Coldwater Planted

[DaveA76]

is it possible to have a planted coldwater tank and if so what plants can i put in it that will survive ?

 

[DAlmond123]

Assuming you have goldfish, plants to begin with are:

Java Fern: A very hardy plant, with low light requirement. Goldfish tend not to like the taste of this one. It can be tied to rocks, decorations is therefore not easily uprooted.

Anubias: Again a hardy plant with low light requirements. It has thick leaves and goldfish leave it alone. Best when tied down to decorations.

Java Moss: Java Moss is a hardy plant with low light requirements. Goldfish are not likely to eat it. But they may tear it up during spawning. Because of this it can make your tank quite a mess and have moss fragments slow down your filter. On the other hand when my goldfish spawn I like to provide them with Java Moss as spawning material.

Hornwort: A plant that can float or be placed in the gravel if you prefer. It is hardy and usually escapes goldfish jaws. It provides cover and it is a good nitrate consumer. If I plant it in the gravel and if (or when ) it gets pulled out I do not have to rush to replant it. It likes to float and it gets good light at the top of the tank.

Crypts and Swords: Crypt and swords are rootfeeders. They require a good and nutrient filled substrate. They would not like to be uprooted nor have their roots exposed. For that reason they do not always make the best choices but if you have goldfish that are not too pushy try them. They are very beautiful, and will do well with moderate light levels (at least 2.5 per gallon).

Vallisneria: produce runners and it gets part of its nutrients from the water and part from roots so it requires a substrate. It is hardy and with low requirements. While my goldfish uproot this plant often it does well if I keep replanting it.

Hygrophilas and Watersprite: These are stemplants and relatively hardy. However goldfish do tend to like to snack on their rather soft leaves. I tend to find them 'cut down' a bit if I leave the goldfish without food for a couple of days. But if you have luck with ones above you may want to try these next. Both tend to like better lighting than low, though. Watersprite has the advantage that it does well floating if it is uprooted.

Anacharis: Is a common pond plant. It can float or be planted in the gravel. It is good nice colour. People have varied success with it. Some goldfish tend to be particularly fond of anacharis. My goldfish leave them pretty much alone. However the plants tend to prefer cooler temperature and is often hard to keep in warmer aquariums.

Duckweed: A tiny floating plant that really does grow like a weed if given the chance. In a goldfish aquarium it is rarely given the chance. My goldfish treat these as snack. They have the advantage of providing cover (if they are allowed to grow) and they are good nutrient absorbers without many high requirements. However they tend to like low surface movement and if the you have a lot of filter power these tiny things smay be drawn into the filter.

 

[DaveA76]

thankyou for the advice

 

[DAlmond123]

You're Welcome! What is your stock in your tank?

 

[DaveA76]

its got 3 goldfish at the mo and a weather loach (gold) all added today as i took my oscar back to the lfs today turned the heater off and gave it a 50% water change, the good thing is when the goldfish get big i can transfer them to my outdoor pond when the weather is warmer

 

[three-fingers]

Crypts and Swords: Crypt and swords are rootfeeders. They require a good and nutrient filled substrate. They would not like to be uprooted nor have their roots exposed. For that reason they do not always make the best choices but if you have goldfish that are not too pushy try them. They are very beautiful, and will do well with moderate light levels (at least 2.5 per gallon).

Just want to add that these plants don't need a nutritious substrate, if you dose the right fertilisers (NPK + trace) they do fine just getting tier nutrients through the leaves.

Also 2.5WPG is too high to reccomend unless you are experianced with plants or are injecting CO2 IMO. Also, as I've said elsewhere, it depends greatly on the type of lightin and the spread of the bulbs, so "WPG" values out of context are a little useless and just add confusion most of the time .

Besides, crypts are low-light plants, as are a lot of swords. The higher the light, the more nutrient demands the plants make (including CO2) so it's generally much easier just to keep them under low light .

 

[DAlmond123]

I mean to put that as 2 wpg as I don't think you should go over that or you will just end up with an algae mess. Especially without C02. Just like you said the flow rate of a tank isn't required but is helpful, the same goes with a nutritious substrate for them. If you can, try to put in some root tabs.