest you try to get your nitrates as low as possible. Planted tank people like ~20ppm and up to ~40ppm because it favors plant growth but any nitrate above a certain concentration is stressful (poisonous) to fish. I aim for 5ppm and know it will slow plant growth but allow my fish to live 40+ years and not get sick.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

My swords are gone....all eaten.... =[


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Awww. Sorry to hear it. Friggin' goldfish:icon_mad:


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, they really like those, lol.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Oh no.....eaten???? Gone???? 

I'm coming to the conclusion that I'm lucky with my crew. They barely touch my plants.

I'm guesing your crew has gotten fat on the swords?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yessss, and i have been dogsitting a lot lately...so they have also been munching the tips of crypts, since im not home everyday to feed them and kale only goes so far....


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Yup...goldfish are bottomless pits for food. No wonder they grow huge. I laugh at people who buy the 1 inch goldfish and think it's going to stay small. 

I do have to say my crew love to pull out stems. My stems have yet to root because the fin crew yank them up. 

RIP for your swords.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Im looking into getting an automatic feeder too, and use pellets in it, maybe i can keep them busy with food and not plants...


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

The continuing saga of goldfish and plants. 

Have you tried solvent green? I give that to my guys and they seem satisified.

Just be careful with pellets that aren't presoaked. It can cause floaty issues. I learned that one the hard way.

BTW: I'll be starting my journal soon. The weather here is getting warmer so I can start painting the stand. I would love to link our journals so goldfish people can find them.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have been using solient green for a few months now, its so much easier then making my own at home. 

Thankfully i have never had a float problem, im going to use new life spectrum in the feeder, but ill test the pellets out before using them!

Im excited for your journal! Link how?

I also just did a water change, nitrate appears to be 10-20ppm, going to recheck on Friday when i am home next, hoping that i have figured out my nitrate issue....fertz had too much nitrate for the tank...nilocg said he could work something out for me that doesnt have nitrate, but is still premade so all i will have to do is add distilled water, i am sooo happy about that!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

I use those pellets as well. Good stuff. I do notice that they expand with soaking. Experiment with soaking. I put my favorite goldfish to sleep due to severe floaty issues leading to sores. I feel it was my fault due to over feeding pellets that weren't soaked.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

xjasminex said:


> I also just did a water change, nitrate appears to be 10-20ppm, going to recheck on Friday when i am home next, hoping that i have figured out my nitrate issue....fertz had too much nitrate for the tank...nilocg said he could work something out for me that doesnt have nitrate, but is still premade so all i will have to do is add distilled water, i am sooo happy about that!


I would love a package as well. So keep me posted. I say "no" to nitrates. :thumbsdow


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, once he's got mine figured ill let you know and you can pm him!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Great. I appreciate it.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Sajacobs said:


> The continuing saga of goldfish and plants.
> 
> Have you tried solvent green? I give that to my guys and they seem satisified.
> 
> ...


Please gelatinize your food. It is profoundly easy. Go to an asian food store and buy a packet of something called AGAR for $1. Sometimes they call it AGAR AGAR. It is like gelatin but firmer and does not melt at room temperatures. It is made from seaweed or algae and is nutritious. Put your fish food in a little water in a pot on the stove and heat it nearly to a boil then add aspoonful of AGAR and stir it for thirty seconds. Then pour it on a palte and stick it in the fridge. It is firm in five minutes. Slice it up and freeze it. Your fish will never bloat again. Fish eat wet goop not chruncy dry stuff.


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

Jaz. I have invented something which should help to stop goldfish from eating aquarium plants but I don't have the patent filed yet so I can't tell you what it is or I'd have to.. um.. swear you to serecy. But if it works like I hope it will I will sent you a prototype to try... when I have an extra one made. Meanwhile, I am sure the feeder will help. It's a matter of hunger. I sear the would eat the silicone holding the tank together if they had to.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Sounds great! I'm excited to see what it is!
I think most of my crypt munching is that I have been severely under feeding them, I'm a dogsitter on the side other then being an RN, so I find myself away from home for days at a time, hence my amazing idea for the automatic feeder...now the swords are getting eaten because they think they taste good =]


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Hey Jasmine!

The tank is looking really, really good!!! I LOVE the pic showing the bamboo behind it! You have done a AWESOME JOB on the scape and display of the whole area!!!

I am going to wind up doing something like this too!!! I fish A LOT, and we use feeder gold fish (Petsmart's 13 cent ones, small) most of the time while fishing for Crappie and sometimes for White Bass. While most of the time they are just plane gold or white, sometimes I will run across some VERY COLORFUL ONES!!! Orange/Red mixed with White in very cool patterns, and a few of them have had a orange upper lip too!!!!

So one of these days I am going to set up a tank for a few of the REALLY COOL COLORED little guys, and I will for sure look back at this thread for help!!! You have done a GREAT JOB!!!

Thank You!
Drew


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks again BoxerBoyDrew!
I do have to admit that the tank doesn't look as great as that last photo because they munched on the swords and the crypt ciliata, they seem to not like anything tall right now...I'll take a full shot of tank and plants today just for you guys! My automatic feeder should be here today too so I get to play around with that! 

I'm really excited to check my nitrates too, since I figured out that the fertilizer I was using was helping to raise my nitrate level severely, I have stop using it...and I did a 50% wc on Monday and did not use the fertz...today is kinda the day to see if my plants and bamboo are really making a difference in the nitrates!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Checked my nitrates, they appear to be 20-40ppms! 

Yay!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Just did a water change! 

Before looks to be 40-80ppms....
After looks like 5-10ppms! 










I have never seen this! 
The last water change was one week ago! 

Yay! Happy dance!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Congrats. You have achieved the ultimate goal of goldfish keeping.....low nitrates! Woo hoo. I'm jealous as I'm doing a WC.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, lets just hope it can keep it that way! 

Oh I gave the turds some romaine...and they like it! I'm hoping I can regrow the hearts so I won't have to keep buying it!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

It's amazing what we will do for our fish. Would you grow lettuce for yourself? Nope. For fish....yes

Spoiled fishes


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Here's another full shot of the tank and plants! 










I'm not liking the magnum 250 canister filter...this tank is to dirty for it...

I'm thinking of purchasing another aquatop canister filter, like the 300 or 400 model.
I'm also thinking about adding another breeder box full of plants....

