This will be my fourth year, and we're changing it all.
Anybody doing a no-pump container water garden?
If you do a no-pump water garden, how do you keep mosquitoes out? They're our state bird! I would love to do simple container water gardens but we must keep the water moving to deter the danged skeeters. I could use a mosquito dunk, but I'm sure I'd forget to add it regularly. Tell me your secret.
NancyAnn
I do use mosquito dunks, and then I write it on my calendar when 30 days are up and I need a new one. There are a good many more products this year than there have been so far. I've never had a mosquito on my balcony, but that's probably because we're high desert, not much standing water, and the city sprays all our mosquito breeding ponds. We had a huge number of west nile cases here.
I come from Minnesota where they're also considered the state bird. Colorado has them, and they're every bit as bad as Minnesota mosquitoes, but not so much in the urban area because we spray.
I have several container water gardens without a pump. I just add a few small feeder goldfish to each.
Yep,
I do like Betty said. I put a few oxygenating plants down in there, 1 lily (50 gallon preform) some callas and swamp Iris on the shelf and some Sensitive vine.
10 feeder goldfish for $2.30....total. They eat the larvae like good little fishies.
I just set my pond up 2 weeks ago, put the fish in 2 days after set up. I threw away the rules about waiting for the eco system to equalize. How many goldfish have you had that you just put in a goldfish bowl, no pump, filter or anything. Goldfish have lived in these conditions for eons.
Haven't had one die yet.
Molly
:^)))
Just because goldfish CAN survive this way doesn't mean they should HAVE to. Please, don't anyone get upset, I'm really not trying to be mean, but this is not proper fish keeping. How many of those goldfish lived sickly, short lives due to this treatment? A healthy goldfish can grow to 10 inches and live for 15 years. Just because they are cheap in dollars doesn't mean their little fish lives should be disposable. They are still living creatures. As keepers of captive animals, it is our responsibility to provide appropriate care for them. I have pets, aquariums, and a pond. I do believe in keeping captive animals. I believe that it is up to me to do the best I can for my pets or I should not have them.
Sylvi,
Not to worry, I don't keep goldfish in a bowl anymore. I have, however, kept goldfish in a stillwater pond and they have grown to unbelievable sizes. They are fine and healthy and remain so until the food chain animals get past my dogs to the pond. And that doesn't happen often.
I have 3 parrots that I live with, along with my 2 dogs. Although I expect to outlive my canine friends and maybe 2 of my parrots, I'm sure Smoke, my African Grey will live long after I am gone. And plans are in place for someone younger to make a home for him after that.
I apologize if my comments in my previous posting caused anyone offense. I suggested feeder goldfish, certainly for the economic issues, but also keep in mind, they are bred primarily to put in a tank with Pyrannas and Oscars to be gobbled up before they can reach a ripe old age.
If fish can be happy and content, my pond is better than a fish bowl or somes carniverous tank.
Now I shall close this with a smile. :^))))
Molly
Goldfish grow to fit the size of their containers. So you won't find goldfish in a bowl that grow to 10 inches. They adapt to their environment. The bigger the container, the bigger they grow. As long as they get adequate oxygen, food and protection, they should be fine in any container. Molly, I'm sure at times my big pond is worse than your little fish bowl.
I do use the little feeder goldfish. Some of them are as beautiful as the expensive koi. And they're very adaptable. I put them in my ponds just to watch them frolick. And you can even train them to eat right out of your hands. I love their little fish lips nibbling on my fingertips. (Oh gee, have I been alone too long?? LOL)
With the feeder fish, they have a better life with us than they do in the belly of some cannabilistic fish, don't they? And we get hours of entertainment in the process.
NancyAnn
Thank you for your reply Molly. I am so glad your fish are well, and I too never intended any offense. Since you have parrots (three! wow) I know you are an expert pet keeper. Parrots sure are a lot of work.
I guess I am a little sensitive to the fish keeping thing. I used to work in a pet store where people came back with dead fish for replacement all the time because they were not caring for them correctly. When I tried to explain proper care, I was usually met with a shrug and a comment that they would just buy more fish when these ones died. I think that kind of disregard for life is scary.
I know that most goldfish go to be feeders, but I think that is natural even if I don't want to see it personally. Big fish eat little fish (and so do racoons, storks, and others!). One of the reasons a goldfish spawn is so big is that most of them get eaten. Personally, I think they are so tough because of what they have to survive in nature and the "pet trade".
Thank you so much for your understanding, and I am really sorry that I over-reacted. I would love to see some pictures of your water features if you would like to share them.
Smiles to you! :>}}
Sylvia
Sylvi, Ok, If you insist, I just finished taking some pictures.
Nancy Ann, I haven't had a goldfish bowl since I was a little girl.
But maybe you can call this my goldfish bowl: It's a 50 gallon preform that I sunk in the ground except for 6-8 inches. Only big enough to hold one water lily and just a few marginals on the shelf at the far end. There are several plants under the surface for the fish to do their thing in.
I had a pond at my old house, but it was too big to move and I hesitated for a while doing another but now I have done it. I call to them, "comhere fishy fishy fishy" when I feed them and they are still learning the sound of my voice. I expect soon, they will be eating from my fingers.
Thanks for asking for me to share.
