I am just wondering how to grow water plants? It's quite expensive to buy plants from the Pet shop and my gold fish just wanna eat them as salad...

i am thinking whether it's possible to grow your own? just like vegetable....

I gather oxygen weeds from the local river. Free so it doesn't matter if the goldfish eat them.

but is it possible to grow your own?

sure is. chuck some out doors and then youll struggle to give it away :lol:

do you have the right lighting?

and it is entirely possible to have a very well planted goldfish tank. i have done it in the past before - you just need the right plants.

perhaps you could request this thread be moved to the aquatic plants section so plant braniacs like alanmin can see and reply. his advise is spot on.

I get oxygen weed from the local river to feed to my turtles and suggest you do the same. You can grow it in a pond but it usually gets covered in algae. When I used to supply the shops years ago it came from an area which was very cold water (spring fed) and about 5 foot deep so it was free of algae. Taking it from the river is a lot easier.

The last lot I got for the breeding ponds I then planted in the goldfish pond. It is still in there growing. You do better with it in flowing water though.

thanks guys and sorry putting this post in the wrong forum

I will try to set up a planted tank

I found that taking weed from the river next to Western Springs and putting it into a small tank with a couple of guppys, the weed grows well enough that I am able to harvest enough to keep my comets in salad and not have to go fishing in the river every month for more weed. The only problem I have found is that the weed is alive with snails, but comets eat anything.

I've read suggestions that oxygen weed id good for spawning. I've planted some small pieces in my 5,500 litre, filtered pond but they have failed to grow, although they seem to still be alive. Does it need to be anchored or planted? I can get some more from local water-ways - perhaps I need some bigger pieces to start with? I thought it would grow very easily, and it doesn't seem to have.

Having had a number of attractive and expensive plants demolished by the fish, I'm looking for more hardy (and less expensive) alternatives!

Is the ideal ph level for most cold water plants around 7 ? Does ph impact significantly on plant growth?

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

I found that anchoring it makes it rot, it doesn't like being clumped together.In time it will anchor itself but it tends to be weak.The weed itself is strong and the goldfish don't really maul it too much.