Then my ultimate thought would be to split the outflow of the new canister filter four ways to drain into the breeder boxes, then the breeder boxes would drain into the tank. It would eliminate the unsightly look of the pumps that feed the breeder boxes, since I wouldn't need them....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Oh and if you didn't notice I have slowly.....been decorating the fake wood trim with pretty glass tiles =]


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## javajive1981 (Feb 20, 2013)

xjasminex said:


> Oh and if you didn't notice I have slowly.....been decorating the fake wood trim with pretty glass tiles =]


Looks cool. My goldies have just ripped up their new Echinodorus ozelot. I'm far from impressed


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## javajive1981 (Feb 20, 2013)

In fact i considered sending them back to the store yesterday i was so mad! They have wrecked so many plants now i've nearly lost count


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I understand, I found that mine think the amazon swords are yummy, the crypts are usually ok though! If you really like them stick with it!


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Your fish look so happy. It's a beautiful tank.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you!!! 
I try to keep them happy, but it's a constant demanding job!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I dont know if i mentioned it, but my smaller goldfish has had a black spot on the tip of its tail! I have consulted with goldfish gurus and they all think that its a color change, this fish originally had black on it but it all disappeared, i guess its coming back now, and since i have been feeding them the new life spectrum pellets i have noticed it has gotten bigger!

I also bought the aquatop canister the 300 model, has 264 gph, i plan on going to home depot this weekend and getting all that i need to split the flow and direct it into the breeder boxes. Im hoping that this will even further help to decrease nitrates since the only water entering the boxes will from the filter, nitrate should be the only nutrient in it for the plants to absorb.

I also got a fourth breeder box, now i need more plants!!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So i finally finished this idea!

Canister filter has been modified and now has four outputs, that are feeding four breeder boxes stuffed with plants, mostly bamboo.

I didn't take pics of the process or the finished product before i put it on my tank but i will take pics if people wish it of it working.

So far it is working great and the added plant mass from the fourth breeder box is always good.

Im hoping that the increased flow rate will help the plants to take up more nitrate! Will be checking often!

My next plan is to try and add two pond lilies from lowes...if they still have them...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So my female cory died, I got home this morning to find her swimming awkwardly in a twisting motion then laying still on the bottom either on her side or back, gills moving rapidly. I removed her to a bucket with air stone and heater. When I woke up she was dead. I'm rehomeing the male to a friends tank that has at least one cory, and she has been keeping fish for years so I know she can't be all that bad when it comes to caring for her fish. This tank will officially be a goldfish only tank from now on.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

No 
So sorry to hear. It's sad when you lose a part of your fishy family. 

Btw your plumping system is amazing. It's really novel. Your directions for building it where very helpful. Future products for the black hole hobby.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, it is sad, but I'm also happy that I will have a goldfish only tank, I did worry about my goldfish possibly trying to munch on the cories! 

Thanks for your compliment! I have spent lots of time thinking and building, it's nice to have it pay off. I always think I'm done with this tank but then I think of something else!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have finished my modified canister filter and breeder boxes for plants!
Here it is!!









Plus no more cories in the tank!


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Really enjoying this thread!  Thanks for posting the recipes for the gel food for goldfish. I have had a bit of bloat problems on occasion with the 2 fan tails, but not with the comets.

Goldfish are my favorites. Glad to find other folks who like them too.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Loving it! You have an amazing tank. Thanks for sharing. So what are your nitrates currently?

Have you tried koi clay? Got turned onto to it. It helps bring out the colors in the goldfish and supports natural growth. Nice benefit.....plants like it to.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Saxtonhill!
Fortunately I have never had any bloat with my fancies, I now use repashy soilent green, when you first buy it you think it's a bit expensive but a little powder makes a good amount of food! And it's much easier than mixing your own, and many experienced goldfish keepers claim that it is a more nutritionally complete food. Good luck with your own goldies!

Sam! Thanks again! This is day eight, and I haven't done a water change and I haven't checked nitrates...I have been working and my BF is in the hospital! My days have been going as follows...get up, go to work, go visit BF, go home, eat and sleep 6 hours get up and do it again...lol

I just started to get interested in koi clay, started to read an article on it...I also heard that it helps to clear the water...? Keep me updated with how it is going with your lawn mowers!


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## Saxtonhill (Dec 28, 2012)

Thanks xjasminex---I will check out that food


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Your welcome!
It made my life a little easier!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)




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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Your fish are getting big. The tank looks amazing. How's the nitrates?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

They usually make it up to 40 before I do a water change. Sometimes it's hard to tell if my bamboo is working....but it has to be doing something!

I also just bought a sera nitrate test kit and it's making its way to me!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Keep me posted on the testing kit. I'm frustrated with API since I can't figure out the difference between 10 and 20 and 40 and 80.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I know!!!
I'm totally with you on that...I go room to room looking for the best lighting...


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Ha Ha....me too. It goes like this...."hum, looks like 10, no it's 20. Ok let me go outside....ok it's 20 but no maybe 10. But under my kitchen light it's 10. ok it's 10. But if I'm wrong my fish will get sick. Ok, ok...I'm doing a water change." The dialog is frustrating.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Finally used the new sera nitate test kit. 
I do believe that it is a little easier to read. 

I compared it to my API...before the water change the sera kit said my nitrates were about 30-35...My API kit said it was in the 40-80 range...so big jump....

Sam, if you want i can take pics and post them too!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Pics would be great. It sort of sounds like its still hard to tell the difference between the levels of nitrates.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, it's not as easy as I was hoping, but I think it's a bit better.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

It's a big difference in nitrates. How are your Goldies?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Doing well, they seem to be getting bigger day by day...and not a day goes by that I don't want to get them a bigger tank! 

When and if I ever move out of my parents house I plan to get a bigger tank and plant it full of plants and let it turn into a jungle before I put them in! 

I'm also looking into a plastic mesh I can use to separate the dirt layer from the sand layer...I always seem to have an issue with fine dirt particles sifting up and hanging out on top of the sand... I wonder if a dirt then small gravel then sand layer would help too...


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Ha ha...a jungle. Too funny. 

I just moved my crew into a 120g and I have no regrets even thought the tank is HUGE. 

I've been very lucky my guys don't eat plants, except for crypts. I wish I knew why they leave plants alone. I could bottle it and sell it to goldfish keepers.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I know, that would be great! Mine only eat plants when I don't feed them regularly, that's why I have the automatic feeder, it seems to work pretty good too!


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## stonevs (Nov 5, 2012)

You're sand is really clean looking! Nice job.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks!
I wish i thought that!
I have dirt particles that sit on top of the sand....


