Many goldfish keepers avoid keeping live plants in their aquarium due to the risk of them being nibbled up by their goldfish. However, you can keep hardy plants that require minimal care alongside your goldfish that will resist their attacks.
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Parrot Feather
Thin leaves of this aquarium plant are unappetizing to goldfish and can help shade other plants to control algae growth while also controlling nitrates levels in water. It grows underwater and will grow submersed. It will eventually shade other aquatic life, helping shade other aquatic vegetation while providing shade against it growing from below.
This fast-growing plant is simple to care for and will add color and vibrancy to your tank. Although goldfish may nibble at it occasionally, any damage typically recovers rapidly.
Pothos plants make an excellent addition to goldfish tanks as they can tolerate most water parameters and be grown both submerged and emersed. Furthermore, Pothos are one of the best plants for absorbing excess nitrates – offering an alternative to Peace Lilies which should never be submerged.
Cattails
Though some houseplants can be toxic to cats, according to the ASPCA cattails aren’t. A popular staple in homes worldwide and beautiful addition to any garden.
They provide fish with shelter and hiding spaces, while feeding birds and helping oxygenate the water by limiting nutrients that promote unwanted algae growth. Furthermore, these structures help oxygenate the environment by oxygenating it more effectively while simultaneously limiting nutrient input that could stimulate its spread further downstream.
Cattails are harvested for their roots during fall and winter for use as food, whether that means grinding them into flour for consumption or eating them raw. Their roots can also be used to craft baskets or start fires; their seed fluff can even be made into poultices to heal wounds, cuts, stings or bruises.
Salvinia
Salvinia aquarium plants not only make your tank beautiful, they can also help control algae by competing for nutrients with it and creating an excellent natural filter to rid of toxins in the water.
As its natural environment is slow-moving waters such as ponds, lakes, rivers, marshes and swamps – perfect conditions for these species – goldfish use them as natural filters in tanks requiring natural filtering solutions.
Vallisneria, an easy-care stem plant that tolerates nibbling, grows rapidly in different conditions and grows best when secured to driftwood or rocks. While it doesn’t care much for water parameters or nutrients, regular fertilization should still occur for best results.
Duckweed
Common in garden ponds, this floating water plant grows rapidly in still or slow moving waters. A popular aquarium plant among beginners due to its easy care and low light requirements, it also adds oxygen while decreasing nitrates levels in the tank – though as a nutrient hog it should be regularly trimmed or kept in larger tanks.
Goldfish tend to nibble on all sorts of aquatic plants in a planted tank, so it’s essential that hardy species with little chance of being nibbled upon are chosen. Furthermore, it is vital that your goldfish receive balanced nutrition in the form of different food items so as to maximize longevity and healthiness.
Hornwort
Hornworts are bryophytes that reproduce by producing spores rather than flowers, typically green to yellow-green in hue, with multicellular, photosynthetic thallus that contains chloroplasts for photosynthetic activity.
Hornwort grows naturally as a floating plant, as well as in tanks with little substrate. It thrives in warm waters with shallow depth and can withstand various temperature conditions.
Attach it to the sides of a tank or place it directly on top of substrate; however, keep in mind that placing it buried could result in its uprooting by goldfish and therefore it is best kept tethered or attached to hardscape to prevent this.
Onion Plant
Crinum calamistratum, commonly referred to as an onion plant, features hard, crinkly leaves that are difficult for goldfish to damage, making it an excellent way to add height and variety to an aquarium. Preferring bright light over darkness, its fast growth depends on adequate nutrients.
Though fake plants can add beauty and interest to any aquarium or pond, live green leaf plants offer many advantages that fakes don’t. Live plants offer advantages in controlling nitrates and carbon dioxide levels while helping maintain oxygen levels in the water. Anubias, Java Fern, and Amazon Sword plants are great choices that won’t get eaten up by goldfish; additionally they make excellent additions when attached to driftwood or rock surfaces.
