Baby Hets in my Pond

[CACAdmin]

Well, I guess my Hets (H. Formosa) like my little nano pond. They must do as they're breeding. I just spotted a couple of fry out there (reeeeally tiny). Shall have to make sure that I find every last baby :Worried: when the time comes to bring the fish indoors (if I don't bring in the whole pond).

[Gramma]

Wow! Congrats Jay! They must be really tiny!!!!! The adults are very small to begin with. Yes, you had better catch them all. When do you have to bring them in?

[blainep]

If you have a sunny spot for it, maybe try bringing in the pond for the winter. The Hets don't need a heater and your plants won't get disturbed.

If it works, then the pond would be ready to go as soon as spring arrives.

[CACAdmin]

I will bring them in when pond temps dip below 66 F to be on the safe side. And yes Blaine, I'm going to try to find a spot in the apartment to put the pond. Pretty much the whole place gets morning sun... it's finding a spot to put it (I live in small quarters).

[Melody]

That's great - nice end to the summer tubbin' efforts!

[thegrandpoohbah]

Do pond plants survive at room temperature? I would have thought that it would get too warm.

[CACAdmin]

Well, if you consider our outdoor summer temps (night and day highs and lows) 18-30 it shouldn't be a problem... especially as I live with the door and window open most of the year. Temps in my place stay around 18-21 once the summer is over. (Summer is another issue altogether... I can die of the heat in here! :swoon: ). And remember even though my pond is small, it still takes several hours for the water temps to drop or raise.

[Melody]

I couldn't get the water hyacinth to overwinter, but that could have been lighting issues.

[CACAdmin]

I tried some in my tanks but I thought that maybe it was too close to the light and temps were too hot. I don't know. We'll see what happens with the water hyacinth if I bring in the pond. Hopefully, I can keep it alive and have some to share.

[Melody]

It will be a good experiment to document. More and more people are Summer Tubbin' so the info will help others I'm sure.

[PPulcher]

I've never had luck overwintering water lettuce or hyacinth in the aquarium. The water lettuce did not like getting drops of condensation on it's leaves, and I use cover glasses on my tanks. The hyacinth didn't get enough light I reckon when I brought it indoors.

I haven't done a summer tub for a number of years since west nile has been an issue in Southern Ontario. I don't need my nosy neighbors telling me I'm infecting the street :nah:

[CACAdmin]

Too bad they don't realize that 1) mosquitoes only lay in standing water not water that is flowing and 2) that your fish would eat the mosquito larva. It's a shame but I understand you don't want the hassle of trying to defend your 'pond'.

[Pamelajo]

Congrats on your little fry Jay. I was thinking about moving mine indoors for the winter and keep the filter going with out the pump. But not sure where I would put. I would like to find a new home for the gold fish as the pond will be too small for them eventually. Then I would put my white clouds in there and then my H. Furmosa will have a tank to themselves. I have already moved both to the laundry room tanks where it is cooler and won't be using any heaters. I read somewhere that they should winter for 2 -3 months at lower tempsof 16 - 18c.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks! I haven't seen the two little ones since by they are so tiny and there's so many hiding places among the plants, rocks etc. that even the adults can be hard to find. Netting them to bring them indoors basically means pulling all that out to find them. And so when temps got cool last night I dragged the pond in off the balcony... just inside the door. This weekend will have to figure out where it can sit.

And so I understand you dilemma about finding a location for your pond (much bigger than mine). I would be cool to keep it going over the winter... fast easy start up next spring.... and an 'extra' tank indoors during the winter months.:;): I can't tell by the pics but can the pump be removed and stored elsewhere so it doesn't take up as much room?

[ChrissyFishy]

Furmosa are so tiny! I had to look them up. Do you have gold or the other kind?

[Pamelajo]

Yeh I think the pump can be removed it is just screwed down with a hose running through the inside.

[CACAdmin]

Furmosa are so tiny! I had to look them up. Do you have gold or the other kind?

I didn't realize there was more than one kind (definitely showing my ignorance here). I think I have the gold but will have to check with member'karota' from whom I got them. They may be tiny but they are neat little fish.

[Melody]

Yours are the originals. The gold is a colour morph:

http://swampriveraquatics.com/db2/00160/swampriveraquatics.com/_uimages/P1010010go.JPG


(Photo of Golds: SwampriverAquatics.com)


The golds are coming, not through me. but they're on their way to the great white north.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for the pic, Melody. Mine are definitely the original color.:yes:

[ChrissyFishy]

I want both :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[CACAdmin]

The bad news is that my pond plants are dying off (in particular the water hyacinth)now that I have brought the pond indoors. The good news is at least one more baby het... so tiny... about 1/8 in. long. ::D: I worry that I might lose some when I do water changes... they are so very tiny.:wideeyed:

[Melody]

Congrat's!

[Soggybottom]

Heh, I've had to rescue hets from my water changes. I poured them into a cup and them "netted" them out of the cup with a teaspoon :) They had plenty of room to swim around in the spoon!