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## stonevs (Nov 5, 2012)

xjasminex said:


> Thanks!
> I wish i thought that!
> I have dirt particles that sit on top of the sand....


Haha ya from my experience its basically impossible to always have the sand completely clean but I think you are doing a good job keeping it close!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Havent updated on this tank in a looong time. 
Everything has changed!

Heres what it looks like now. 









I got rid of the dirt in this tank, it was not working well with my goldfish. 
I planted the plants in tank planters from riparium supply, so far they are working good =]

The sub is eco complete and TMS, i chose them because i liked them. 

I built a regular upflow biofilter and planted the top of it with bamboo, pothos, elephant ear and some wandering jew. I am just now starting to see a reduction in my nitrates, which was my goal in implementing/building this filter. 

So due to the decrease in nitrates and increase in overall health of my tank, i came home to a tank filled with hundreds of goldfish eggs Wednesday night =] 
Never in the six years that i have had these two goldfish have i ever had this happen and it is a wonderful sign that i am reaching my goal of stable and healthy environment.



















This one has a fishy in it!!!
Most of them are not fertilized, but some are!!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

That's awesome. Any plans of hatching the eggs?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I plan to let nature take its course.
I thought about setting up a ten gallon for fry but decided against it, i dont have time to devote extra time to an additional tank. 
If the fry make it that will be amazing =]
But i dont have room for more goldfish and i could probably manage to keep one but not anymore....my current goldfish are huge 5.5 and 5 inches not including tails and they weigh a ton, the last time i weighed then they were 211g and 160g!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Nice I like that. Sometimes it's a huge hassle just to get everything set up and before you know it, you'll have 7 tanks all over the place. 

Good luck. I hope one little bugger survives.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, i dont need to complicate anything, lol.
Thanks =]


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Congrats! Your tank is beautiful and fishes are gorgeous. 

How's the natural filter planter working? How much of difference in nitrates with it? I know hornwort is not everyone's cup of tea, but it's growing well and giving me an extra day before WC. Just curious how well the filter is lowering nitrates in your tank. Do you need to do maintenance on it?


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## skindy (Jan 30, 2012)

Amazing job with your tank and goldies! I'm excited for you about the eggs and I can't wait to see how it all turns out.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Sam!
Thanks skindy!

My filter is working great! So far my nitrates have been reduced and I was able to go 7 days without a water change and my nitrates were only 15ppms after the 7days. 
I'm keeping track and documenting my nitrates too, so I'll keep posting my success!

I have seen three separate dry and I was able to get a video but photobucket isn't letting me upload it right now.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So i dont think any of the fry survived, oh well!
I didnt have a good place for them anyway!

So far so good with my nitrates and the new filter, water change is scheduled for tomorrow so will be testing again!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Update on my nitrate levels, i just checked them before my water change today and they were at 10ppms!!
My last water change was on dec 13th...so so far my nitrates are staying down!!

I also saw a teeny tiny fry while doing my water change and started being more careful of what im sucking up after that!


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

Nice tank, once the plants start to grow that tank is going to look amazing!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks coldwater king!
I hope that they grow nice and big, but the goldfish have a way of preventing that....


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

My goldfish does not eat my plant . But I guess all of them are different.


BTW subbed to the thread!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, they are...
Mine eat everything if they get hungry enough, but if i keep them well fed they mostly leave them alone!

Thanks!
Ill be trying to keep it updated from now on!

Do you have a journal on your goldfish tank?
Id be interested in reading it!


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

I do but it is a non photo and really outdated. I might update it after my goldfish gets better.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

We'll start a new one then, with photos!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Do you have a thread explaining how you built your planter filter? I'm very interested. Congrats on the nitrates! I believe you are just about the only goldfish person who has won it. Lucky bum!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, shakaho on kokos is the member I got the build from, I don't have a thread for it though, I'm pretty bad at making threads as I do things....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

More eggs and now i have fry, i have scooped out eleven and put them in a net that is resting in the tank to save them from the parents and filters!


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## goldsguy (Jan 2, 2014)

Awesome tank and goldies. Are they single tails? Your water lettuce looks awesome. I've been trying to grow in my tank but my comets keep the roots eaten so don't look like yours. 

What's your lighting?


Goldsguy
120-gallon 
Four Comets


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Nope, they are fantails! 

The secret to water lettuce is adding so much at one time so they can't eat it all at once!

My lighting is a deep blue t5 NO fixture with two 7500k bulbs. 

I think your on kokos, 
right?


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## goldsguy (Jan 2, 2014)

Yeah I'm on Koko's too 

I bought some water lettuce from a local guy with a pond. It's multiplying but I have comets so they keep roots trimmed. Ugh. I'm hoping as it spreads it will have time. 


Goldsguy
120-gallon 
Four Comets


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Goldsguy, you should start a small planted tank and farm
Dwarf water lettuce in it for your goldies. I filled the top of my fifty five with the over grown dwarf water lettuce from
My aqueon evolve 8. 

As far as the fry are concerned I have seven healthy looking swimmers swimming around in the net, I was able to count them all this morning. They are still itty bitty!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Congrats on the fry


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks sam!! 
I'm excited about them! 
They are so itty bitty it's almost too cute.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Two days before Xmas I found a fry in my tank. It turns out to be an imposter. It probably came off some plants I got in November. Some how it survived my Goldie's not eating it. I need to post pics of it because Tammy and Alex have no idea what it is. Probably tropical. As it's gotten bigger it hangs out with the Goldie's. Tammy joked it thinks it's a goldfish


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

What are going to do with more goldfish?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have no clue, I'll keep one if they survive but I'll probably try to see if any lfs will take them. 

I got a guppy fry in with some cherry shrimp, the last time I checked it was still alive...but that was a while ago. I'll check tomorrow and see if it still survives!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So the guppy fry still lives!!
The only disadvantage of it is that it will eat my baby shrimps when it gets bigger =[


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## KatherineL (Nov 8, 2013)

time to indulge that multi tank syndrome 

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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

KatherineL said:


> time to indulge that multi tank syndrome
> 
> Sent from my GT-N5110 using Tapatalk


Lol, been there and have done that. I lose intertest in the hobby if i get to many projects going, it feels like a chore instead of something that i love to do. Most of my tank time is wrapped up with this tank and then i have one more where the maintenance is pretty much non-existent. 

Anyway!!
I have six fry left in the net that i can count!
I can see their itty bitty fantails!!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Awwww....so cute. Congrats fishy mom.


