What Aquatic Plants Are Good for a Goldfish Tank? The Latest Recommendations Are Here

Aquatic plants generally refer to herbaceous plants that can grow in water. Many goldfish keepers share a habit: they dislike keeping goldfish alone and always like to add some aquatic plants to the tank. Colorful goldfish paired with green aquatic plants instantly enhance the ornamental value of the whole tank. Now let us take a look at what aquatic plants are good for a goldfish tank!

Water Lily

The water lily is a perennial aquatic herb of the genus Nymphaea in the family Nymphaeaceae. It likes sunlight and good ventilation, so tropical and hardy water lilies that bloom during the day close their flowers at night and open again in the morning. It is not strict about soil and can grow normally at a pH of 6 to 8. The most suitable water depth is 25 to 30 cm, and it must not exceed 80 cm at the deepest. It likes loam rich in organic matter. In the Yangtze River basin it sprouts from late March to early April, forms buds in late April or early May, blooms profusely from June to August, has a yellow-leaf period from January to November, and enters dormancy after November. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in many park water bodies.

Anubias

Anubias is a type of aquatic plant in the family Araceae distributed in the West Africa region. Compared with other aquatic plants, it can be said to be very tough and easy to plant, but if it is planted carelessly and haphazardly, rhizome rot and dwarfing will gradually appear, eventually leading to withering. It likes plenty of sunlight, the water hardness should be somewhat higher, the nitrate content should be low, and the substrate must have enough base fertilizer. The suitable growth temperature is 22 to 30°C.

Amazon Sword

The Amazon sword, also known as Amazon sword plant, crown grass and so on, is a large aquatic plant of the genus Echinodorus in the family Alismataceae. Its leaf stalks are thick and sturdy, its leaves are broad, and its leaf shape is graceful. The largest Amazon sword can grow nearly a hundred leaves, with a maximum leaf length of up to 50 cm and a leaf width of up to 8 cm. It is called the king of aquatic plants. It is suitable for growing in weakly acidic and neutral water, likes warmth and light, and the water temperature must be above 24°C, with 26 to 28°C being most suitable.

Java Fern

Java fern is a fern of the family Polypodiaceae. Its leaves are green, 20 to 40 cm long, with sporangia on the underside of the leaves. It has a strip-like rhizome, below which grow black or dark brown adventitious roots. It has strong adaptability and is easy to manage. It is often used in aquatic plant aquascaping and can also be grown above water in high-humidity environments. Because its leaves are tough and have a bitter taste, it is suitable for beautifying aquariums stocked with herbivorous fish.

Hornwort

Hornwort, also known as fine grass, fish grass, soft grass, pineweed and so on, is a perennial herbaceous submerged aquatic plant of the genus Ceratophyllum in the family Ceratophyllaceae. It has broad requirements for water temperature but is rather sensitive to freezing, dying within a few days in ice. It likes nitrogen, and grows better when the inorganic nitrogen content in the water is high. It can grow normally in water with a pH of 7.1 to 9.2, but a pH of 7.6 to 8.8 is most suitable. It grows rapidly under 5 to 10% light intensity, but strong light will cause hornwort to die.