Aquarium plants?

[Dyllea]

I've been seeing that a lot of people have plants in their aquarium, and I was wondering if it was just because they're a nice touch or if they're kinda necessary.

I have a 14 gallon tank that I keep well filtered and aerated, the decorations are all glass and the bottom consists of glass beads. I've got goldfish, barbs, and a pleco. Can someone tell me if I should be adding plants?  

[Vanilla eXee]

They're not exactly necessary, but they really do help A LOT with keeping the water habitable for fish. Not to mention they look nice. I would go for it. The plants will help eat up some of the nitrates that are a result of fish waste. They're not a replacement for weekly water changes, but they can help keep the water cleaner between changes. You will need to do a bit of research on which plants to get, since goldfish are omnivorous, I think they will at least nibble them. It would be worth looking into what plants are less attractive as a food source.

You may already know this, but I do have to add, you're going to need to upgrade to a much larger tank. The sad reality is that the pet stores usually won't tell you this, but goldfish get very large. For a small group, you're looking at needing minimum 75g, but even larger ideally. Keeping them in a tank that is too small causes a lot of health problems. You're looking at a few months to a few years lifespan on a fish that normally lives over 20. And that's just mortality. Other things such as ammonia burns to the gills and stunting can make even a short life unbearable. If the pleco is a "common", then he too will grow to an almost unmanageable size, unless you can get a larger tank.  

[Dyllea]

Vanilla eXee

They're not exactly necessary, but they really do help A LOT with keeping the water habitable for fish. Not to mention they look nice. I would go for it. The plants will help eat up some of the nitrates that are a result of fish waste. They're not a replacement for weekly water changes, but they can help keep the water cleaner between changes. You will need to do a bit of research on which plants to get, since goldfish are omnivorous, I think they will at least nibble them. It would be worth looking into what plants are less attractive as a food source.

You may already know this, but I do have to add, you're going to need to upgrade to a much larger tank. The sad reality is that the pet stores usually won't tell you this, but goldfish get very large. For a small group, you're looking at needing minimum 75g, but even larger ideally. Keeping them in a tank that is too small causes a lot of health problems. You're looking at a few months to a few years lifespan on a fish that normally lives over 20. And that's just mortality. Other things such as ammonia burns to the gills and stunting can make even a short life unbearable. If the pleco is a "common", then he too will grow to an almost unmanageable size, unless you can get a larger tank.

Thank you! I think I will get some when I can.

We've got a 125 gallon tank somewhere, I just don't know where. @_@ I guess that will be my mission on the weekend. Thanks for letting me know!  

[Vanilla eXee]

Kwejeebo

Vanilla eXee

They're not exactly necessary, but they really do help A LOT with keeping the water habitable for fish. Not to mention they look nice. I would go for it. The plants will help eat up some of the nitrates that are a result of fish waste. They're not a replacement for weekly water changes, but they can help keep the water cleaner between changes. You will need to do a bit of research on which plants to get, since goldfish are omnivorous, I think they will at least nibble them. It would be worth looking into what plants are less attractive as a food source.

You may already know this, but I do have to add, you're going to need to upgrade to a much larger tank. The sad reality is that the pet stores usually won't tell you this, but goldfish get very large. For a small group, you're looking at needing minimum 75g, but even larger ideally. Keeping them in a tank that is too small causes a lot of health problems. You're looking at a few months to a few years lifespan on a fish that normally lives over 20. And that's just mortality. Other things such as ammonia burns to the gills and stunting can make even a short life unbearable. If the pleco is a "common", then he too will grow to an almost unmanageable size, unless you can get a larger tank.

Thank you! I think I will get some when I can.

We've got a 125 gallon tank somewhere, I just don't know where. @_@ I guess that will be my mission on the weekend. Thanks for letting me know!

Np smile I love talking fish! The 125 will be a great size for them. Start looking into temps too, I don't know what type of plec you have, but most of them do better in warm water, while goldfish are really a cooler water fish, so that will be something to think about in the future. One step at a time though! I look forward to seeing what your set-up looks like when you're done with it! See, pictures are kind of required here if at all possible razz