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## Meganne (Sep 3, 2012)

BEAUTIFUL!!!!!



xjasminex said:


> Havent updated on this tank in a looong time.
> Everything has changed!
> 
> Heres what it looks like now.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks meganne! 

I need to post an updated pic, you can no longer see the tubing now! 

My fish have also decided to eat some plants too though....oh well the struggle continues.


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## KatherineL (Nov 8, 2013)

Which plants have survived and which ones didn't? 

That recent picture looks like a riparium waiting to happen too. 

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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

The only plant that isn't doing well is the melon sword, I plan to replace it with a large amazon sword or crypt spiralis. The crypt pontederiifolia gets beat up and eaten the most and the amazon sword is next. I guess I have been slacking with feeding or something because they have been munching the sword more than usual. 

The plants behind the tank is a special filter I built to help with nitrates, it works pretty well =]


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## KatherineL (Nov 8, 2013)

Oh, is it like a bog filter? I'd love to see pics of how it works if you haven't posted them already. I love seeing plants above the water line. All my tanks have floaters! 

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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, similar to a bog filter. 
I don't really have pics but water flows down into the bottom of the pot and flows up through biomedia and the roots of the plants then flows out and back into the tank. 

It has def reduced my nitrates.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

How is your filter working? How long do you go between water changes?


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## woodsjail. (Feb 3, 2014)

Wow! Great changes! Those fish look really nice.


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Your fish still look healthy and happy. How are the goldy fry doing? Getting bigger?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks! 

Fish are doing good. Fry all died, twice now when I have fry in the net and the parents spawned all the fry die....

But they are spawning every 2-3 weeks. And there were spawning this morning when I left for work. Maybe eggs when I get home...

I took new pics of the tank after I cleaned it and picked out a bunch of destroyed sword leaves. I'll have to post them soon!


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Awww, that's a bummer. Well, research and try again.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Crappy iphone pics =]



















No fry survived...no worries...im sure they will spawn again sometime soon!


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

Those goldies are huge and beautiful. I would love to just get a couple tiny goldies and grow them into monsters, maybe someday. 

Alos I want to see that mermaid.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Here you go!










I cant remember how big theses guys where when i got them, but im betting they were small, less than half the size of them now. 

I went to petsmart and looked at the large fancies there...they want 30 dollars for them and they are half the size of mine!! I was amazed!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

New fry =]

Hatched on Saturday, kept in a netted breeder box and fed egg yolk. Just moved to large marina breeder box today. I'm also setting up a brine shrimp hatchery too to feed them. I'm keeping them on my evolve 8. The water parameter are excellent in this tank and don't fluctuate like in my goldfish tank.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Congrats!!! Keep us posted.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Sam!
I will!


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

xjasminex said:


> Lol, shakaho on kokos is the member I got the build from, I don't have a thread for it though, I'm pretty bad at making threads as I do things....


Can you give a link to the page on kokos that had build details? Or am I readin that wrong and you were given a pre-built filter made by kokos? In any case I love the 'riparium'-esk-ness of you goldfish tank, esoecislly the sensory planted filter in the middle. What do you use to light those plants?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Plants in the tank are lit by a DBP double t5 fixture. 
The plants in the filter are lit by a cfl bulb in a shop fixture from Walmart. 

I'll try to find the link for you, I built it but the idea and build came from shakaho a member on kokos.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Here's that link! 

http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzo...m-for-the-40b/?hl=+pond++filter++for++the++40


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

I love mermaids, need to find one for my tank. That's a decoration no one could complain about, she'd fit right in.
Good luck on the fry!


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

xjasminex said:


> Plants in the tank are lit by a DBP double t5 fixture.
> The plants in the filter are lit by a cfl bulb in a shop fixture from Walmart.
> 
> I'll try to find the link for you, I built it but the idea and build came from shakaho a member on kokos.





xjasminex said:


> Here's that link!
> 
> http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzo...m-for-the-40b/?hl=+pond++filter++for++the++40



Thank you for the info and link. I might try that some time ^^


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

AquaAurora said:


> Thank you for the info and link. I might try that some time ^^


Your welcome, i love mine its working great!



rustbucket said:


> I love mermaids, need to find one for my tank. That's a decoration no one could complain about, she'd fit right in.
> Good luck on the fry!


Thanks, this little mermaid came from a member on here that makes them, she does a great job!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Just saw your mermaid. Meg did a beautiful job. Isn't great to have a bit of fantasy with the goldfish?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Sure is! 

I wanted to buy both mermaids she showed me.....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Fry are doing well, I have had bad luck with hatching brine shrimp but they are still eating up the egg yolk!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

We are a week old today and eating out first meal of live baby brine shrimp right now!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

We are so cute!


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

OMG. They are so cute


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Watching them eat the live brine shrimp is the ultimate cuteness....


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Can you see the food inside them?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, yellow for egg yolk and pink for brine shrimp =]


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks a bit weird. Do the shrimp move around in the belly?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Not that i can tell...


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Need a magnifying glass?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Possibly!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Very cool...glad you are trying to raise the fry.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

hedge_fund said:


> Very cool...glad you are trying to raise the fry.


Thanks =] 

I also started a round of prazi on them today too.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Mom and Dad.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Wow they are huge. Did they grow since the last pic?


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Yay! I'm glad to see the babies are doing well! The adults are so pretty.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Sajacobs said:


> Wow they are huge. Did they grow since the last pic?


Probably, i feed them all the time! I need to reweigh them and measure them, the last time i did the male was 5.5 inches (not including tail) and weighed 211g. The female was 5 inches (not including tail) and weighed 160g.
That was in September....



ValMM said:


> Yay! I'm glad to see the babies are doing well! The adults are so pretty.


Thanks!
They are my babies and now i have lots more!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Today i am starting to see itty bitty dorsal fins on the fry!
Hopefully soon you will be able to see them in pics!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yay! 
We are two weeks old today!


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

What are you going to do with the fry? Will you keep any?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

If they all survive, i plan on keeping one.....maybe two. 
I have two extra 29 gallons, but im tempted to pick up a forty breeder in the next dollar per gallon sale....
I have someone at work that will take one maybe two, ill see if anyone else at work is serious about taking any and the rest i will try to get credit for at my LFS. 

But we have a long way to go till i get to that point.....


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

xjasminex said:


> Probably, i feed them all the time! I need to reweigh them and measure them, the last time i did the male was 5.5 inches (not including tail) and weighed 211g. The female was 5 inches (not including tail) and weighed 160g.
> That was in September....


