People keep goldfish as pets for more than one millennium. But even for such an extended period, they have not entirely lost their popularity. All modern goldfish are breeding forms not found in nature. Some of the breeds are closer to their natural (silver crucian carp) and, therefore, more resilient, others have been so modified that they require more careful care.

If you decide to have a fish pet, a goldfish is a great choice. It is not very picky about maintenance, though several points should be taken into account, such as when choosing an aquarium and selecting plants for it. In this article we will show most suitable and best plants for goldfish tank and a few care tips on how to keep them.

best plants for goldfish tank
Ahmed Hasan at Unsplash.com (symbolic photo, please note we don’t support keeping any fish in a bowl)

Top 10 Plants For Goldfish

Most often, in aquariums with goldfish, you can find artificial plants. And the choice falls on them for a reason. The amount of the plant food that goldfish eat is quite large. They even do not mind biting the delicate leaves of most of the aquatic plants. Therefore, when buying plants for an aquarium, you should think about the best plants for goldfish. The problem of compatibility of goldfish with plants is also associated with their habit of continually tedding the soil, so when planting plants, their roots must be isolated.

1. Amazon Sword

Let’s start with the most common option of aquarium plants for goldfish – the Amazon sword plant. Though the goldfish likes the taste of it and usually eats it, new leaves are big (up to 15 inches in height) and appear quite quickly. You should prefer this plant also because its roots grow as fast as leaves and are well fixed, so it is unlikely to be torn out of the substrate.

It also looks good and is not difficult to find in stores. The requirements of this plant coincide with the temperature and other conditions for the goldfish, so they are a perfect match.

2. Java Moss

Java Moss does not grow as fast as the previous one, but rather at its leisurely pace. This can be accelerated with the help of more light. Goldfish do not eat this moss. It also holds fast enough on the stones, so it is unlikely that the fish will be able to move it, disrupting the ideal zen order in your aquarium. Its main advantage is that it is easy to care for, it is unpretentious in lighting and water temperature.

3. Java Fern

Java Fern is also an ideal choice for goldfish. The main advantage is that the leaves are quite hard, and the goldfish will not be able to eat them. They do not need to be buried in the ground, but simply placed on large pebbles. Java Fern can survive in a variety of lighting conditions, water temperature, and pH levels, all of which meet the aquarium requirements for goldfish.

4. Duckweed

Another plant that will look beautiful in your aquarium, but differs from all previous ones, is duckweed. Experienced fish owners do not like it because of its rapid growth. Duckweed can grow over the entire aquarium in just a couple of weeks. It looks charming – small floating leaves will be the best decoration for your aquarium. It is easy to care for, and it grows on the surface of the water, so you do not have to put much effort into placing it.

Its main drawback is that duckweed grows too fast and can block light. But for goldfish, this is an excellent option for an aquarium plant, because it likes to eat soft duckweed leaves and interferes with its growth.

5. Vallisneria Spiralis

Advertisements

You may easily mix up your lawn grass and vallisneria spiralis, though leaves of the second, aquarium kind, are bigger and much thicker. This plant can reach up to 30-40 inches in height. Owners who do not want to bother very much and pay attention to caring for the aquarium too often may consider this a drawback – as you will have to cut it to make it look neat from time to time. Vallisneria Spiralis should be rooted in gravel right, so after a couple of weeks, it will develop a root system strong enough to resist being eaten by hungry goldfish.

6. Water Sprite

Another delicacy for your goldfish is water sprite. Under the right conditions, it grows too fast to worry that your fish will eat it. Even a novice owner of the aquarium will learn to look after it. It can be either buried in a substrate or let swimming.

Regarding compatibility with your little pet, the water sprite has the same pH, temperature as needed for the goldfish, so there will be no difficulties!

7. Wisteria

Wisteria miraculously takes root in any aquarium – it can be planted in gravel, its roots quickly form a robust root system, so your goldfish will not displace them easily for a long time. This beautiful plant can reach 25 inches in height; it depends on the correct and comfortable conditions. When it comes to water conditions and requirements for aquariums, wisteria and goldfish coexist perfectly together, fish love to hide in the leaves of this plant from prying eyes.

8. Water lettuce

This plant is probably the largest from this top-10. Water lettuce grows quite fast, so keep in mind that it can take up a lot of space of the aquarium surface. This floating plant can reach 5 inches in diameter. It might keep the light from passing and also take a large amount of oxygen from the water though it is a good one for goldfish because it will not reach it to eat. Water lettuce is not difficult to care for, so many people keep buying it.

Suitable Plants For Goldfish Aquarium
Ahmed Zayan at Unsplesh.com (Never Keep Any FIsh in a Bowl)

9. Hornwort

Hornwort has needle-like form; its leaves are small and thick; the goldfish is unlikely to get interested in this plant. This grass has a slow growth rate and big height. This plant is among those that should be trimmed regularly to prevent it from growing too high. Its roots feel good great in the gravel substrate, and the root system grows fast. The requirements of the tank with goldfish conditions are pretty much the same as hornworts’.

10. Anacharis

Last but not least – this plant can easily grow with your goldfish. They actually love eating anacharis more than anything else. It has a rapid growth rate, but not fast enough compared to the goldfish appetite. But if you buy a big stem, it will help to offset the rate at which your hungry goldfish eats it.

How to prevent the goldfish from eating plants?

Try increasing the proportion of food for fish. It is noticed that after this goldfish is less interested in plants. Try feeding it with spinach, dandelion leaves, young nettles. They love slightly welded green peas. Buy fish food with spirulina and vegetables. For your goldfish, this will be a useful treat. It will distract it from those plants that you wish to grow in your aquarium.

So, the goldfish likes to rummage through the ground, so it is better to use coarse sand or pebbles as soil, which is not quickly scattered by fish. The aquarium itself should be spacious and species, with large-leaved plants. Therefore, it is better to plant plants with thick leaves and a good root system in an aquarium with goldfish. Goldfish are true centenarians. Under suitable conditions, they rarely live for less than three years. The average life expectancy of goldfish is 10-15 years.

Similar Posts