What plants are compatible with goldfish and koi?

Trofishlore

Was wondering, if anyone new if there are any plants that are compatible with Goldfish and Koi that's all. Also, this question has been stuck in my mind. Can Carbon dioxide naturally occur in your tank without the presence of plants or Carbon dioxide bottles?

Thanks everyone!

Byron

On the plants with Goldfish question, yes there are. They need to be pretty tough plants though, since Goldfish naturally eat plants. Java Fern is one that should work, I don't think any fish will eat it. If one of our several Goldfish experts see this thread, they are sure to have other suggestions.

On the CO2, yes. CO2 naturally occurs from all fish and plants through respiration. It also occurs from the breakdown of organics (waste) by bacteria, particularly in the substrate but also in the filter and elsewhere. In a balanced aquarium, more CO2 occurs from bacteria than elsewhere.

There is actually quite a lot of natural CO2. If there are live plants, they will assimilate it fairly quickly. You can have quite a lush planted tank without adding CO2 from other sources. This method is known as natural planted tanks. Many of us on this forum follow this method, and the photo attached is just one example of how "lush" a natural planted tank can be. This happens to be my 70g flooded Amazon forest aquarium as it presently appears. There is no added CO2 or other carbon source; all natural.

Byron.

Attached Images

70g Jan 4-12.jpg (54.4 KB, 26 views)

Trofishlore

Wow, awesome Byron! As expected of you. Thanks for the info.

thekoimaiden

Contrary to what most people think, you can have a planted tank with Goldfish. My first choices are Hornwort, Duckweed, Water Sprite, and anarcharis. I have all those in my Goldfish tank. My favorite is the Hornwort; it grows like a weed and really helps keep the nitrates down. Other good choices are Java Fern and Anubias (my Goldfish did nibble on this one). These are just the plants that I have used with my Goldfish. Other more adventurous people have used different plants like Java Moss, crypts, swords, and vallisneria. I have no experience with them. I no longer have the Java Fern and Anubias because they like to be attached to driftwood and driftwood softens the water. Goldfish like harder water with a pH about 7.0.

The key to preventing Goldfish from eating plants is to provide plenty of greens in their diets. They might still uproot them, but you can plant the plants in small terracotta pots to stop the uprooting.

For Koi, I don't actually keep any plants in the pond with them. But I have iris, moss, pitcher plant, and some others in the pond. I can't remember them right now because most of them are in hibernation. Duckweed can also be used in a pond, but you'll probably be skimming it off the surface almost daily. Lily pads are also nice, but only if you have enough sun on the pond. For some other plant choices you might want to contact a local nursery.