SAM!
I reweighed and measured today!!

Male- 6.25 in (not including tail) 252g
Female- 5 in (not including tail) 202g


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Wow that's pretty big! 

I used to have goldfish as a kid and always found them interesting. Maybe some time in the future I'll get some more. 

What is the most expensive goldfish out of curiosity?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, they are pretty gigantic! 

The most expensive goldfish...I have no clue but I know show goldfish can be thousands of dollars! 

Goldfish are pretty awesome fish, I really look forward to raising these fry and seeing individual personalities and traits develop =]


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

xjasminex said:


> Yes, they are pretty gigantic!
> 
> The most expensive goldfish...I have no clue but I know show goldfish can be thousands of dollars!
> 
> Goldfish are pretty awesome fish, I really look forward to raising these fry and seeing individual personalities and traits develop =]


Yeah I've always had a soft spot for goldfish. I will definitely have a few in the future.

The other thing that I noticed after doing some research on various goldfish forums yesterday is that a ton of women seem to keep them. I thought that was interesting....it seems to be a "girly" fish LOL. Not that there is anything wrong with that.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes, lots of women do keep them =] 
But we do have some men and some of them are quite manly too...lol. 
I wonder if it has anything to do with kids bringing them home and then moms are left to take care of them...but if you go to china or any other country where goldfish are popular I think men are the most dominant goldfish owners. 

In general goldfish get a bad rap here in the US. Maybe us women see them differently =]


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I have been thinking a lot and I will now be going back to a dirtied planed tank =]


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

We are three weeks old today!!


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

It's kind of cool how transparent they are.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, it's it! 
Some are darker/more goldish looking than others.
I can't wait to see the colors they will have. 

Their mother had black spots when she was younger but it all disappeared. Now her tail has a black streak in it. It started coming in last year and is slowing getting bigger, from what I have read goldfish usually don't start turning black again...and I mentioned it on my goldfish forum and they said it must be a color change!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Pic of my favorite fry, heres to hoping that the rest of him forms nicely and his dorsal stays the same!


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## chelleomi (Jan 21, 2013)

Hey Jasmine, I'm wondering if you have any advice about what supplements you put in your tank. I know you don't add a "regular" one because you are trying to get rid of nitrates and don't need to add any more... I'm just trying to figure out why my plants never seem to grow...


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I use a liq fert made by a member on here. He doesn't add nitrate to it for me. 
But if your going dirt osmocote is good and clay is also good. New dirt however shouldn't need ferts though, but adding clay is helpful for some plants. 

Maybe your water lacks in certain minerals? 
I also believe that having high nitrates slows down growth on plants in the tank too to some extent.


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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Wow these things are getting big! I like them. 


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## Andrew Goldfish (Apr 1, 2014)

Great read. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I just started my 125 dirt planted goldfish tank, my first freshwater. I'll just be growing plants for a month or so before adding some small orandas. Hope they don't eat all the swords like yours did! Cheers.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks hedge_fund! 
I'm a big fan of them too! 
=] 

Thanks Andrew Goldfish, I would love to have a 125! I can't wait till the day comes that i can! I would only start out with one oranda or two, with dirted goldfish tanks it's good to understock and in a few months you will find another goldfish that you have to have...it's a vicious cycle that most goldfish keepers experience. Most of us find ourselves more overstocked than we wanted to be...

In my case I never really fell into buy more goldfish but the fish that I have grew huge probably because I kept it limited to two in the fifty five...somedays I feel as if it's getting to small for them....

Growing plants ahead if time is a great idea, let them get rooted in and acclimate before the onslaught starts, lol. 

Every fish has different taste...mine even ate anubias and most people say that it's a goldfish proof plant....mine even just ate the dwarf water lettuce that used to cover the tank...it's all gone now.

Good luck with your tank, you should create a journal and share I love reading other peoples experiences =]


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So I never shared on here my goldfish tattoos that I have been acquiring...I just got the second one finished =] So I guess I'll share....

First one...






Second one...


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## water-kitties (Mar 19, 2013)

Those are so beautiful. Very nicely done.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thank you!


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## ChadRamsey (Nov 3, 2011)

Very nice!!!


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

The color is so vibrant looking! :eek5:



ChadRamsey said:


> Very nice!!!


LMAO...one of the best signatures ever:red_mouth


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks! 
I really love the first one and now I really love the second. 

Here's a full arm pic.


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## Chris_Produces (Feb 19, 2014)

xjasminex said:


> Thanks!
> I really love the first one and now I really love the second.


Yeah that's nuts...color is crazy looking. I think The Planted Tank Forum should have a tattoo forum/section for everyone to show off their fish tats, if they have any. I was going to put a pic of mine up here, but I'm not trying to hijack the goldfish tank thread lol :icon_roll


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## JohnEX (Jan 28, 2004)

nice tank! I still think it's crazy that people can keep goldfish from uprooting or eating every plant in a tank 

and wow your tats are great looking. the colors are really nice!


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## snakeybird (May 19, 2014)

I really enjoyed reading through this thread. I kept goldfish in a 72 gallon bow front in the living room for over a decade ~ they are so much fun. 

Any update on the fry?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the comments! I'm planning on another tattoo at the end of the summer! I'll post a pic when it finished! 

The fry are doing well! I have about fifty of them. Some have deformities, odd looking mouths, bent tail fins (one has no tail!) and one doesn't have much of a dorsal fin. But they appear to be healthy. They are currently in a ten gallon and are growing. I'm thinking I'll put them in the thirty gallon soon. I keep thinking I need to cull the ones with the deformities but I can't quite find the heart too yet...I'm still planning on keeping two and I have my eyes on a few of them. 

I also redirted the fifty five gallon and added a bunch of new plants! I'm keeping my two goldfish in a forty gallon for a few weeks until the plants have really started to root and grow. Next I will dirt and plant the forty gallon for the two lucky fry that I choose! 

I'll post pics soon!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

lol, I never posted pics like I said I would.....anyway....a few weeks ago I dirtied my tank and planted it. Monster Goldie's are currently living in a forty breeder, they hate it. It looked so good, but I must have screwed up some how cuz I was getting massive amounts of dirt silt settling on the sand cap! Wtf! 

So yesterday I pulled all the plants (I also ordered more...like a ton more to go with the original bunch)
I scooped all of the dirt and sand and carried it out into the yard...cleaned the tank, and started all over again! This is what it looks like as of last night! 










