Goldfish Bettas Aquaponic House Plants

HI all, I’m new here but wanted to join to share ideas and tricks to having happy fishes. I’m a scientist by profession and study ecosystem processes so I am into low tech, high ecology, balanced tanks. I had a goldfish that lived for 21 years in a 20 gallon tank ( got him at age 10) who recognized me and would splash me every time I walked by. Died after leaving him with family fish sitters
. I have mostly bettas and goldies in tanks with lots of emergent house plants (roots in water). Working on figuring out best ways to effectively reduce nitrates biologically in fresh water. Fan of old fashioned ugf’s. Inherited a fantail goldfish with a big tumor on head and have been reading up on ways to remove it safely to improve/prolong his life. I also think a lot of common doctrine of fish keeping is overrated ( especially goldfish) and that there are many ways to keep tanks- fish healthy and happy.

 

Welcome, RainbowSprinkles. Hope to see you more on the forum.

Very cool story, thanks for sharing! You sure that fantail wasn’t an oranda goldfish?

 

Welcome and good to have ya. Lovely tank. I’m planning on something similar with sweet potato vines.

Welcome, RainbowSprinkles. Hope to see you more on the forum.

Very cool story, thanks for sharing! You sure that fantail wasn’t an oranda goldfish?

I was thinking the same thing. Wen trimming is not uncommon.

 

Nope it’s an orange fantail with a beige soft fleshy tumor near the eye that is growing

 

I got him from a friend who didnt want him any more- tank was clean but not properly cycled despite 3 years - maybe kept it too “clean”. Tank looked spotless but Ammonia through the roof- beyond apI color charts. Somehow the fish survived. Got the tank cycled and stabilized in a little over a week with a couple of handfuls of used gravel and a cup or so of nasty looking bacterial “sludge” water sucked from the bottom of an old established tank. I also added an ugf powered by 2hob’s ( just shoved the intakes into the ugf tubes.. plus a sponge filter. A lot of hardware but worked like a charm to get the nitrogen down. I will let the poor fish acclimate to the new healthy water (am:0, ni:0, nitrates10) while slowly weaning the tank off the hob’s in exchange for fast growing plants (currently establishing pothos, mint, basil- huge amounts of growth this week). Once stable for a few weeks I will think about dealing with the tumor. He is so much more noticeably active now that he is in a healthy environment though. Sweet fish. Previous owner unwittingly trained him to make loud kissing sounds at surface to beg for food ( only when you walk near). Probably started when he was gasping for O2. Poor guy.

 

Daang! Those pothos though. If only mine grew like that.

 

Give them a little light and they’ll go crazy

 

Welcome and good to have ya. Lovely tank. I’m planning on something similar with sweet potato vines.I was thinking the same thing. Wen trimming is not uncommon.

I haven’t had much luck with sweet potato vines but I think I didn’t have sufficient light. They grew a ton of roots and then started rotting. I might try again now that I have some plant grow lights.

 

I haven’t had much luck with sweet potato vines but I think I didn’t have sufficient light. They grew a ton of roots and then started rotting. I might try again now that I have some plant grow lights.

I don’t know how fast pothos grows, but these sweet potato cuttings only took 3 days to grow roots. They were kept in a cup of tap water (no fertilizer either) and left outside on the porch. My Mother grows sweet potato in direct sunlight in one of her vegetable gardens, so they probably do need strong lighting.

 

Daang! Those pothos though. Of only mine grew like that.

I agree! My pothos grow great outside in my pond but inside, they just slowly yellow and die. What’s your secret? I feed them but doesn’t help. Mine are in a tank next to a window.

 

I agree! My pothos grow great outside in my pond but inside, they just slowly yellow and die. What’s your secret? I feed them but doesn’t help. Mine are in a tank next to a window.

You need to have at least one leaf node submerged. You might lose a couple of leaves while the roots grow initially but I can’t imagine why they are dying otherwise. Water chemistry? I recently put a grow light on the pothos for one tank for 4 hrs a day when I’m gone and it made a huge difference-they have been growing 2-3 inches a week. I’ve been adding flourish but even in tap they do fine. I replace stems occasionally from a potted plant we have. Sometimes they get sickly when the roots get covered in algae. I often take them out of my betta tanks and throw in with the Goldie’s for a cleaning.

 

I don’t know how fast pothos grows, but these sweet potato cuttings only took 3 days to grow roots. They were kept in a cup of tap water (no fertilizer either) and left outside on the porch. My Mother grows sweet potato in direct sunlight in one of her vegetable gardens, so they probably do need strong lighting.
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I was trying ornamental ones- these might do better

 

I was trying ornamental ones- these might do better

I didn't even know there were ornamental ones, until you mentioned it. I did a quick search; they're pretty.

 

You need to have at least one leaf node submerged. You might lose a couple of leaves while the roots grow initially but I can’t imagine why they are dying otherwise. Water chemistry? I recently put a grow light on the pothos for one tank for 4 hrs a day when I’m gone and it made a huge difference-they have been growing 2-3 inches a week. I’ve been adding flourish but even in tap they do fine. I replace stems occasionally from a potted plant we have. Sometimes they get sickly when the roots get covered in algae. I often take them out of my betta tanks and throw in with the Goldie’s for a cleaning.

Yeah I saw the leaves super close to where the roots were supposed to grow and thought they weren't supposed to be in the water, so I cut one off. Didn't know that one was supposed to be in there, oh well too late. It's growing fine though. Just very slow...

 

Yeah I saw the leaves super close to where the roots were supposed to grow and thought they weren't supposed to be in the water, so I cut one off. Didn't know that one was supposed to be in there, oh well too late. It's growing fine though. Just very slow...

The leaves do fine underwater- bettas love them. But they won’t grow much if you submerge the whole plant