Molly
:^))))
Yuuummmy, Molly. What a pretty little pond! Be sure to keep your eyes out for the Bufo Marinus (Cane Toad) so your dogs do't come in contact with them. They are drawn to water and will burrow in the plants around your pond in the daytime. They are nocturnal. This is their mateing time of year and I am on constant patrol with my pitchfork!
Pati
Yes, Pati, I worry about that. At the old house we never had any come round. Guess I was lucky.
Here I have surrounded the pond with potted hibiscus and kept the pond up so not level with the ground.
Baby has been trampling my butterfly bed to get under the Gym. I have tried looking under there, but can't see what she's after. Maybe a possum is napping under there. I hope it's not a Bufu.
When Baby was a pup I thought she got a Bufu and vet said make her vomit. She always gets car sick, so I took her for a ride in the car. Well, luckily no BuFu, but what a mess in the car. But that's a story for the pet forum.
Molly
:^)))
Are Bufu's only in FL? We have regular bullfrogs, tree frogs and toads but the cats, dogs and tortoises don't seem to be bothered by them. The bullfrogs do tend to snack on the small goldfish and guppies I have in all of my ponds. I also have 7 fish tanks and a parrot. I think the fish in the pond are the happiest because they can live a more natural life. The ones in the containers get about 6 inches long and then I move them to the bigger pond.
Betty,
Bufu is my nickname for the toad, Pati got it right. I think it's a toad, not a frog. When a dog gets ahold of one in her mouth, the toad puts off a toxin that is released in the dogs mouth subsequently causing the mouth and throat to swell up. Deadly, it is.
Vets recommend taking a water hose to the dogs mouth practically drowning them to wash it out. Then if ingestion is suspected, to induce vomiting.
Being from LA., if you have not heard of them, then they are probably indigenous to Florida, certainly down south here. This is NOT a good animal.
Molly
Betty,
As an after thought, I googled the Bufo Marinus. This toad is not native to Florida. Take a look: http://www.floridagardener.com/critters/BufoMarinus.htm
Molly
:^)))
Thanks for the link Molly. I don't think we have any around here.
Betty
I just started my little Goldfish Pond. I read about putting freshwater mussels in it to keep it clear. Anybody heard of this, or have any?
Nancy
Nancy, I have a book in my lap right now that mentions putting mussels and/or clams in the pond as natural filters unless you have koi (and probably goldfish) because the fish will be eaten. It is recommended to avoid the zebra mussel because they tend to become overabundent. The article suggests the brown swan mussel or the freshwater clam. Also, it is recommended to have a large pond. Hope this info helps.
hotlanta
GEEZE!!!! Didn't know they'd eat my fishies! Wonder if I could put them inside a netting like oranges come in, so they coule still filter the water, yet avoid clamping down on my goldfish? hmmmmmmmmm Thanks for the info.
Another question I've not seen addressed: Do I need to test for PH or anything? How do I know when nitrogen is too high, etc? Nancy
Oh, & one or two more ?s:
My water is all muddy from my cattails & waterlilies I dug up from my REAL pond & transferred to my Goldfish Pond. How does one keep this mud from getting the little 275 gallons all muddy:
Should I wash the roots of these water plants & plant them only in sand?
I plant all my pond plants in rocks--no dirt, no sand. They get the nutrients they need from the water. Fish poop is a great fertilizer.
NancyAnn
Butterfly Chaser
What kind of plants do you have that you are planting in rocks only? It makes sense what you are doing, but almost everything you read about pond plants says to put them in dirt and cover with rocks. But I also know the proof is in the pudding. If anything, I think maybe the dirt may be more of a function of an anchor so the fish will not root them up. How long have you had your plants?... Tom
Tom, I've been water gardening like this for about 5 or 6 years. I have NEVER potted plants in dirt and then set them in the pond. A friend of mine got me into water gardening and she had always used rocks. I tend to prefer the big white rocks simply because they act as a filter and are easy to clean up every spring when I dump all the pots and wash everything.
Every pond plant I have is in rocks. I have eleph ears, lizards tail, water celery, pennywort, irises, chameleon plant, water lilies, spatterdock lily, horsetail reed, pickerel, umbrella palm, and I don't remember what else. You know the floaters don't use soil. They get all their nourishment from the water, so I figure all the other plants can too. My pond stays cleaner longer this way. I clean it only every spring.
Hope this helps.
NancyAnn
thanks for this thread. my question anwered.
=)
ButterflyChaser... Have you ever grown Lotus? Been reading some things here that suggest Lotus require more fertilizer, just wonder if you had any experience with it It seems adding fertilizer to a pot full of rocks would be a waste of time... Thanks... Tom
No, my ponds are too small for a lotus. I grow lots of water lilies and I don't have to fertilize them. If they get enough sun, they produce well. Once it really heats up, things tend to grow faster than I can keep up. If I fertilized, I'd constantly be digging and dividing, and I just don't have that much time. LOL
N.
Interesting thread. Thanks for all the info. :)
Not much time eh??? Maybe you should plant some thyme in your garden!!!! heheheheeeee
Thanks for the response... Tom
I've found a LOT of water plants in ponds and in the creeks near my home. I don't know what they are, but they're pretty & the goldfish seem to like them.