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Hello all. I want to try a planted tank for my 20L tank with 2 fancy goldfish, and 6 corys. I'm running a Penguin 330 bio-wheel filter and a Coral Life 20 watt plant bulb. My parameters are Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, PH 7.2, Nitrate between 0 and 5 ppm, GH 6. I don't have a "KH" test. My substrate is a mix of 1/4" and 1/8" aquarium gravel to a depth of approximately 3". I have well water with a water softener system. If I were to get a low light plant package would my lighting be enough? Do I need to run an aerator? Would I need a CO2 system? Would the low light plants be okay for goldfish? Does anyone have knowledge of plants that goldies won't eat and rip out? I picked up an Anubias Barteri and a clump of Giant Hairgrass at Walmart that are looking nice and showing new growth, but I'd like to try a nice dense tank. I'm a little fearful and would appreciate any help and suggestions. Thank you.

My reply would be that your tank is way to small for 2 fancy goldfish. I believe 20L is approximately 5 US gallons and the minimum size you should have would be 55 gallons for 2 goldfish. Sorry, I didn't really answer your question, but the housing you have for these fish should be your first concern.

There are several other fish you could keep in this tank, but it is way overstocked.

Jim

My other question would be is what type of cories do you have. Unless it is one of the smaller species, they are possibly also crowded in this tank.

Last edited by OldTimer at 03-May-2005 19:01

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Old-timer, It is a 20 gallon long, meaning it is lower and longer than a regular 20 gallon tank. Thanks for your quick response. I'd like to get a larger tank but it isn't in my budget just yet. My cories are all small.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a 20L is still too small for goldfish. They need at least 55 gallons per fish. I know this sounds huge, but they create tons of waste and grow to a massive size. I think you could do a wonderful planted tank without goldfish, as they would probably nibble on your plants anyway. Goldfish are also coldwater and not a lot of plants can surive in cold temperatures. Making it a tropical community would give you a lot more options.

Sorry, thought you met liters, but as Hooktor stated still way to small for goldfish of any type.

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Water, taken in moderation, cannot hurt anybody. -- Mark Twain

Again sorry to have to say it but the tank is too small. As a starter tank I guess its ok but as your fish grow you will need to buy another tank to match their size. I have a 54 US Gallon tank that is a rectangle shape (as opposed to square). Even so by the end of the year we are saving to get a 6ft long tank for my three fancies.

As for plants. We are looking into that for our tank. Where people go wrong is under planting. Goldfish eat and rip plants to shred, the aim is to pack it out so the eco system stays in balance.

What temp do you keep your fish at? Are they fancys or traditional coldwater? Fancys thrive in temps 21C - 24C seems high but not when you think logically where they come from. They can live outside but need to come in in winter. So tropical plants do well. But traditional coldwater goldfish need lower temps that why they can stay out in minus conditions in ponds, so plants for them will be very different almost from the same family as pond plants.

Sorry that I am not much help.

carolinedraper, thanks for your response. One of the fish is just a fantail and the other is a red capped oranda. They are both less than 3 inches long, excluding the tails. I am looking into a larger tank but it will be a few months before I can swing it. I'm halfway there. Supposing the tank was fish-free is my set-up okay for low light plants? If not, what do I need? Thank you.

Hi there no probs, no need to thank thats why we are all here.

To find out your tank lighting add up the watts of each bulb and divide that total by the
simply total the watts of each bulb and divide that by the capacity of the tank.

That tells you if you have low, med or high light.

That then tells you what plants to buy.

There is a post at the top of aquarium plants - how do I start out that goes into indepth.

As a rule - swords, crpyts jarva all do well with goldfish they tend to hold their own.

But I would use the links under the - how do I get started, and buy a plant starter set. Its a good way to get going until you get enough confidence to select your own mix.

As for your tank size at the mo its fine but not too long and I emphasise that in not too long a time they will out grow it, (months not years). Take great care with the waste and keep up with water changes prob 25 % weekly. Next options are to either go for a medium size tank to last you up to about 2years e.g 55 US Gallons. That will be fine for a 3 fish set up as an interim (I have a big Black Moor, Ryukin and Oranda). Or you can go to the end tank straight away about 120 US Gallons (next size up if budget allows). In an ideal world your fish will grow into and be happy in a 6ft - 8ft tank.

Remember that fancys are related to Carp. I imported a very good book from China (English translation) that gos into great details on the keeping, history, breeding and health of fancys.

Hope this is a help to you feel free to ask many more questions.

dude_dude, That link was very helpful. I realize my tank is too small and I'll upgrade asap. Currently I do a 25% water change on Wednesdays, no cleaning, and another 25% on Sundays with a routine tank cleaning. The fish are healthy and active and the perams are perfect. The temp is kept at 72-74. So far, so good.

OOoo spookey thats the link I was referring to as well ....