Anacharis in aquariums, and as food for goldfish 2/29/08
Hi!
Just wanted to let you know that Anacharis is no longer being sold in Michigan.
It's illegal because of the invasive nature of the plant.
I found that out when looking for a good plant to help a year-old goldfish which
has developed a swim bladder problem. He was in a pond from spring - fall and
did well, but has had problems in the aquarium since then. (I do feed 'sinking'
pellets as well as flakes.)
So far, Sunkist is the only one who has had tummy troubles, and I'm hoping to
keep it that way!
So glad I found this website, it has loads of good information!
Thanks,
Karen
<If you can't get hold of Anacharis, then other similar species will do well --
Elodea, Egeria, Cabomba, etc. Plants *are* important for Goldfish, and
neglecting this aspect of their diet will end with problems! Other green foods
include tinned peas, blanched lettuce (especially curly lettuce), Sushi Nori,
etc. Daphnia also work well, and you can buy these frozen as well as live.
Pellets and flakes, by themselves, just aren't good enough in the long term.
Cheers, Neale.>
Upgrading My Freshwater Goldfish Tank to Real Plants
1/19/06
Hello!
I have a question about freshwater plants. A few months back I was having major
problems as a first-time fish owner. (I didn't exactly plan on getting
fish, I won them at a festival) Anyways, a lot of my goldfish were getting
diseased and dying.
<Very, too common>
In the end I lost 6 fish, and I only have 3 left (Which at the moment are
healthy and spunky) Before my mom and I couldn't keep the
dangerous chemicals and bacteria (like ammonia, and the dangerous algae) at a
low level. We never really had a problem with the PH levels. After putting
the last surviving fish into a small emergency bowl (3 gallons) for about 2
months, we finally did research and seasoned the tank like we should have
done. (Again, I never planned on getting fish, just kind of happened).
<This is how I "got started">
Well anyways, now the ecosystem is chemically balanced and my fish are happy.
(been this way for about a month and a half) And we were thinking
about replacing all the plastic plants with real ones. I was wondering if this
is a good idea at this point. Should I wait longer?
<No need to wait further>
If not, what kind of plants should I introduce to the ecosystem? (I was thinking
of bringing in one plant at a time, not all at once, is that a good idea?)
Thanks for your help!
Sarah
<Some of the best are "grass" types, that are generally just used floating
rather than planted/rooted. Elodea/Egeria, Hornwort... Other tough plants that
may not be outright consumed (goldfish are largely herbivorous), are
Sagittarias, Ceratopteris... Other cool-coldwater plants are detailed on WWM.
Bob Fenner>
Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets.... 10/10/2005
Hi
<Hello.>
I wrote a while ago about my large (body is 3.5") fantail, Lola, who was just
staring off into space all the time.
<Sabrina with you, today - please for future reference include previous
correspondences when possible, as there are a number of us answering questions,
and plenty of questions being answered; without the name of the crewmember or
the previous correspondence, we have no idea where to route replies or continued
correspondences.>
Everything checked out OK with water quality and Lola's health. I started
feeding peas and she gradually became more active -- and obsessed with eating.
<Sounds like a goldfish!>
You guys suggested I get her a dither fish. Today I put a medium (body 2")
fantail goldfish in with Lola. Lola immediately started chasing the new fish. So
I fed them both peas --at the same time. Lola chased the new fish aggressively
until it barfed up the food it had just eaten.
<Mm, it probably didn't actually regurgitate, just spat it out.>
Lola immediately ate the barf.
<My guess is the new fish did not know quite what to do with the peas yet, and
Lola just relished this uncertainty. Give it some time.>
Now Lola is only mildly annoyed with the new fish. The aggressive chasing has
stopped; more like a moderate teasing now. The new fish is not happy.
<Give it some time.>
The dorsal fin is not clamped however. Is this aggression about not feeding them
enough?
<Possibly, but could just be even friendly. Or stranger yet, the newcomer may be
female, and Lola may be a mature male. Again, give it some time.>
I give the larger Lola 3 peas a day. Is it about territory?
<Unlikely.... goldfish don't tend to be territorial.>
They are in a 20 gallon tank with filter. Is the tank too small?
<Will be in the long run.>
Is this just "getting to know you" behavior?
<Likely.>
Is Lola afraid she will not get enough food with a new friend in the tank?
<Perhaps.>
Would a munchie plant help the situation? If so what kind?
<An excellent idea. I would recommend Egeria/elodea/Anacharis.... A few species
of plants fall under these names; all grow similarly and goldfish love to eat
'em.>
Should I separate them permanently if it continues?
<Again, give it some time.>
Should I also feed them frozen brine shrimp?
<If you like.>
Besides green veggies and rice, what else would round out their diet well? I
read so much about their digestive problems and have eliminated the dry food
(even soaked dry food).
<Sounds like you're doing great so far. Some frozen brine would be okay to add
to this, or frozen bloodworms once in a while.>
Do they need protein from other than plant sources? Can they eat Abelmoschus
manihot leaves? (It's a human food crop in the tropics and loaded with protein.)
<I have absolutely no idea whatsoever. I thank you for mentioning this plant,
though; I just had an opportunity to learn about Abelmoschus - apparently okra
is in this genus! How neat! But, again, I have no idea whatsoever if A. manihot
leaves can be eaten by fish.>
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Tell me what to do and I will do it!
<Lola is indeed a lucky fish to have you as a pal.>
Lola is a family pet and I hate to see her being so mean to her new friend--such
as it is.
<Give it some time; hopefully this will sort itself out in a week or two.>
As usual I thank you for your valuable advice and for your incredible web site!
<And thank you very much for these kind words, Steve! I do hope all goes well
with this.>
Steve Erickson
<Wishing you, Lola, and the newcomer well, -Sabrina>
Whatever Lola
Wants, Lola Gets.... - II - 10/12/05
Hi, Sabrina
<Hello, again.>
Thanks again for your advice. As you said, the situation is quieting
down.
<Ah, good.>
In fact, Lola is back to staring off into space, motionless. The new
fish, Golda, doesn't understand Lola's behavior and tries to rouse Lola
into swimming around. I expect she'll be back to her old self soon.
<Yes, they will sort things out with time.>
It's amazing that she has these emotional phases. But that's why we all
care for her so much!
<And a good reason, too.>
Regarding A. manihot: I can send you some seeds to grow the plant. It's
very easy to grow in any climate.
<If this can be done legally, I'd absolutely love to do so. Where are
you from?>
Right now most of the garden is fading but the 7 foot Abelmoschus is
still blooming.
<Wow!>
Perhaps you guys could experiment with feeding the leaves and
flowers--which taste like lettuce-- to goldfish. With its high protein
content, I suspect that it would be an excellent food source for them.
<Certainly a worthwhile idea!!>
Thanks again.
<And thank you, as well.>
Steve
<All the best, -Sabrina>
