# Anything a goldfish won't eat??



## iamkellogg (Feb 1, 2007)

I have a tank that was a saltwater tank a few years ago but my twin boys dumped Koolaid in it and killed all the fish and coral. I took the tank down for a couple years and now have it running as a freshwater tank. In the past I had a small shrimp tank with mosses and duckweed and they took over. I do not want to make that mistake again. The problem is I have some goldfish in this tank and they eat any plant I put in there. The tank has a filter/heater/air pump....all the stuff for other fish but I know goldfish like slightly cooler water. I am not in love with the goldfish but I do not have the heart to do anything with them. I honestly thought they would kick the bucket after a day or two. My kids won them at a festival. 

Sorry for the long story...

So my question is...Is there a plant a goldfish will not destroy other than plastic plants???

Kelly


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Anubias should be alright. Other then that the list is not very long.

The goldfish they give as prizes at festivals are sold as common feeder fish at local pet shops. They usually don't survive long due to the conditions they are housed in when at the pet shop. You could always get a second small tank and house them in there, reclaiming your main tank for plants.


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## iamkellogg (Feb 1, 2007)

Thank you for the suggestion. Will they uproot them?


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Probably not. Anubias are used in African Cichlid tanks frequently and those fish love digging. Just be sure to tie them onto some object. Java fern will also go unmolested.


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## Acro (Jul 20, 2012)

I know this thread is several months old, but I wanted to add a few plants for the OP and any future readers.

Plants that work with Goldfish:
The various species of Anubias (attach them to an object)
Java Fern (also grown attached)
Java Moss (grown attached)
Onion plant (rooted)
Crypts (rooted)
Aponogeton (rooted)
Large Sword Plants (rooted)
Tiger lotis (rooted)
Vals (rooted)

There are a few others, but those are good to start with. If possible, give the rooted plants some time to grow before placing goldfish with them. If that is not possible, place stones around the base of the plant to keep it from being uprooted. Use rubber bands, cotton thread, or fishing line to attach Java fern/moss and anubias. Rocks and wood are good things to root them onto. Some goldfish prefer one plant over another so you must experiment with what plants work with your fish. Also for the best luck, you must go "all out" with the plants and plant the tank heavily. That way, the abuse is spread out, giving the plants time to regrow. If you stick in one or two small plants, the goldfish have something to focus on.

Good Luck and feel free to ask any questions about goldfish and plants!


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## Bruce_S (Jun 11, 2012)

It _can_ be done!

Here's a tank full of goldfish and plants:










Plants include crypts; wendti and pontiderifolium, swords; blehri and ozelot, banana plants, and the onions, apogenotons & water lilies from those aquarium bulb packs they sell at PetSmart & PetCo.

Fish include ryukins, orandas, telescopes & a pearlscale, as well as a few white clouds, dojo loaches and a single sailfin/giraffe type pleco.

I'll probably never try to keep plastic plants and goldfish together again - the plastic plants tore up the scales & tails of the goldfish something awful, and their colors just weren't doing it for me. Dull. Boring.

So far (about 8 months) so good - the fish have pretty much left the plants alone.

~Bruce


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

I will also suggest feeding the Golds all the salad they will eat. Give them 'plants' they can legitimately tear into. 

Try all sorts of leaf vegetables, lightly blanch the firmer ones. Nori, too. 
Try all the tender salad things like cucumber (raw) and zucchini (blanched)
Try the firmer things like yams and pumpkin, baked until tender. If you boil these take them out slightly under done or they will fall apart in the tank.


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