# 75g Planted Oranda Tank



## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Figured I'd start a journal for this tank, even though I have no real plan just yet. It is my first "big" tank. My oranda goldfish had outgrown their 40 breeder, so I upgraded to a 75 gallon to tide them over for a bit 

Here's the current stats:
- 75 gallon
- Eheim 2236 and Fluval 306 (I would like to eventually upgrade the Eheim to a fluval 406 I think)
- Two 36 in aquatic life dual T5HO fixtures (2x 6,000k and 2x 650nm pink roseate)
- ADA Aquasoil
- Pressurized co2 with inline diffuser (5lb tank)
- Following an EI fert dosing schedule

The tank sits right in front of a sunny window, so I am a little concerned about the potential for some serious algae, but I guess I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Plants currently in this tank have pretty much just been thrown in until I come up with some sort of a plan for this tank. I may not keep all plants currently in here, but here's the list right now:

- ludwigia glandulosa
- ludwigia atlantis
- ludwigia cuba
- ludwigia ovalis
- mayaca fluviatilis
- bacopa monneri
- bacopa japan
- rotala rotundfolia
- 'true' rotala indica (ammania gracilis) 
- rotala colorata
- rotala wallichi
- hygrophila difformis
- echinodorus parvifloris 'tropica'
- needle leaf java fern
- limnophila mini
- riccia on a rock
- a couple small patches of HC

And a current tank pic:


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## du3ce (Jan 26, 2013)

wow nice gold fish


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

du3ce said:


> wow nice gold fish


thank you! they seem to be enjoying their new swimming room


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## carpalstunna (Mar 22, 2012)

Look at all that room, MORE PLANTS!!!


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

carpalstunna said:


> Look at all that room, MORE PLANTS!!!


Haha this is the plan! 


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## DogFish (Jul 16, 2011)

Great start!

The window might be a problem.

I used Auto window tint to deal will strong afternoon sun and had great success. I recommend 5% tint also called "Lino Tint". It gives a nice black background and only allows 5% of the light to shine through. There's a removable version available if you can find that one it's worth the extra.

Simply use a spray bottle wet the glass set you film on one side, slowly roll it across the glass. I use a credit card as a squeegee to get the air bubble out. Of course it you error, the removable can be lifted to try again. 

Once on simply use a razor and trim to size.


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## Asu1776 (Mar 5, 2013)

Otocinclus can help with your algae problems. I have two in my tank and they clean the glass pretty well including the leaves. I'm assuming amanos are out of the question given that the goldfish may eat them? It seems the window is in the back, so you could also use a background to stop sunlight from penetrating.

I have a 60 gallon tank at home...and last I recalled it was pretty big, so that must mean those are some HUGE goldfish. Haha.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

I finally got my new 48inch 6 bulb Sunlight Supply Tek light in place last weekend. My plants were starting to suffer under my previous lighting setup... it's amazing how quickly they have perked up under this light. Even with pretty bad damage to the reflectors from salt creep I'm getting a reading of 100 par mid tank and around 50 to the sides with my Hoppy par meter. Very happy with this (I'm only running 4 out of 6 bulbs btw)

Anyway, here's some recent pics. I'm still waiting for the plants to grow in before I decide on arrangement etc. I added some marsilea quadrifolia as a foreground plant. It has started shooting out some new leaves, but I know it's generally a slow grower so I don't expect much anytime soon from it.




[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468340224/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468334075/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468341105/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468347344/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468344764/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468522693/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468333906/]


[url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468332796/]
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evelynne_green/10468332796/


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

DogFish said:


> Great start!
> 
> The window might be a problem.
> 
> ...


thanks for the tip  The algae has been manageable so far. I'm still on the fence if I want a background or not. I'm going to give the tank a little more time to settle before I decide.



Asu1776 said:


> Otocinclus can help with your algae problems. I have two in my tank and they clean the glass pretty well including the leaves. I'm assuming amanos are out of the question given that the goldfish may eat them? It seems the window is in the back, so you could also use a background to stop sunlight from penetrating.
> 
> I have a 60 gallon tank at home...and last I recalled it was pretty big, so that must mean those are some HUGE goldfish. Haha.


thanks for the reply  I tend to lean toward the philosophy that goldfish are the best tank mates for goldfish, so otos would be a no go for me. I do have a few nerites in there with them though that do a good job with algae. Amanos would likely get eaten, although I have been tempted to try it.

