Philip, Pablo, Tyrone and their garden
Hey y'all! I wasn't sure where to share this, but I wanted to show it off somewhere.
This tank is about 6 weeks in. It cycled almost immediately because I just stole a sponge filter from another tank. The tub above the tank is about 15 gallons, and the main tank itself is about 55 gallons, so the total water volume is around 70 gallons.
The water quality has been great so far: no ammonia, no nitrites, and less than 5 ppm nitrates despite heavy feeding.
I have two sponge filters, a canister filter, and a hang over the back filter. The 'peace lily garden' in the tub also probably helps with surface area for bacteria with all the clay balls.
I sort of expected the goldfish to eat the roots and plants but they seem fine so far.
Plants above the water:
- Lemon tree
- 5 pepper plants
- 2 tomato plants
- Peace lilies
- Pothos
- A variety of other plants
Plants in the tank:
- Vallisneria
- Java ferns
- Hornwort
- Salvinia
- Water lettuce
- Elodea
- One plant I still don't recognize
I supplement with chelated iron, epsom salt, and an aquarium fertilizer.
Overall, I'm really happy with how it's turning out. Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated!
Usually, in a tank this size, I would expect 3–4 fancy goldfish to be the max. But if the water quality stays pristine and the plants keep thriving, I might add a few more once my current fish are a bit chonkier, or I might but rice fish or endlers in the top bucket.