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Fishpondinfo Newsletter Winter 2009
Last Updated: 12/5/09
Issue 102
Happenings
On 10/4/09, I got a new koi. Mac 2 is a replacement for Mac 1, the Sanke koi who jumped ship while in quarantine last winter. The indoor quarantine pond was netted but Mac 1 found a way out. Mac 2 was not quarantined (bad me!) because I did not want to deal with quarantine or risk another jump. More information and photos.
I set up the 50 gallon basement pond on 10/20/09 with bluebells from the pond. More information and photos.
On 10/24/09, I received an order from Live Aquaria. I got four bitterlings and two shubunkins for my 50 gallon basement Rubbermaid tub pond and a purple firefish and a green banded goby for my 12 gallon nano reef tank. Click on the links for more information and photos. Here are three of the bitterlings in the blue water in which they arrived and the purple firefish, Pablo.
I discovered an Aiptasia in my 6 gallon nano reef tank on 11/29/09. You can read
more about this pest anemone in my nano reef blog which includes
photos such as this one:
This newsletter is dedicated to my female betta, Pretty, who died on 10/31/09 and my male, five-year-old calico fantail goldfish named Frodo who died on 10/17/09 from fish tuberculosis. I found and bought a small in-tank UV sterilizer for the 65 gallon tank to reduce the load of bacteria in that water for both the health of the fish and myself.
New Pages on Fishpondinfo
Web Sites of Interest
International Waterlily and Watergardening Society
Animals
Since I got some bitterlings recently, I will talk a bit about them. They are best known for their interesting breeding habits. Females will inject their eggs in to a freshwater mussel. The males then make their contribution, and the fry hatch inside the mussel where they remain for a few weeks, protected from predators. Bitterlings only grow to about three inches. There are some reports that they may even eat larger parasites like anchor worm off of other species of fish.
Plants
There are a few aquatic pond plants that are equally (if not more) happy on land. Those include most flag iris, chameleon plant, water celery, and cardinal flower. Flag iris and water celery are more aquatic than terrestrial. On land, they do not flower as often but will survive. If flooded often enough, they do just as well on land as in the water. I have planted extra yellow flag iris around our land, and some of it flowers in the spring. Unlike when it is in the water, it does not become invasive on land. Water celery has jumped out of many of my ponds and meandered about. It is slow growing on land. Chameleon plant and cardinal flower, on the other hand, are more terrestrial than aquatic. They do better on land as long as they do not have to deal with prolonged drought. My mother has a chameleon plant in a pot on the deck that looks better than the few I tried in my pond years ago. Cardinal flower is often sold as a pond plant but it has trouble overwintering in the water. For that reason, I planted my new cardinal flower in the ground until spring when it can be transplanted to the pond.
Equipment
I recently bought my first UV sterilizer. I got it for my 65 gallon aquarium with 14-year-old, 16" common plecostomus and two male red and white fantail goldfish. The fish all have fish tuberculosis so I wanted to kill the bacteria in the water as well as the microbes and suspended algae that sometimes grow in the tank from the large amount of fish waste and cucumbers (for Plecy). I did not even know that they make a UV sterilizer that can be put right in to the tank but they do. It is called the Submariner. I love it so far! Here is a link for the 13 W version. I got the 9 W one.
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