[CACAdmin]

I can believe it... this latest one if far from a newborn. I'm wondering if there are more. I do water changes from the pond into a bucket and then still think I might miss some.

[Katalyst]

I can believe it... this latest one if far from a newborn. I'm wondering if there are more. I do water changes from the pond into a bucket and then still think I might miss some.

Try using a white bucket Jay, its what I have to do with my shrimp tank. This way they should stand out.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks, Kat. I do use a white bucket but I find they head to the bottom where the 'debris' settles so I have to look very carefully.:wideeyed: (and in a pond there is more of it than in a tank :rolleyes: ).

[Katalyst]

Whoops sorry about that Jay. Recently I syphoned my baby shrimp tank into a dark blue bucket. Sometimes I'm just not so bright. :nah::laugh:

[CACAdmin]

It's not about being bright... :nah: it's just using whatever is handy at the moment. ... and espcially with your mobility problems lately, you're not likely going to be thinking of running upstairs for a white bucket when a perfectly good blue one is sitting handy right there. And baby shrimp are almost invisible... at least hets have some color.

[Slipstream]

Lighting is easily enough solves, However big the pond is, just get a aquarium light fixture, and build a stand over the pond wherever ya decide to put it. And have the required lights to 'simulate' the sun if ya dont get enough sunlight through the windows, basically the same as having a fish tank. Ive done it before, Normally it works out just fine, and your fish stay happy. Except, i had a Co, was about 10" long in a small pond that i had to move.. LOL.. I mean, he didnt grow much inside, but he survived just fine.

[CACAdmin]

The interesting thing is that plants which grow exceptionally well in a pond (water hyacinth & large water lettuce), do not do well once brought indoors. I've tried putting the plant in the tanks with little success. Water lettuce survives but only for a time and it never grows to the size the outdoor ones do (& yet these are offshoots of the outdoor plants). Water hyacinth just up & dies. Now, I have a question, is it because these are 'seasonal'? Do they have a 'resting' period over the winter?

[Slipstream]

well, they arent supposed to, but there have been cases in which they have died off over the winter and came back in the summer.. kinda like a bad case of rhubarb, but mostly if they die, they dont come back. And as to putting them in tanks, do u have filters and stuff running on them?.. Cause in outdoor ponds, the majority of ponds do not have filters. Just leave the tank uncovered and unfiltered, and give em some plant food/fertilizer, and see how they do.

Oh, it might also be cause of lack of essential lighting. If you alread have them lit under lights, try adding more and see how that works, but add only lights that benefit plant life.

One more idea, If you transplanted your fish as well to the same tank, try removing some of the plants and putting them into their own separate tank.

Hopefully one of those ideas works for you :) Let me know how things turn out.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for the ideas Slipstream. The pond itself is indoors intact as it was outdoors, same pump, same occupants, etc. I have also move some of the watter lettuce into 2 different tanks to see how it does. I will see how it goes and let you know.

[Slipstream]

cool cool.. hope it works for ya :)

[CACAdmin]

Well, neither water lettuce or water hyacinth has done well. Water Hyacinth has totally died off. And the water lettuce (what remained) has been decimated by the marisa.

So, I put what little water lettuce I had in a tank (very little which I added to tanks survived but I'm going to see if this will). I am in the process of dismantling the pond for the winter. It takes up too much room indoors and if the plants are not going to survive there's no point.

And so, the challenge is to remove all the livestock. The marisas (being snails) are easy to locate and remove & relocate to a tank. The Hets are proving to be a challenge. I think this will be ongoing for a couple of days to be sure I get them all. So far I've only managed to catch a female & 2 fry... moved both to the fry grow out tank where a few other Hets reside. I know there are more in the pond, it's just a matter of patience to catch them all. There are smart and very quick.:rolleyes: :laugh:

[Pamelajo]

Jay what about dumping slowing into white pale. If I remember right your pond is clay colour which makes it harder to see. The white pail should may it easier to spot them.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks for the idea Pam. You are right, my bucket is clay colored and the gravel is the same color. :rolleyes: White buckets are great. However, the bottom of my pond is filled with gravel and shells. They're smart. They hide down amongst the gravel and the shells and of course my only view is from above. I will remove all the shells tomorrow. I'm afraid to pour in case I injure any of them so I guess may gradually have to remove the gravel a handful at a time.

[Pamelajo]

I was not thinking about gravel, cause mine was bare bottom. So ya not the best idea. The are little and hard to catch. When I move mine from one tank to another there is always some I have missed.

[CACAdmin]

Removed the shells this morning and managed to catch 4 more Hets. Will keep watching over the next couple of days to try to make sure I get them all (if possible).

[Soggybottom]

Couldn't you do a "water change" and "accidentally" suck them up? :smile:

[Slipstream]

hahahahahhahahahahaha..

[CACAdmin]

Couldn't you do a "water change" and "accidentally" suck them up? :smile:
Now there's a thought... now that all the shells have been removed. I could do a 100% water change into a bucket and find any little ones I may have missed. Thanks for such creative thinking!