Planted tank newbie!

[Bex5381]

Hi,

Just looking for some advice! I would like to add live plants to my tank (180 litre, cold water) but don't have the first clue
Can anybody recommend some plants that would be suitable for me? Preferably something my goldies won't eat, though if there is anything that is fast growing and/or would survive being nibbled I don't mind that.
My tank is currently bare bottom,though I'm looking to add sand in the near furture

 

[Byron]

Goldfish are omnivorous but they do need vegetable matter and they will readily eat most soft plants. Some that should manage are Java Fern and Anubias. These also are slow growing, which means lower light requirements and nutrient requirements, so with goldfish they may do very well without any additives, depending upon your water chemistry and fish load.

You could also have some floating plants, and while these are generally softer leaved, the goldfish nibbling on them will be nutrition and floaters tend to reproduce/multiply quite rapidly. Duckweed for example would probably be relished, and not likely to ever be devoured totally; it seems capable of surviving whatever the conditions.

Both Java Fern and Anubias are attached to wood or rock, not planted in the substrate (the rhizome can rot if buried) so the substrate material is irrelevant. However, a substrate of sand or gravel is highly advisable; the most important factor in an aquarium is the substrate, as it hosts many different species of bacteria that are important for a healthy environment. With goldfish you could use pea gravel and rounded river rock of various sizes for a lovely authentic aquascape.

 

[Colin_T]

Duckweed (as mentioned) and water sprite for the surface. Have some more duckweed in some tubs outdoors and use that to top up the tank. The goldfish can gorge themselves on it and leave the other plants alone.
Duckweed grown under coverglass will have softer leaves and be preferred by the goldfish.

Vallis, Hygrophilla polysperma & Ludwigia will do well in cold or warm water and have reasonably tough leaves.

You can grow plants in pots and leave the bottom bare. We used 1 litre plastic icecream containers. Put 1 inch of gravel in the bottom. Then put a thin layer of granulated garden fertiliser in and cover that with 5mm of red clay that has been dried and crushed into a powder. Then cover that with more gravel. Plant the plants into the top layer of gravel and when their roots hit the clay and fertiliser they take off. The clay stops the fertiliser leaching into the water.

Do you have a light on the tank? Plants need up to 16 hours light per day but start off with 10-12 hours and see how they do.

 

[Bex5381]

Thanks both for taking the time to reply, really appreciate the help!

Tank doesn't have a light presently, replacing it is on my fish shopping list haha. Will do before I introduce any plants though.

This is probably a bit of a dopey question but....how do I go about attaching plants to rocks/wood??

 

[Byron]

Thanks both for taking the time to reply, really appreciate the help!

Tank doesn't have a light presently, replacing it is on my fish shopping list haha. Will do before I introduce any plants though.

This is probably a bit of a dopey question but....how do I go about attaching plants to rocks/wood??

Some chunks of wood, and sometimes a rock, will have a crevice and you can carefully poke the rhizome in; don't force it, as it will break. I use lots of Malaysian Driftwood in my tanks, and have always found crevices and tunnels to work with these plants. Similarly, you can put two chunks of rock together with the rhizome between.

Aside from that, you can use black cotton thread or fishing line to wrap the rhizome to the wood or rock.

 

[NickAu]

Plants need up to 16 hours light per day

Where in the world do aquatic plants get 16 hours of light a day?

 

[Colin_T]

Where in the world do aquatic plants get 16 hours of light a day?

in the tropics.
sunrise at 5am and sets at 8pm.

-------------------------
LOL Nick
"Three out of four voices in my head want to sleep. The fourth voice wants to know if penguins have knees.."

 

[Byron]

in the tropics.
sunrise at 5am and sets at 8pm.

-------------------------
LOL Nick

This is not the case. The tropical areas along the equator have equal periods of sun and dark throughout the year, and it is evenly split. Factoring in the dawn and dusk periods between, you would have certainly no more than 9 or 10 hours of actual sun.

As for the light for plants in the aquarium, George Farmer once wrote that six hours is about the least you want. With natural or low-tech method planted tanks you can adjust the duration, assuming the intensity is sufficient (and no more) for the plant species and number, using algae as a guide. I have done this and my tank lights are on for 8 hours daily, one tank is only 7 hours (tank is shallower so light is more intense and I had to adjust for this). As soon as I go beyond these numbers, brush algae increases. I found that the longer and more intense daylight in the summer months also caused algae increases, until I covered the windows with blinds and thick drapes. I have a dedicated fish room so this is easily workable, but it shows how easily the balance can be thrown out.

 

[Colin_T]

I'm not sure where your equator is but I live 32 degrees south of the one around the earth and in summer down here we have 8 hours of darkness and 16 hours of light. Now if you want to remove 30minutes from sunrise and sunset that still leaves 15hours of light that is bright enough to cause plants to photosynthesise. If I move north to Broome and Indonesia, and I get closer to the equator, I get the same photo period as I do in summer down here in Perth, Western Australia.
They certainly don't get 12 hours of darkness at night around the equator. You can read a book at 7pm and 5am and that means there is sufficient light for plants to do their bit.

---------------------
the lol nick was for his signature not his question.

 

[Byron]

I'm not sure where your equator is but I live 32 degrees south of the one around the earth and in summer down here we have 8 hours of darkness and 16 hours of light. Now if you want to remove 30minutes from sunrise and sunset that still leaves 15hours of light that is bright enough to cause plants to photosynthesise. If I move north to Broome and Indonesia, and I get closer to the equator, I get the same photo period as I do in summer down here in Perth, Western Australia.
They certainly don't get 12 hours of darkness at night around the equator. You can read a book at 7pm and 5am and that means there is sufficient light for plants to do their bit.

I was referring to the Amazon over the equator. Day/night is equal there from what I have learned from biologists.

 

[Colin_T]

I think the 12 hours they are referring to is 12 hours of intense bright light. There is 2 hours on either side of that (sunrise & sunset) where the UV levels and intensity are not as extreme but plants can still photosynthesise.

 

[Byron]

I think the 12 hours they are referring to is 12 hours of intense bright light. There is 2 hours on either side of that (sunrise & sunset) where the UV levels and intensity are not as extreme but plants can still photosynthesise.

I thought I said that daylight and darkness were basically equal, with dawn/dusk between, throughout the year. Guess it was not understood.

 

[Demeter32]

Just to settle the dispute, I quick google search will tell you that there are almost exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 of darkness at the earth's equator. What one considers to be daylight or darkness is up the the individual.

But yes, around 8 hours is usually fine for the planted tank.

 

[Tyler_Fishman]

If your doing cold water you could try some native varaties, eleocharis acaicularis can grow in almost any tank as long as it gets high to moderate light, it’s a carpeting plant too although when I grow it I take squares from the margins of lakes and throw it it my tank, as it will take signififigantly longer for it to carpet, but buying tissue cultures should work just as well. certaophyllum, lillies and lotuses are a nice touch as well but will dominate a setup. Jungle val is a good background plant along with even some species of Hydrocotyle and Bacopa for the foreground.