So far no silt/dirt, in a week or so when things have started to root and stay in place I plan on adding more sand and then adding the contrasting color gravel/sand and river rocks. I think I'll give the plants a month or so to establish themselves before I put the monsters back in. 

I will post baby goldie pics today in a little bit =]


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Looks great. How big are your Goldies?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

My big goldies are big, lol. 
I haven't measured or weighed them since the last time I posted their weights and lengths. Maybe I'll just do that when I move them back into the fifty five. 

I'm unsure of my baby goldies though. Some are small and some are pretty big. I still need to photograph them! 

Here's my fifty five now. I had a lot of melting and plant mass was reduced.


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Glad to hair the original crew is good. 

Hope the tank pops back with plants in a couple of weeks.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Updated photo, bought more awesome plants from a member! 



Hopefully nothing will melt to much!


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

I stuck some extra wisteria cuttings in my tank with goldfish ... they ate every leaf.

PS: Where's the fish, I don't see them?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, I see wisteria as a delicious snack for them. 

The monsters are in a forty breeder. The plants need time to adjust, root and grow some before they start getting beat up! 

Sword and crypts are the best for my goldfish. But they will eat awards if they are hungry. 

I'm also rigging a toms aqua lifter to daily dose excel to help plant growth. I sick at dosing consistently. So that should help growth a lot.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

Can you post a photo of the above water plants (with better lighting so we can see them)?


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## Sajacobs (Aug 24, 2012)

Looking good. Don't you wish it could stay that way


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Just dropping in to say hi! Tank looks great  


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Lol, yes Sam I wish it could! As long as I remember to feed them like the piggies they are then the plants don't get too beat up. 

Hey! Thanks Tithra! 

Now here are newer and closer up pics. 









I'm probably about two weeks away from putting the goldies back in. They are going to be sooo happy they have been stick in the forty breeder for a very long time. 

As you can see I also added more sand and them I added the other stones that I wanted in there too. I still need to clean the other river rocks and put them in too.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Updated pic from last night!










Here's a pic of the fry that I decided to keep! 
I'm naming him Bis.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

My big goldfish are back in their fifty five! 

They are so happy. They were swimming against the current of the circulation pump! 







Bis will join his parents sometime in the future...when he gets a little bit bigger =]


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Came home today to find a tank full of eggs...

Can you say happy fish =]


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Updated pic!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I also added two large mystery snails and two nerite snails yesterday. Hoping that the mystery snails are the kind that don't eat plants....


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## elfwise (Dec 7, 2014)

Just wanted you to know that the photo of your planted goldie tank is the reason I joined this forum. And a HUGE inspiration for what I'm looking to do sometime in the future. 

In the process of building a 10 gallon tester tank ... to experiment with planting and see how much I can do before investing in the bigger one. Maybe 40 or 55 gallon. But OMG, this thread right here is my dream! I think I'd be happy if I had half the success you do with your gorgeous setup! 

Do you still have the same organic soil/pool filter setup? I was looking into black fluorite or eco-complete but I've seen mixed reports on if it needs a cap or if you just plant into it. But does having goldfish root around in it make it a problem since it gets cloudy when disturbed? That and I'm almost afraid to use larger gravel as I've seen posts saying they like to mouth things and could choke on it. :S This feels like I'm preparing to have children! Ah!


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## NeonFlux (Apr 10, 2008)

Awesome goldfish tank pics updates! Can't wait until the plants behind begin to fill in and send runners within a couple years. Only a matter of time.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

elfwise said:


> Just wanted you to know that the photo of your planted goldie tank is the reason I joined this forum. And a HUGE inspiration for what I'm looking to do sometime in the future.
> 
> In the process of building a 10 gallon tester tank ... to experiment with planting and see how much I can do before investing in the bigger one. Maybe 40 or 55 gallon. But OMG, this thread right here is my dream! I think I'd be happy if I had half the success you do with your gorgeous setup!
> 
> Do you still have the same organic soil/pool filter setup? I was looking into black fluorite or eco-complete but I've seen mixed reports on if it needs a cap or if you just plant into it. But does having goldfish root around in it make it a problem since it gets cloudy when disturbed? That and I'm almost afraid to use larger gravel as I've seen posts saying they like to mouth things and could choke on it. :S This feels like I'm preparing to have children! Ah!


 
Thanks Elfwise!!!

I would def stick with sand when it comes to goldfish. I did try eco complete but was not a big fan of it. I didnt plant into it, i was having a try at some tank planters but i just dont like it for rmy fish. But you dont need to cap those, they ar meant to be used as i. 

I have redirted my tank a few times and i much prefer the dirt with pool filter sand cap. I have never had my goldfish get anything stuck in their mouth that i know of but lots of other goldfish keepers have. I use river rocks to add detail to just the plain sand, im a fan of a little contrast.

As for the goldfish rooting thing....you just need to make your sand cap thick enough that they fish dont get down to the dirt, I do a generous cap of about 2-3 inches. The good thing about the pool filter sand as opposed to play sand is that pool filter sand is heavier and sinks almost immediatly when the fish spit it out. Play sand floats around and gets sucked up into the filter more. 

Goldfish are a big commitment, they are not beginner fish like people say they are. They require lots of space 10-15 gallons per ONE fish. And they require frequent large water changes, i do about 80% of the water 1-2 times per week. They get big and live a looonnggg time if well cared for. Mine are getting up there, they have to be close to sevenish years. So its almost like having kids!!

If you have any other question just ask!!

Bump:


NeonFlux said:


> Awesome goldfish tank pics updates! Can't wait until the plants behind begin to fill in and send runners within a couple years. Only a matter of time.


 
Thanks NeonFlux!
Ill have to post an updated pic for you guys!!!


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## elfwise (Dec 7, 2014)

I'm looking forward to putting my first big tank together! Buying a 40gal this week and a friend's mom is rehoming her pleco and red tail shark in thier 55 gal! 

I ended up doing two ten gal tanks as testers / growers for the big tank  

My understanding is that plecos are terrible on plants so I probably will keep just maybe floating plants with him. It's funny but I've known this fish for six years... he kinda does feel like a real aquaintence! 

My biggest question I guess will be what the best kind of lighting to use... I'd like to do a diy shop light build cause that way if I upgrade tanks or add more, I can build a lid instead of being really financially put back with a single purchase. But theres a million bulbs, balasts, and designs so just unsure

Sadly the actual goldfish are still probably a few months away lol


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

elfwise said:


> I'm looking forward to putting my first big tank together! Buying a 40gal this week and a friend's mom is rehoming her pleco and red tail shark in thier 55 gal!
> 
> I ended up doing two ten gal tanks as testers / growers for the big tank
> 
> ...



