Everything should be here in a week (web/mail order) for my semi low
tech goldfish aquarium (no CO2, use of natural light, lots of plants)
finally!
I'm not sure this is a good idea. I'm all for low-tech tanks, but a planted
tank with goldfish will be difficult. Goldfish are incorrigible plant-eaters.
I fear they will kill all your plants, since in a low-tech tank, the plants
can't grow fast enough to outpace the damage.
In addition, I hope your tank is large. Goldfish are tiny when you get them,
but grow very large, very fast. You need 20-30 gallons for each fish, and
since they are happiest in groups, the minimum size tank for goldfish would be
a 55 gallon (for two fish). And bigger is better. They produce a lot of
waste, being bulky fish for their size, and are constantly stirring up the
substrate, so lots of filtration is also recommended.
It does make
perfect common sense that you should use plants, natural sunlight, and
a soil/pebble rock substrate to produce a balanced ecosystem in your
aquarium. I am still open to being talked into it though, so e-mail or
post if you have had good experiences!
Probably not a good idea with goldfish. At any rate, make sure you use fine
gravel or sand in a goldfish tank. Goldfish suck in mouthfuls of substrate and
spit it back out as part of their natural feeding behavior. If you use pebbles
that are too big, they can become stuck in the fish's mouth.
I have read many different places that charcoal is not recommended or
very effective in chemical filtration for filters, so now what? Has
anyone had any experience with SeaChem Matrix Bio Media? I was
thinking of maybe sticking this in my filter (2-3 marineland emperor
400s in a 125) stuck in a pantyhose sac or filter bag then putting
some sort of filter padding before and after. The only question I have
about this is how big are the compartments of the marineland emperor
400 filter (same as 280 but what size)? Will the Matrix Bio Media
leave nutrients for the plants? Is my idea feasible?
Use any of the vast array of bio media on the market. You might consider the
Cell-Pore brand. They make filter inserts out of a special biomedia to fit a
variety of popular filters. There are also other companies that do this, so
look around. Since you're not injecting CO2, a bio-wheel or three would be a
very good thing.
Should I leave plants out till later before
fish?
I would do a fishless cycle on the aquarium, then add the plants and fish at
the same time. If you add the plants before you cycle the tank, they may
become algae-covered, because of all the ammonia you'll be adding to the tank.
I thought that for substrate I would use 1-2 inches of 3/4
Fluorite Laterite from Seachem mixed with 1/4 walnut gravel then top
that off with larger river pebbles to stop the goldfish from
swallowing/stiring up the substrate.
Don't do that. Leave out the large river pebbles. Let the goldfish swallow
the substrate; it's their natural behavior. Unless you plan to use very large
rocks indeed (which won't be good for the plants), the goldfish will eventually
grow large enough to get the pebbles in their mouths, and get them stuck in
there. With goldfish, you should use a fine substrate, so nothing can get
stuck in their mouths, and not a coarse one, hoping it's too big for them to
swallow. You'd be surprised what a goldfish can get in its mouth.
And Flourite isn't laterite. It's a substrate in its own right. Though it can
be mixed with gravel, it's meant to be used on its own.
As I said above, I don't think a planted goldfish tank is a very good idea.
But if you must try this, have you considered Seachem Onyx Sand? No laterite
required. It's actually a very fine gravel, not a sand. And it's a dark grey
color that, IME, would show off the colors of goldfish better than Flourite
would. If it's too expensive to use straight, it can be cut with up to 50%
dark sand, such as Tahitian Moon.
Phyl (sp?) I am very sorry about your misfortune.
What happened to Phyl? I thought she just decided to retire.
Leigh
http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/