putting plants in my aquarium - are my ideas ok?

[Firethorn]

I was going to landscape my GF aquarium with lots of plants. I Since
most grow well in mud I thought I would bundle up a small ball of mud
with a plant fertilizer tab in the middle, plant the plant in it and
wrap the ball in some fine mesh thing. It worked great once but I'm
not sure how this would effect my GF on a large scale. I'm sure they
would be ok with the mud - but what about the fertilizer tab?

Glenn

[Charles]

On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:39:10 -0800, Firethorn >
wrote:

>I was going to landscape my GF aquarium with lots of plants. I Since
>most grow well in mud I thought I would bundle up a small ball of mud
>with a plant fertilizer tab in the middle, plant the plant in it and
>wrap the ball in some fine mesh thing. It worked great once but I'm
>not sure how this would effect my GF on a large scale. I'm sure they
>would be ok with the mud - but what about the fertilizer tab?
>
>Glenn


should be okay, the only potential problem I see is that goldfish root
around and may dig up the plants, stiring up the mud.

They also like to eat some plants, right now I am having good luck
with a tank with two goldfish and using anubias, java fern, and a
swordplant.

[Bill Stock]

"Charles" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:39:10 -0800, Firethorn >
> wrote:
>
>>I was going to landscape my GF aquarium with lots of plants. I Since
>>most grow well in mud I thought I would bundle up a small ball of mud
>>with a plant fertilizer tab in the middle, plant the plant in it and
>>wrap the ball in some fine mesh thing. It worked great once but I'm
>>not sure how this would effect my GF on a large scale. I'm sure they
>>would be ok with the mud - but what about the fertilizer tab?
>>
>>Glenn
>
>
> should be okay, the only potential problem I see is that goldfish root
> around and may dig up the plants, stiring up the mud.
>
> They also like to eat some plants, right now I am having good luck
> with a tank with two goldfish and using anubias, java fern, and a
> swordplant.

Charles,

What are you using for substrate with the Sword? I don't have any gravel in
my GF tank. I was thinking a pond planter with Flourite might do.

I've tried everything with my GF, but they've either destroyed it or eaten
it. Java Fern (pulled it off the driftwood), Annubias (ate it), Java Moss
(tore it up/ate it), Water Hyacinth (destroyed it), Hornwort (decimated it).
But I've got a Sword that's getting too big for my other tank and I thought
it might be big enough/tough enough to survive.

[Charles]

On Tue, 3 Jan 2006 19:59:56 -0500, "Bill Stock" >
wrote:

>
>"Charles" > wrote in message
...
>> On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:39:10 -0800, Firethorn >
>> wrote:
(snip)
>
>Charles,
>
>What are you using for substrate with the Sword? I don't have any gravel in
>my GF tank. I was thinking a pond planter with Flourite might do.
>
>I've tried everything with my GF, but they've either destroyed it or eaten
>it. Java Fern (pulled it off the driftwood), Annubias (ate it), Java Moss
>(tore it up/ate it), Water Hyacinth (destroyed it), Hornwort (decimated it).
>But I've got a Sword that's getting too big for my other tank and I thought
>it might be big enough/tough enough to survive.
>
>
I'm using a coarse aquarium gravel, about 1/4 to 1/2 inches diameter.
about 3 to 4 inched deep. These two GF aren't hard on plants at all,
strange how different fish can be. The only plants mine really
bothered was the Vals, they dug them up before they got rooted, so
they float around the tank. I'd be concerned with flourite and GF, it
makes such a mess when stirred up. If it were coverec with a good
layer of gravel it might be okay. I use flourite in some other tanks,
but not with digging fish. If yours ate anubias, I'd worry about
anything I put in there. Plastic, maybe.

At the nursery we have goldfish and koi uin with plants, never have
any problem. Customers come in and tell us about their koi destroying
everything in the pond. I don't know why the difference, I might get
rich if I did.

