Hi! everyone!
I have a 10 gallon tank with 2 orandas in it. I have two small (but long) plastic plants in the tank. I was wondering whether i could add real plants instead of the fake ones. Would that be beneficial? If yes which type of plants shall I add ? Would an onion plant be fine? I have only been keeping fish for a
year. Please help me!
bye!

Some plants would be good and some wouldn't... it depends on how much lighting you have, and sometimes on pH and hardness. Goldfish also eat some plants... I hear that java fern and java moss are usually left alone, and they do well in lower light tanks.

I just looked up onion plants, and they're ok with low light and any water conditions. The leaves can get LONG though, so it might look weird in a 10 gallon tank after it grows for a while.. you could probably prune it, though. So if your fishies didn't think it was lunch, that would be a good plant.

There are benefits of having live plants. Whenever there's light, they produce oxygen and use up carbon dioxide (although they use up a little bit of oxygen at night). They use nitrates, keeping your water quality better and sometimes preventing the growth of algae. Plants can introduce diseases sometimes, but as long as you treat them first (with potassium permanganate or a diluted bleach solution) they're very safe.

Hi May,
Thanks a lot for ur help. Now that u have said that plants are ok (some of them!)
so please also suggest me on how to actually grow them. Actually, I get my tank thoroughly cleaned every two months and one months already up so I was planning to add the plants when I get the newt cleaning done.
wat exactly do I do? First grow the plant outside and then plant it in the tank?
I shall be having a lot of doubts regarding this whole thing, So pleeeease do tell me more about it!
Thanking u!
Bye [FONT=Courier][SIZE=7]

well wut typ of filtration do u have in there? if u dont have a good one i wouldnt put plants in there 4 to reasons A: your tank is too small 4 2 fish the fish need 10 gallons each, so the amaina is probly high. and B: if u but a plant they will eat it and ur amaina level will go even higher

Hi kissez!
Well the fact remains that I will be adding a plant which the fish wont be eating and about the ammonia, well it is under control as I do regular water changes and I also have a testing kit. Besides I have an Under gravel filter, which I know is not really powerful but i make up for that by regular water changes. Actually I have been keeping fish for an year now, Its just that I have a level one as I just became a member of this site.
So do u still feel that it is not right?
Bye! Please do tell!

shoot for it mate, jave fern or javo moss are cool, not tried them with goldfish but have them in my tropical tank and its stunning, in my goldfish tank i have amazon swords with they think are food however its still worth trying with a small amazon sword, it wont take over your tank aslong as u keep it pruned (u can trim amazins however the22 u like, ya can even make shapes outa the leaves if ya REALLY bored i guess :s) but its easy to keep and wont do your tank any harm at all, just dont let it take over your tank, plants are always a good idea

Kev

If you choose java fern or java moss, you don't bury those in the substrate. Instead, you tie them to things, like driftwood or another decoration, and they'll grow roots that hold on to the objects. Many other plants you bury in the gravel. I hear that some people have problems with roots getting tangled in the under gravel filters, so plants like java fern may be your best choice.

This site has pictures of plants, and if you click on them it brings you to a pretty good description of them.

To give you some idea how to start, here's what I do when I get a new plant:
---Bring the plant home (duh)
---Soak it in a potassium permanganate solution until it turns from purple to brown (you can also soak it in a bleach solution, I think I've read 1 part bleach to 20 parts water, for a half hour).
---Rinse really well (use water with extra dechlorinator if you used bleach)
---Put it where you want it in your tank, planting it in gravel or tying it (I used plain old sewing thread) to a rock, decoration, or driftwood
---If your fish are really curious, they'll probably rearrange them anyway, lol!!

Hi may and Kev !
Thanks a lot for your help. Now I m sure to get some good plant for my aquarium!!! Well I would most certainly take care of the fact that the plant's roots wont get tangled in my under gravel filter! So I would look for a plant that does not grow deep roots ( or just floats!) Hey may, thanks for that site that u have mentioned! I m sure to get something good out of that!
Bye! Thanks for replyin!

Hey guys!
I finally found the plant just now from the site that may suggested. It is called "java moss". Well its extremely easy to care for, can be left floating or attached to rocks. They need little light and look great too ! Well the problem is that I have no idea if the goldfish (2 orandas) will eat them or not? Does anyone no? Cause these plants are also slow to grow! What do I do? This is the best plant that I got from all the others? Can u tell me what to do?
Bye! Do reply.

I haven't found that my goldfish (all fancy varieties) eat my plants. They like to pick at the algae on the plants, but they don't actually eat the plants.

Java fern or moss is a good one to start with. Hornwort isn't planted but floats on the top of the water, and it is a good water purifier also. Also, the onion plant that you talked about earlier is a nice plant, but it does get long and will trail across the top of the tank. If you buy one of those, only plant the bulb part about 1/4 way in the gravel and leave the rest sticking out, otherwise it could rot. You can anchor it with one of the little plant anchors that you can buy at the fish store until it establishes its roots. Golds will not eat the onion plant, (real name crinum).

I have hornwort and it grows pretty fast - my moor's and calico's don't eat it but I gave some to my neighbor and her common munched it to nothing. I think sometimes it just depends on the fish.

Hi fellos!
Thanks 'touchofsky' and 'lachfa' for your great advice. I went and checked out the stores and plant nurseries for java moss and fern. It was not available but those guys could arrange it for me from some where. The fact is that i live in India. New Delhi and I guess that such plants are not easily available here . But the onion plant is something I used to regularly grow for fun as a child hence I guess I'll use that for a while.
well anyways i am sure to plant these onion bulbs. So thanks once again!
bye!

I always likes more floating water plants
tso the goldfish don't eat them all