Glad you’re finding the website helpful, Samantha! I’ve actually been using java fern, anubias, and ludwigia in my goldfish aquariums without any problems! I have both the java fern and anubias attached to driftwood (though from my experience, anubias is much easier to attach than java fern – the roots are much thicker and seem to get a better hold on the wood). If you do decide to try anubias, you can simply attach the plant with fishing line or thin nylon thread to a piece of driftwood or large rock (with lots of crevices). I’ve personally used nylon thread with really good results. It generally takes the plant about a month or so to get a good hold (but I like to leave mine for a bit longer – about two months, just to ensure the roots have had enough time to branch out).

Keep in mind that both java fern and anubias plants grow a bit slow. Ludwigia is pretty fast growing and likes to be planted in the actual substrate – but this plant requires lots of light (it will die quickly if you don’t have at least 5000-7000K full-spectrum lighting – you’ll know if the plant needs more light if you suddenly see lots of leaves floating along the water surface). The ludwigia does have very pretty pink and red leaves though. Both java fern and anubias do very well in poor lighting, if that’s something you don’t want to have to worry about.

Other plants your goldfish may not eat include hornwort, anacharis, vallisneria, and swordplants. While I don’t have experience growing these, I’ve heard great things about them. Duckweed and water sprite may also be good options – goldfish are known to snack on these, but from what I’ve heard, both duckweed and water sprite grow too quickly for this to be a problem.

There are more goldfish-friendly plants I’m sure, but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Let me know if you have any more questions, and good luck aquascaping! 🙂

The live plants will be in a separate tank, like a water garden, just with a lot of bubblers. The goldfish tank as silk plants.

The natural gravel compliments the statuary nicely and provides a contrast to the hippo; makes him stand out as the feature of the tank.

Your aquarium sounds beautiful, Mlaiuppa! I’ve always been fascinated with ancient Egyptian history. Seems like you’ve established a nice-looking tank around that theme. I bet your aquarium would look really nice with white or peach-colored gravel. You want to be careful with live plants, since some goldfish might view them as a salad bar feast! Live plants would definitely help keep oxygen levels up during the day and break down waste though.

I’d like to set up a large planted tank with all my mermaids and divers bubbling away. Just as a showcase for them.