They are relatively big fish. Around 130 and 160 grams I think last time I weighed them. Certainly not the biggest goldfish, but decent sized and not done growing


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## Phil Edwards (Jul 18, 2003)

I've been seriously considering doing a planted goldfish tank and this one's pushing me even closer. Very nice work! I've been concerned about their habit of disturbing substrate and eating plants though. How have you found them do to in the long run? Would you recommend a non-planted area with decorative sand for them to sift through?


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Phil Edwards said:


> I've been seriously considering doing a planted goldfish tank and this one's pushing me even closer. Very nice work! I've been concerned about their habit of disturbing substrate and eating plants though. How have you found them do to in the long run? Would you recommend a non-planted area with decorative sand for them to sift through?


Definitely go for it! It is absolutely possible to keep a planted tank with goldfish, but you'll need to remain flexible, it takes some trial and error. I've found that that there are three types of goldfish, those that will attempt to eat every plant in sight (for these you'll need to choose tough leaved plants like anubias and java fern), those that don't care about the plants (these you can keep pretty much anything you want within reason, mine fall into this category), and those who really enjoy eating certain plants but leave others alone (in my experience this makes up the majority of goldfish. It takes some trial and error to figure out what plants you can keep with these fish). I would also venture to say that your chances of success tend to be higher with fancies than single tails, but I've also seen some beautiful planted single tail tanks.

My fish do occasionally uproot plants (you can probably see a few floating in the pics) but this is typically only an issue when the plants are new and don't have an established root system. But again my fish are well behaved and don't mess with the plants much. For fish that really root around in the plants, choosing plants that have large root systems like swords and crypts can help. 

I've kept a planted goldfish tank of some sort for about 2.5 yrs. what that has looked like has evolved from anubias and swords in a bare bottom tank to what you see now. I'm still learning in terms of the whole planted tank thing  my goal is to push the boundaries a bit of what a planted goldfish tank typically looks like because I think Goldies get an unnecessarily bad rap when it comes to plants.

I think an open area of substrate is certainly ideal. My goal eventually though is to have some sort of carpeted area in the front simply because I've never seen it done in a goldfish tank before. The trick is finding a carpeting plant that can hold up to them digging through it. I'm hoping the marsilea quadrifolia will be it since it is a pretty sturdy little plant 


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## dprais1 (Sep 12, 2012)

and where does one acquire such goldfish? surely not petco.

they look amazing.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

dprais1 said:


> and where does one acquire such goldfish? surely not petco.
> 
> they look amazing.


Lol thank you. Mine came from rain garden goldfish online. Other places to check out are dandys orandas and east coast ranchu. I'm a fan of RG and ECR because they are both US breeders whereas DO is an importer.

That said you can also find fish at local chain stores that end up being gorgeous fish with proper grooming 


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## keats (Apr 26, 2013)

tithra said:


> I finally got my new 48inch 6 bulb Sunlight Supply Tek light in place last weekend. My plants were starting to suffer under my previous lighting setup... it's amazing how quickly they have perked up under this light. Even with pretty bad damage to the reflectors from salt creep I'm getting a reading of 100 par mid tank and around 50 to the sides with my Hoppy par meter. Very happy with this (I'm only running 4 out of 6 bulbs btw)
> 
> Anyway, here's some recent pics. I'm still waiting for the plants to grow in before I decide on arrangement etc. I added some marsilea quadrifolia as a foreground plant. It has started shooting out some new leaves, but I know it's generally a slow grower so I don't expect much anytime soon from it.
> 
> ...




This looks really good! It's a whole new realm. Do you like the tek so far? How much did it run you?


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

keats said:


> This looks really good! It's a whole new realm. Do you like the tek so far? How much did it run you?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2


Thank you!

The tek light is amazing. With only 4 bulbs running I'm getting 100 par mid tank and all my plants are pearling which I've never had pearling plants in my goldfish tank before 

I actually got the light off craigslist for $100... It was a deal I couldn't pass up


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## hydrophyte (Mar 1, 2009)

This looks awesome. Those fish are fantastic!

I really want to do a goldfish setup also in a 75. Stocking ratio aside, I really like the look of the rounded river boulders in this setup...






I have thought that kind of thing could look really cool also with riparium plants above water. 

How did the shipping work out ordering from Rain Garden? Was it real expensive? Your fish look really great.


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## keats (Apr 26, 2013)

tithra said:


> Thank you!
> 
> The tek light is amazing. With only 4 bulbs running I'm getting 100 par mid tank and all my plants are pearling which I've never had pearling plants in my goldfish tank before
> 
> ...