[Bill Stock]

"Charles" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 3 Jan 2006 19:59:56 -0500, "Bill Stock" >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Charles" > wrote in message
...
>>> On Tue, 03 Jan 2006 14:39:10 -0800, Firethorn >
>>> wrote:
> (snip)
>>
>>Charles,
>>
>>What are you using for substrate with the Sword? I don't have any gravel
>>in
>>my GF tank. I was thinking a pond planter with Flourite might do.
>>
>>I've tried everything with my GF, but they've either destroyed it or eaten
>>it. Java Fern (pulled it off the driftwood), Annubias (ate it), Java Moss
>>(tore it up/ate it), Water Hyacinth (destroyed it), Hornwort (decimated
>>it).
>>But I've got a Sword that's getting too big for my other tank and I
>>thought
>>it might be big enough/tough enough to survive.
>>
>>
> I'm using a coarse aquarium gravel, about 1/4 to 1/2 inches diameter.
> about 3 to 4 inched deep. These two GF aren't hard on plants at all,
> strange how different fish can be. The only plants mine really
> bothered was the Vals, they dug them up before they got rooted, so
> they float around the tank. I'd be concerned with flourite and GF, it
> makes such a mess when stirred up. If it were coverec with a good
> layer of gravel it might be okay. I use flourite in some other tanks,
> but not with digging fish.

I've already been there. It must have taken me a month to get all the
Fluorite off the bottom. I'd have to cover it with some of the creek stones.
Although they like to move those around too. It's funny, they tell you not
to tap the glass (not that I do), but the noise they make pushing the rocks
around is huge. :)

>If yours ate anubias, I'd worry about
> anything I put in there. Plastic, maybe.
>
> At the nursery we have goldfish and koi uin with plants, never have
> any problem. Customers come in and tell us about their koi destroying
> everything in the pond. I don't know why the difference, I might get
> rich if I did.

[Koi-lo]

"Firethorn" > wrote in message
...
>I was going to landscape my GF aquarium with lots of plants. I Since
> most grow well in mud I thought I would bundle up a small ball of mud
> with a plant fertilizer tab in the middle, plant the plant in it and
> wrap the ball in some fine mesh thing. It worked great once but I'm
> not sure how this would effect my GF on a large scale. I'm sure they
> would be ok with the mud - but what about the fertilizer tab?
==================================
The tab should be OK. I use Rose Bush spikes in my pond plant's pots
without a problem. Sometimes I use woods soil in the pots for my aquarium
plants and cover the soil with gravel. My goldfish eat every bit of
duckweed but don't bother my water wisteria, vals, hornwart, anubia, water
lettuce, rotala and elodia.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Koi-lo]

"Charles" > wrote in message
...
> At the nursery we have goldfish and koi uin with plants, never have
> any problem. Customers come in and tell us about their koi destroying
> everything in the pond. I don't know why the difference, I might get
> rich if I did.
============================
I'm wondering if there's a dietary reason (or boredom perhaps?) for the
goldfish and koi that destroy plants?!?!?! Since I feed my fish heavily two
to three times a day they may have no interest in eating plants. I do
remember a large fantail GF I had some years ago who seemed to amuse itself
with ripping hornwart and elodia apart. As for the koi, the plant
destruction stopped after I sold off 6 young adults 2 years ago. One or two
of them must have been the culprits. There is little damage done to the
plants in my ponds now.

All koi are outside but I do keep my fancy GF indoors. I may put them
outside in 150g pools for the summer since they do so much better outside.
They grow faster and have much deeper colors when exposed to the sun, insect
food and algae.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Edwin Lau]

You probably should not spend too much time landscaping the GF aquarium
because the goldfish would tend to eat anything including plants.

The last time I had goldfishes, I did saturate the tank with plants as
they provide a great food source when I was away for holiday. After a
week, I found that the plants are generally leafless.

Edwin

Firethorn wrote:
> I was going to landscape my GF aquarium with lots of plants. I Since
> most grow well in mud I thought I would bundle up a small ball of mud
> with a plant fertilizer tab in the middle, plant the plant in it and
> wrap the ball in some fine mesh thing. It worked great once but I'm
> not sure how this would effect my GF on a large scale. I'm sure they
> would be ok with the mud - but what about the fertilizer tab?
>
> Glenn