Bare goldfish tanks are very common. Yes, it can be hard to find appropriate decor, but goldfish do benefit from decor and other enrichment. With some effort, it is possible to have a decorated aquarium for your goldies! It may take some trial and error, but here are some options to consider instead of going with a nearly empty tank! Please add any other ideas for decor, or what you’ve had success with using in your tank.
1. Sand substrate Providing plenty of sand that can be foraged through is an easy and safe way to keep your goldfish entertained and allow them to express natural behaviors. Playsand and filter sand can be purchased cheaply in large quantities.
src Large, smooth rocks can also be used in conjunction with sand to make the tank more interesting.
2. Live plants Goldfish often have a reputation as plant eaters, but that isn’t always true! Even if they do eat plants, offering them occasionally can still benefit your goldfish.
src Live plants are generally easily moved through, and give your goldfish the opportunity to hide behind them.
3. Ceramic Decor Ceramic decor pieces are smooth, which reduces the risk of a goldfish injuring itself on it. You can order custom made pieces from artists or scour the internet for premade ones.
Make sure any holes are larger than your goldfish so that they cannot get stuck!
4. Toys Goldies often like to push around ping pong balls, or plastic cat toys. This engages their mind and makes them exercise!
src You can also make or buy food dispensing toys to encourage your fish to interact with their environment.
5. Floating Plants Frogbit, duckweed, and other floating plants make great additions to a goldfish tank. It provides shade for the fish and a sense of security.
Sand substrate kinda fuckin sucks though, especially for cleaning, if ur a beginner i recommend dirt and gravel
Gravel is more difficult to clean than sand because it is a bacteria trap, plus it’s a choking & impaction risk for goldfish. Dirt is difficult for a beginner keeper because of worries about whether x dirt is safe, and dirt is supposed to be replaced every year.
For the beginner goldfish keeper, sand is absolutely the safest and easiest substrate. Tile and bare bottom are also safe, but they do not give the benefit of encouraging natural foraging behavior in the fish, hence why I recommend sand.
Sand isn’t hard to clean if you have a gravel vac. You just hover the end of the vac above the sand instead of sticking it in like with gravel. None of the gunk gets down between the sand grains, it’s all on the surface.
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