I personally have never had a pleco in a planted tank. However I do know they need lots of hiding spots. Driftwood is a great thing for them to rasp on/ hide under. Plecos need veggies added to their diet though, so they might munch on your plants if they don't get veggies but I have no clue. Also plecos and goldfish have a not so awesome history. Plecos have been known to munch on sleeping goldfish and inflict some nasty wounds. So if your planning on keeping them together it might not be a great idea. 

I use a t5 fixture and it has served me well for years now. But I can't wait to upgrade to a finnex fugeray. I have been coveting them for a few years now. CFls work great, I used one on an awesome little ten gallon with great success. I personally am not inclined at all when it comes to building things, but some people have built awesome cfl fixtures for larger tanks. You should look it up on here. 

Waiting for goldfish is a good thing. Planning is key to a planted tanks success. If your able to plant first and let the plants grow in before adding the monsters you can over whelm them so they don't destroy all of your plants.


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Your tank still looks great! Have you sold a lot of babies to lighten your load? How does the baby with no tail fin swim?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks! I put the babies in my neighbors pond. I'm looking forward to going to see them when it warms up! Two of the babies that I kept died. My filter wasnt working right and I think that's what did them in! I still have one, my friend at work is going to take it. The one with no tail was one of the ones that died. But he/she was getting along great before hand. 

Currently I'm struggling with silt in the tank. I have aquatic earthworms in my soil and they cause the soil to bubble up above the sand layer. I'd really like to redirt and kill them all off with bleach. I thought they were cool in the beginning but soon realized how bothersome they are. They had to have come in with plants that I bought. I usually use PP to disinfect my plants. I guess it didn't work on theses buggers.


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

Ooh, a pond sounds like a nice place for the little fishies!

Sounds like you need to borrow a worm eating critter for a little while like a turtle or tadpoles.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yes! I'm excited to see them in the spring and see how big they have grown! 

Unfortunately I'm not going to put anything else with these monsters. 

I'm thinking of planting the plants in terra cotta pots until I move the tank to my boyfriends house to lessen the burden of replanting the whole tank. I just have to find the right pots!


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## Gold Finger (Oct 13, 2011)

. Hi Jaz


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## ValMM (Feb 22, 2011)

I have irises that I have been keeping in my 9 gallon pond and they are simply planted in a plastic pot with stones lining the bottom to keep dirt from falling out the holes.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Nice, i havent potted anything yet....but hopefully i will soon!

Bump:


Gold Finger said:


> . Hi Jaz
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


 
Goldfinger...what tank is that?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Per request im updating!

I moved...and downsized. 

My female goldfish, the smaller white and orange one died before i could move her. Im not sure if it was old age or an ailment. She was always the sicklier of the two and her health seemed to be declining in general with no cause as to why. 

Since i only have one fish now i decided to down size to a 40 breeder, since my male will be a forever widower and he isnt a growing young lad i feel that this is appropriate. 

Tank has been planted for a few weeks. I ordered a brand new finnex planted plus 24/7 and have been running it on the 24/7 mode with out dampening the light. I started dosing excel with a simple automatic doser to help plant growth and algae. Snails, aquatic worms and limpets are the only inhabitants right now. 

Plants in this tank include all from before and a few new...
Amazon sword
Crypts 
Red Tiger Lotus
Giant Jungle Val
Aponogentons 
Crinum Calamistranum 
Water Sprite
Micro sword

I have seen new growth on almost everything.


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## overgrown (Dec 30, 2015)

xjasminex said:


> Nice, i havent potted anything yet....but hopefully i will soon!
> 
> Bump:
> 
> ...


Hi Jasmine. I wanted to post in your thread so as not to hijack the other thread we spoke in. 

I recommended against a planted goldfish tank in that thread, but after looking through yours I am quite amazed. It looks like such a great home for the fish. Do you have to weight or tie down the plants, and do they outgrow what the goldfish can nibble? 

I always thought that a heavily planted tank would be a great way to help keep down on the massive waste that they produce. 

Sorry to hear about your goldfish dying. It's always tough when a fish dies. I've actually got a colorful Butterfly Goldfish and a bright orange Oranda that are looking for a new home. Both are young and very healthy. For no cost of course, I am just looking to get them into a safe place where they will be happy. If interested contact me.


On another note, how's that Finnex 24/7? I was thinking of ordering one for my 50 gallon and 30 gallon long. My 50 gallon is still running an ancient T10 bulb.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Thanks Overgrown! 
All the plants that I use are rooted plants. Anything that can't root itself is a no go. Rooted plants tend to be more hardy and thick leaved. Although I have seen a beautiful planted tank with stems but they had co2 going. 

I buy bigger plants rather than smaller ones, for instance a mature Amazon sword rather than a small plantlet. It gives the plants a better chance. And can take getting picked on where the young plant gets sad and stops growing. 
I'm a big believer that diet has a huge effect of whether or not they eat my plants. A well fed goldfish on a balanced diet tends not to eat plants as much. Keeping kale in the tank often has always helped me. They would rather eat the yummy kale than the tough bitter plants. I'm sure there are certain plants that they eat regardless because they taste so good. Duckweed is one that I found to disappear no matter what. I also feed a mix of different pellets from an automatic feeder about twice per day and then repashy about once to twice per day too. If I slack I notice an increase in damage to my plants. Usually starting with my Amazon sword. They always liked that one. 

The bad side to that is increased waste, so I was still battling higher nitrates. I'm hoping one fish with all that plant mass plus the rip plants I have will yield better results. I also wonder how much of a battle goes on between my plants and bio cycle for ammonia. I have always had a large biological cycle I'm very curious if taking my canister out of the equation would give me better readings or worse....

I'm not looking to add to my fish right now, sorry. I just moved into a really small poorly built house. We are looking to build new and tear this down. The less tanks the better! 

I really like the finnex. So far it doesn't seem too powerful and I was certain that I would have to dampen it with window screen. I haven't tried it on a timer yet. I thinking about adding a siesta to mid day so we will see how it works with that. But I love how it does its own thing. The less I have to mess with my tanks the more I enjoy them.


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## Coldwater King (Jul 23, 2013)

The tank looks amazing!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Coldwater King said:


> The tank looks amazing!


