The Best Goldfish Plants for Your Aquarium

Why Choose Live Plants over Fake Ones for Your Goldfish?

There’s no doubt about it:

There’s just nothing quite like the natural beauty of a planted goldfish tank.

*Embarrassing story alert*

Okay, so I always new I wanted live plants in my tank (which used to be a Tupperware bin) when I was young. So I actually snuck down to our neighbor’s pond, harvested a cattail and put it in a pot of sand with my goldfish.

Needless to say it didn’t last long, so don’t try that at home!

Now don’t get me wrong:

Plastic plants have their perks.

They are usually inexpensive… and very difficult to kill 

But I’m not fond of them.

The plastic ones can pose the dangers of pokey edges to clumsy goldfish.  And the silk ones always seem to fall apart or fade after a bit.

Not to mention they never seem to have a “real” look, and they don’t offer anything to the aquarium environment biologically speaking.

Live plants, on the other hand… why wouldn’t you want them?

They absorb nitrates to use as fertilizer. In a closed aquarium, this is very beneficial for your water quality.

Get this:

They also help produce oxygen (O2) while absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2).

This is more important the smaller your fish’s home is.

And of course…

They are gorgeous!!

Now we come to the question:

Which Plants will Goldfish Avoid?

I’ve tried a lot of different ones in my search for the perfect goldfish plant.  And I’m happy to say I’ve found the answer.

It needs to be tough.

See, it isn’t easy finding live plants that stand a chance with the “monster munchers” in your tank.

Just when you think you’ve found the prettiest one…

*CHOMP!*

Bye-bye tender leaves.

And bye-bye hard earned cash. :'(

Goldfish need vegetable matter as part of their diet, but I think you’d rather give them a piece of lettuce as a more economical snack!

And unless you have a much larger ratio of plants and water to fish, nothing edible stands a chance – not even the faster growing ones.

I learned the hard way that, while duckweed might look nice initially, they’ll only end up passing through your goldfish’s tummy 

So whatever plant you choose, you will want to make sure your goldfish won’t eat it.

Something else to consider is whether or not the plant requires some kind of liquid fertilizer being dosed into the water.

The good news is goldfish are such heavy waste producers that many plants will not require supplementation in that respect.

Is there a Way to Prevent Goldfish from Destroying Your Aquarium Plants?

While most goldfish will not eat the ones recommended in this article, there is an element of subjectivity with each individual fish keeper’s experience.

Some fish are just more destructive than others and will shred anything edible, no matter what (though fortunately these kind of goldfish are few and far between!).

Fancy goldfish seem to be less prone to destroying them than athletic breeds like Commons or Comets.

The truth is…

In my experience, most goldfish destroy plants because they don’t have anything else better to do.

They’re bored.

But don’t lose hope:

One way to deter goldfish from chowing down on your beauties is to DISTRACT THEM.

Give them softer foraging materials like wilted spinach, cucumber, cilantro or other leafy veggies and they will be much more likely to ignore your other plants.

These are way more appetizing and satisfy their desires to tear into something!

Where and When Should You Buy Aquarium Plants?

Buying your goldfish’s plants online (which is what I do) has some nice advantages – you can get access to far more selection than what’s at your local pet store.

That said:

Some plants don’t ship as well as others.

More sensitive species such as Vallisneria can show up to your door brown and wilted if shipped in excessive cold or hot temperatures.

(Speaking from experience here.) :/

Checking the weather to make sure it won’t be under 30 or over 100 degrees F for a few days after you plan to order is a good idea.

Quarantining Your New Plants

Check with the seller and see what they do to ensure your plants don’t come with unwanted “hitchhikers.”

Snails are usually the biggest issue, but in rarer cases pathogens could be transmitted (depending on where your plant is from and how it was housed).

For a seller that does no quarantine or grows their plants in a tank with other fish, you will need to make sure your plants are disease and pest free yourself.

You can do this by keeping the plant isolated for a minimum of 28 days.

Some people have success doing a hydrogen peroxide and water dip (though this may be hard on certain species).

Either way, healthy plants will help make for a healthy aquarium.

How to Attach Your Goldfish Plants

Because some varieties (such as Anubias or Java Fern) do not require a substrate, you will need to attach it to something in the tank to secure it.

Some people use nylon string.

I did that for a LONG TIME, and let me tell you – it was a total pain.

No matter how strong you tie it, it always gets loose due to disturbance during water changes.

Loose thread is hazardous to goldfish, who can get caught on it by their gills or fin rays (this actually happened to my goldfish on several occasions).

Some recommend superglue, but the problem is that it usually has other things in it that can potentially leach into the water.

But then I found plant glue. <3

Let me tell you, this stuff has been a life-saver.

You can attach your Anubias or Java Fern or Java Moss or whatever to wood or rocks in seconds, and it is goldfish safe too (unlike Superglue).

I use this kind by the makers of Seachem Prime.

Now just watch them grow 

What About You?

Do you keep live plants in your goldfish tank, or are you still nervous about trying them out?

What has your experience been with a planted goldfish tank?

Let me know your experiences in the comments section below.