Hi Michael! I know a lot about fish and aquariums. Before I can recommend aquatic plants, I need to know a few things. What size is your tank? What type(s) of fish or invertebrates are going to be in this tank? What kind of filtration is set up for the tank? How good are you going to be at remembering to maintain and clean the tank? Some people are rather forgetful while others are very attentive. Some plants thrive in semi-neglected tanks with fluctuating water quality; some don't. Some fish or invertebrates will nibble or eat live plants; some won't. The size of the tank will have a lot to do with which plant to put in it. Some get HUGE and others stay a more reasonable size. So, you can respond in here or we can e-mail each other. We traded last year-- good trade. So, if I can help you out, just let me know!
~ Nicole :o)

Hi Nicole,

I remember our trade and thought it was a great one as well! The fish tank is very small, it hold one gallon. We are going to move to a larger aquarium as money allows. We have 2 fan tailed calico gold fish...I know they get large so hoping we get a new tank before that becomes an issue. Also have 2 ghost shrimp. The tank itself has a filtering system and hood. I would like something that stays a resonable size until we are able to upgrade. As far as keeping it clean...I am a little obsesive on that one ;-)Hope things have been going well for you and thanks for the help!

Bright Blessings,

Michael

For a one gallon fish tank, goldfish are not the thing to have in it. They require 2 gallons of water per inch of fish due to their high waste output. But, since they're already in there, I suppose that's a moot point. There aren't a lot of plants that will stay behaved in a 1 gallon setup. Mondo grass stays small and tidy. Moneywort tends to grow at a slower pace. You could toss an aponogeton bulb in there and just pinch it back when it crowds the surface with leaves. You really, really need to get those fish into at least a 10 gallon tank as soon as possible. The options for plants go up dramatically in a 10 gallon tank. As funny as it sounds, the bigger the tank, the easier the care. It costs more, but once it's set up and established, fluctuations happen much more slowly and the water tends to be more stable than in smaller tanks. Smaller tanks are much more susceptible to fluctuations in water quality that adversely affect the fish. A little bit of uneaten food can throw the pH off and add harmful toxins to the water. In a larger tank, it really wouldn't have any impact on the fish. If you like the smaller tank, get fish better suited to that environment- like a betta or 1-2 guppies. The general rule of thumb for freshwater tropical fish is one gallon of water per inch of fish UNLESS you have goldfish, then it's 2 gallons of water per inch of fish. So, to make a long story short, put some green mondo grass in your aquarium and get a bigger tank as quickly as possible!

:o) Nicole

Also, this is posted in the wrong forum....but anyway, aquatic plants need A)Light B)CO2 and C)Fertilizing, the first two being the most important. In a one gallon tank, with probably an incandescent bulb and a goldfish (which by the way won't live long in that tank, should have at LEAST a 20 gallon, since goldfish do get bigger, but alas....)any plant you put in there won't last. I suggest doing some reading and searching on aquarium care to help enlighten yourself. You'd be surprised how much there really is into aquarium keeping, if you want to do it right.

Karen

hi friends..
i am glad that i found this forum...
i have a problem..
i really like to have a aquarium .. i tried this 3 times..
but no matter whatever fish i bought it just lasted for two weeks.. is there something i should know befor i have one again...
please let me know, if you have any idea of it...
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Lewis

Aquarium supplies

Lewismark87,
I am no expert. We just have one 26 gallon tank which we have had for several years. We started with a ten gallon initially. I would say, get a ten gallon tank and set it up using bottled water. Most tropcal fish need temps in the 78 to 82 F range. After it has been up for a week or ten days do a water analysis. Take your results to the local pet/aquarium store and talk to some one who is knowledgeable, then buy a few fish initially and go from there.
HTH
Hlily