Thanks!
Funny you should comment on it now...I just cleaned it up and put my goldfishy in it today!


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## BoxxerBoyDrew (Oct 16, 2005)

Jasmine,

Sorry to hear about your female!!! She was a big, Beautiful Goldie, and I am sure you as well as your big male will miss her!!! On a happier note, your 40b looks AMAZING!!!! I will be looking forward to seeing it growout with "Big Boy" in it!!!!

Keep up updated on how it is going!
Take Care!!!
Drew

P.S. Your Tats are FREAKIN' AWESOME!!! The lines are so clean and the coloring is so detailed!!!They almost look like decals they look sooooo good!!!Thanks for showing us, and I would love to see the next one when it is done!!!


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

How's the tank and goldfish doing?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

He his doing well and the tank wont stop growing. He barely has room to swim!!
I have some algae issues, due to sunlight and my planted plus 24/7. I bought light raisers to raise it up 3.5 inches. 
He also keeps digging up the sand in the middle of the tank and exposing clay and dirt....I think the circulation pump doesnt help either. 
I have many rip plants that are out of control too. I just added purple waffle. I can go a whole week without changing the water. My fish tells me when its time to be changed, he gets moopy. However my nitrates always read 5-10ppms. Something that i have NEVER been able to accomplish before. =]


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

xjasminex said:


> He his doing well and the tank wont stop growing. He barely has room to swim!!
> I have some algae issues, due to sunlight and my planted plus 24/7. I bought light raisers to raise it up 3.5 inches.
> He also keeps digging up the sand in the middle of the tank and exposing clay and dirt....I think the circulation pump doesnt help either.
> I have many rip plants that are out of control too. I just added purple waffle. I can go a whole week without changing the water. My fish tells me when its time to be changed, he gets moopy. However my nitrates always read 5-10ppms. Something that i have NEVER been able to accomplish before. =]


Nice with the nitrates! Hoping to do that with my tank. Purple waffle is a great hardy riparium plant, I've had mine for a few years and its decently big (not tall but bulky and wide-actually so heavy it falls over-I have to use a some ss mesh to prop it up because I don't want to cut it) and it will have lovely little white blooms for you in time. If you trim it just replant it and wait, it will wilt a little but bounce back in 1-2 weeks.
Do you pull plants out form in the tank to give more room or just trim off some leaves here and there?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

I pull the not so good looking ones/ older leaves/ algae riddled ones out to help with space. Something always needs pulling because they grow so fast!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Massive amount of plants....photo taken during tonights water change.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Added a few new plants to the rip portion. My purple waffle is flowering! Plus I added spike grass from aqua aurora! And I also added Alocosia polly too.


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

Well, I tried to follow your lead in a 90G. My goldfish ate EVERYTHING I put in the tank, including some very tough Anubias!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

vanish said:


> Well, I tried to follow your lead in a 90G. My goldfish ate EVERYTHING I put in the tank, including some very tough Anubias!


Oh no!!!! 
That is to bad, it definitely depends on the fish! 
What were you feeding them, if you don't mind me asking?


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

xjasminex said:


> Added a few new plants to the rip portion. My purple waffle is flowering! Plus I added spike grass from aqua aurora! And I also added Alocosia polly too.


Yay love the lil' purple waffle blooms, mine spits 'em out like crazy. 
Hows the sweet flag (flat grass) i sent you? and your boy? and the tank in general? 
You still owe me an update photo btw!!! *poke poke*




vanish said:


> Well, I tried to follow your lead in a 90G. My goldfish ate EVERYTHING I put in the tank, including some very tough Anubias!


WHAT? When did you get a 90g goldfish tank? and why have I note seen a journal for it?!
As for eating plants did you give the goldies another veggie source like cucumber in the tank or veggie heavy meals like soilent green from repashy?


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Ok Ok ok!! The quality sucks! Silly cellphone pics. These were taken a few weeks ago. My guy is doing ok. His tail wants to be red and fray and has shortened so im trying to keep up on water changes but its frustrating when i have soooo many plants in and growing out of the tank!!!! LOL.


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## AquaAurora (Jul 10, 2013)

xjasminex said:


> Ok Ok ok!! The quality sucks! Silly cellphone pics. These were taken a few weeks ago. My guy is doing ok. His tail wants to be red and fray and has shortened so im trying to keep up on water changes but its frustrating when i have soooo many plants in and growing out of the tank!!!! LOL.


WOW! Love how dense your plants are above and below water!! Sorry your boy is having tail issues, he still looks quite handsome.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Yea, those plants are all over!! He is just lately been actually swimming through them. I think the light has a lot to do with them being so awesome at growing. Plus i have an autodoser that doses a small dose of excel throughout the day. Plus i have the dirt substrate. I dont think ill have a dirt substrate in the 100g when ever i get to set that up. As you can see i have a lot of dirt and wood pieces that sifted up either by natural ways, due to current, snails or because of my boy. Im thinking i might do like a planter sorta thing.


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

So my old guy started with symptoms of dropsy on sept 7th. Treatment is water changes every two days with dosing of metroplex and epsom salt with every water change. Orally dosing oxytetracyline daily. He hasnt really gotten any worse or better. Although he is acting normally and is still eating good. No other symptoms noted except the pineconing.


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## vanish (Apr 21, 2014)

AquaAurora said:


> WHAT? When did you get a 90g goldfish tank? and why have I note seen a journal for it?!
> As for eating plants did you give the goldies another veggie source like cucumber in the tank or veggie heavy meals like soilent green from repashy?



I probably did not feed them enough veggies. I never made a journal for it. Some days it looked cool, but most of the time its "meh". I tried to kind of go for an indoor pond. I don't know if we're going to keep it. Its looking a bit sad today. I either need to get my butt in gear and really put some effort into it, or sell it. My wife wanted the white background to keep things bright as this is in our kitchen, but I think black would look much better.

I have to say though, it looked pretty darn cool when it was 1/3 full. I might have to get rid of the goldies and do a paludarium with it.

PS: Suction cups suck. I only had enough wire to make hangers for 3 of my baskets.


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## BettaBettas (Aug 21, 2016)

I think I enjoyed the tank better when the water was full  oh well, anyway nice tank though, really loving the whole plants around it thing as well!


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## xjasminex (Jul 26, 2011)

Im sad to say that i had to put my goldfish down. Due to his probable kidney failure he continued to become edematous and was stating to develop blisters and was not swimming. He still wanted to eat but he must have been miserable.


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