Wow! 100$...that's a greaaaatttt deal. I would grab one if I could get a deal like that!


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

hydrophyte said:


> This looks awesome. Those fish are fantastic!
> 
> I really want to do a goldfish setup also in a 75. Stocking ratio aside, I really like the look of the rounded river boulders in this setup...
> 
> ...


Thanks! 
Yeah, I've seen that scape, it is pretty (stocking aside lol.. That tank would need daily water changes to keep nitrates down with that many goldfish )

Rain garden has very reasonable shipping prices because they do 2 day shipping. I think it's generally 30-60 dollars depending on how many fish and their size. 


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## acitydweller (Dec 28, 2011)

tithra, the colors in this tank are nothing short of spectacular!


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

acitydweller said:


> tithra, the colors in this tank are nothing short of spectacular!


Thank you! The plants are really starting to color up nicely under the new light 


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## hgfx (Apr 26, 2008)

Beautiful: yellow,orange, white, and green: great contrast.
Never thought of cold water fish in planted.
Your pets look happy and healthy.

Great job!


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## aquacalm500 (Jan 31, 2012)

Those two goldfish are amazing. Their colors compliment each other perfectly. I'm gonna start learning more about goldfish now!! :icon_smil


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## kcoscia (Jul 24, 2013)

Your babies are beautiful! I would love goldies but I just don't have the space to house them. Someday...

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## hedge_fund (Jan 1, 2006)

Great looking fish and a really pleasant tank.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

hgfx said:


> Beautiful: yellow,orange, white, and green: great contrast.
> Never thought of cold water fish in planted.
> Your pets look happy and healthy.
> 
> Great job!


Thank you very much 




aquacalm500 said:


> Those two goldfish are amazing. Their colors compliment each other perfectly. I'm gonna start learning more about goldfish now!! :icon_smil


You should definitely look into goldfish! They really don't get the credit they deserve  they're really fun fish to keep because they are so interactive. 



kcoscia said:


> Your babies are beautiful! I would love goldies but I just don't have the space to house them. Someday...
> 
> Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk


Thank you  fitting this 75 in my one bedroom apartment was definitely tricky. These fish have gone from a 29 to a 40 and now the 75  I'd love to get them into a 150-180 eventually, but I'll have to get out of this apartment first.



hedge_fund said:


> Great looking fish and a really pleasant tank.


Thank you! And thanks for looking 



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## londonloco (Aug 25, 2005)

tithra said:


> Thanks!
> Yeah, I've seen that scape, it is pretty (stocking aside lol.. That tank would need daily water changes to keep nitrates down with that many goldfish )


Thought the same thing. 

I love your tank, the fish are beautiful. 

I had a 45 high fancy goldfish tank years ago. They were beautiful, but def "dirtier" fish. 

Good luck with this planted tank.


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## raven_wilde (Jul 12, 2006)

Beautiful fish! I can't wait to see the tank all grown in, I bet its stunning!


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## Discusdude7 (Sep 14, 2013)

Tithra,
Would love to see some updated pictures . Amazing how those fish "fill the tank".


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## jasa73 (Jun 3, 2007)

Wow beautiful Oranda's! Makes me want to start a goldfish tank!


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Discusdude7 said:


> Tithra,
> Would love to see some updated pictures . Amazing how those fish "fill the tank".



So here's the update  

I got the 75 gallon tank, and then I moved. In the moving process all my plants unfortunately sat in a bucket of water for about 2 weeks. The only plants that made it were my mayaca fluviatilis (which you can see is growing totally out of control right now) and my swords (which have reproduced several times)

So unfortunately right now I'm in the process of buying the plants I lost and starting over. On the up side I am saving up for a 180 because we have enough room in this new house for me to have a bigger tank!











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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

I was just reading back through this thread and when I first posted my fish weighed 130 and 160 grams...they are now 200 and 250 grams 


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## Jeff5614 (Dec 29, 2005)

In a lot of planted tanks, if not most, the fish are secondary to the plants. More thought is put into plant selection and appearance than fish, but in your tank the fish are what catch my eye. Their colors are gorgeous. They must be in great health to pop like they do.


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## tithra (Dec 1, 2012)

Jeff5614 said:


> In a lot of planted tanks, if not most, the fish are secondary to the plants. More thought is put into plant selection and appearance than fish, but in your tank the fish are what catch my eye. Their colors are gorgeous. They must be in great health to pop like they do.



Thank you! I really enjoy my goldfish and luckily they are well behaved enough for me to keep a planted tank as well  


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