Natural Light 30 Gal.?

[Magoo]

Hello,
I want to try my hand at a planted aquarium. I had an old 30 gallon sitting around and just set it up directly in front of a window that gets great natural sunlight all day long. I have regular aquarium gravel. I am currently cycling the tank with two small fancy goldfish from my 55 gallon. I was thinking about a good sized piece of driftwood and this package from arizona aquatics.
http://www.azgardens.com/habitats_goldfish.php

The only light is the sunlight.

I was looking for some opinions. Will the natural light be too much or not enough? Do I need to add a better subtrate? Will I need co2? What do you think of the pricing?

This will be my first planted aquarium so please be easy on me. :huh:

Jeff

 

[Roan Art]

I can't answer your question in regards to light, but I do have some corrections and comments to make in regards to that habitat that is on Azgardens.

They have 1 goldfish per 10 gallons, which is wrong. It's 1 fish per 20 gallons at bare minimum, 30 is best.

Thirty gallons for two goldfish is pushing it a bit and you will need to make sure the water is changed religiously. It's going to be double-filtered, right?

Okay, what they said:

"A common mistake in offering plants to a goldfish tank is that people will only add a few plants (underplanting) to the tank and the fish will eat them up quickly! We suggest planting your tank with these quantities for each tank size specified to help control algae, and promote clarity."​

Goldfish are not only herbivores, but they like to dig as well, so consider any plants that you put in the tank as possibly floating or being knocked over by nightfall, regardless of how many you put in there. You'll notice that they have a LOT of rocks in their tank -- usually in front or behind the plants and mostly likely to keep the goldfish from digging them up. Course they don't mention that at all

Let's look at that plant list:
Anacharis
Sagittaria subulata "Tall"
Sagittaria chilensis
Ozelot Swords - Medium
Java Ferns
Cryptocoryne Wendtii Red
Sagittaria subulata "Dwarf"

They will totally consume that anacharis in a day. Gone. Don't care how many plants you have in that tank, they will eat it and while they are eating it it will become unrooted and float around the surface.

There are only two good plant choices I see on that list: the ozelot and the java fern, and the ozelot is iffy.

Here are some plants that herbivores, as a rule, will not eat:

anubias-- all of them
crinum -- there are tons of different types of these (type of "onion" plant. Submerged it makes a nice grassy plant, emerged and it's a lily)
Java fern - all types
Red melon and green melon sword

As a rule: any plant that has THICK stems and THICK dark green leaves is a possible for herbivores. Anything that has light green or red fine leaves is usually lunch.

Above is based on my own experience with herbivores and orandas.

Roan
who has a tank full of floating crinum, java fern, anubias and melons waiting to be planted in a 36g for the goldfish and a 65g for the silver dollars who just ate her ozelot sword! Grrr.

 

[Magoo]

Doesn't have to be goldfish

Don't get too excited. I an only cycling the tank with the goldies. No matter what, they are going back to my bigger tank with my other goldfish. There are only three total and it has two emporer 400 filters on it. They are well cared for and water changes and vaccuming are done regularly. :dance:


I was looking at that package because I did want to put two Panda butterfly but I can easily just go another route with other varieties of fish. It's just that I am clueless about a planted tank except for the fact that you should have at least 2-3 watts per gallon for most plants. I can't seem to figure out how many watts per gallon the sun gives!!!! :duh:

 

[Roan Art]

Don't get too excited. I an only cycling the tank with the goldies. No matter what, they are going back to my bigger tank with my other goldfish. There are only three total and it has two emporer 400 filters on it. They are well cared for and water changes and vaccuming are done regularly. :dance:

I wasn't 100% sure, thus my post, but I figured you *were* looking after them properly since you said a) they were in a 55 gallon b) you were putting them in a 30 gallon and not a 10 gallon

Just wanted to make sure, though, cause sometimes you never know

I was looking at that package because I did want to put two Panda butterfly but I can easily just go another route with other varieties of fish. It's just that I am clueless about a planted tank except for the fact that you should have at least 2-3 watts per gallon for most plants. I can't seem to figure out how many watts per gallon the sun gives!!!! :duh:

I think two Pandas will be fine if you monitor the water and double filter it. Lots of plants equals happy fish, even if they DO eat them You may have to move them to a bigger tank sometime in the future, though. I think pandas are on the bottom of the size scale, 6"? I know Orandas can get to 8".

Anyhow, the plants I've listed are about 2wpg. You can try those other plants they mentioned, but I would stay away from the anacharis. I can't even keep it rooted when I vacuum so I can just imagine what goldfish will do to it.

Use rocks, like they have in their picture, to keep the fish from digging the plants up and be prepared to try different plants if they eat those ones or even the ones I suggested. Sometimes individual fish develp a taste for a plant that normally they will not eat. I just saw one of the silver dollars eating the end of an onion plant He just nibbled, BUT . . .

Roan

 

[phanmc]

having a tank directly in front of a window is asking for algae problems. If the tank is getting direct sunlight, you're dealing with way more than 5wpg since sunlight is much more intense than fluorescents.

 

[Magoo]

What if I load the the tank with plants galore???? Wont they outcompete the algae?

 

[phanmc]

Loading up on plants also means loading up on fertilizers, and you will have a tougher time trying to maintain a balance fertilizing regime with the intense sunlight.