# Fancy goldfish substrate



## peaches (28 Jun 2018)

I am setting up a fancy goldfish tank for my granddaughters.  I have kept them years ago.  I started off with gravel then changed to bare bottom tank with plant pots then plastic plants.

I feel that depriving the goldfish of the gravel deprives them of the activity of sifting through the substrate which they clearly enjoy.  However it's not unheard of them getting gravel stuck.

So goldfish experts.  Pea gravel or fine gravel?


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## three-fingers (28 Jun 2018)

I like to use fine sand with goldfish, but if you think that will be too messy, fine gravel.


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## Polly (28 Jun 2018)

Fine Sand definitely. 
They constantly sift the substrate looking for food so it's kinder on their mouths.   Pea gravel gets stuck in their mouths and can be difficult to remove without hurting them.

I used to keep them in a planted tank with fine sand, vallis, anubias and java fern.

Once the vallis is established they won't be able to pull it out and it will send runners out.  The anubias they weren't really interested in and they didn't seem to like the taste of the java fern. 
But maybe that was because I fed them a pinch of dried parsley every day as one of their meals.

Plastic plants aren't as soft and can cause scratches on their skin


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## zozo (29 Jun 2018)

I have goldfish already for many years on different types of gravel, variyng from fine to very coarse.. And it actualy doesn't realy mater that much.. Their mouth is evolved to sift through any kind of material, it depends a bit on the size of the fish and what size they can sift and what not.. Anyway they can sift through sintered glass without hurting themselfs.. This material is widely used and a very popular pond substrate.. And there are no reports of fish with mouth damage from it, in in the pond community. So why would it hurt in an aqaurium?.

So for an aqaurium you best go for a substrate that is most eastheticaly pleasing to you.. When it comes to planting a goldfish tank than it is best to use fast growing and fast rooting plants that spread via runners.. For example potamogeton or a nymphoides or a sagitaria or the above mentioned valis. Than conserning the plants to make them run more easily a fine base layer substrate like sand would be best and this could be capped with a coarser gravel. Once the plants have growen a fully matured blanket of roots through the intire tank it will hold the base layer firmly in place and the fish can sift the top layer as much as they want without disturbing it.

And this is the point of consern where many people fail.. Working the wrong way around, placing the fish to early in a planted tank. Putting goldfish in an immature tank without well rooted plants you will have the majority of plants floating again in a few weeks. So buying the fish first and than think of setting them up a planted tank will definitively limit your plant options.

If you have to option to setup a fishless tank first and grow the correct plant sp. long enough to run through the entire substrate and than put in the fish. Than you have non to worry about, the plants will only grow faster with the extra bioload added.

Don't you have ths option you are definitively into a challange growing plants together with the fish. Both, you and your fish will be working against eachother..


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## peaches (7 Jul 2018)

I intend to get the plants rooted first.  Holidays etc mean that its safer to delay fish purchase.


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## goldscapes (27 Oct 2018)

How are you getting on with your goldfish tank?
It would be nice to see an update or a journal


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## micheljq (29 Oct 2018)

Waste goes down too easily in coarse gravel, IMO better use something 2-3mm grain size.  That way waste does not accumulate easily and it can be vacuumed easily.  And excellent filtration too with goldfishes i suggest.

Michel.


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## BarryH (29 Oct 2018)

micheljq said:


> Waste goes down too easily in coarse gravel, IMO better use something 2-3mm grain size.  That way waste does not accumulate easily and it can be vacuumed easily.  And excellent filtration too with goldfishes i suggest.
> 
> Michel.



Granddaughters and fancy Goldfish seem to be catching on. In my granddaughters goldfish tank I have gravel of roughly 4 to 6mm but if I could have found the 2 to 3mm size that Michel mentions,  I would have definitely have gone for that. Still can't find it.


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## micheljq (30 Oct 2018)

EcoComplete or Flourish brown/black have a decent grain size IMO, but are not cheap.

Michel.


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