Moved pond indoors

[CACAdmin]

Last year I moved the pond indoors (it's just a 7g tub) at the end of the season to see if the pond plants would survive... but they didn't (lack of sufficient light I presume). So today, with cold nights now a concern, I moved it indoors again. However, I figure this time maybe if I use some ferts and rotate plants from pond to tank and back to pond, I might have some success. The benefit is that I now have an indoor pond and I don't have to move the snails to another tank (fish have already been moved indoors when temps became too chilly for them).

Has anyone else tried this?

[Pamelajo]

Brought my gold fish in last week, but am keeping them in the barrel insert until my brother bring me his tank he is no long using.
I have heard that no matter what you do water lettuce won't survive, but if you have others it may work for them.

[CACAdmin]

Well, I have water lettuce and water hyacinth... so we'll see what success I have. Will let you know.

[Gramma]

Jay, the water lettuce I got from you when I was there is doing really well in my 16 gal. Not so well in the other tanks. Will let you how how it does over the winter. Maybe now with my new lighting it will survive.

[CACAdmin]

I'd love to hear if the new lighting makes a difference over the winter.

[CACAdmin]

Update: The water lettuce in the tanks is growing well (especially in the tank with the highest lighting. The plants in the pond (water lettuce & water hyacinth) are dying off. They only get daylight through the window. And of course, decaying plants become food for the marisa snails in the pond. I will however be able to keep my pond looking nice I think, with a regular replenishing of plants from the tanks.

[Gramma]

You get lots of light coming through the windows in your apt. Just not much sunlight, over the next few months. :laugh: Good luck with keeping your pond going. If you need water lettuce, let me know. Looks like mine just keeps multiplying. Not sure if it will continue that way or not.

[CACAdmin]

Glad to hear yours is doing so well. Thanks for the offer but the stuff in my leaf fish tank is growing really well (it gets lots ot light). (Hey... no digs about the lack of sunshine here over the winter. ::(: Wait until we're at +10 and you're dealing with -20. :Neener:

[Gramma]

It was only a couple of days ago that I said my water lettuce was doing fine. Not any more! The root part at the bottom is rotting and going all slimy. It has made a real mess of my tank. I have had to clean out my filter 3 times over the past 2 days as it is getting totally clogged and will probably have to do it daily for the next couple of days until it all clears up. So as of now I no longer have water lettuce in my tanks.

I really liked it and am disappointed that it is not working in my tank - maybe because one cannot keep it over the winter.

[Lisachromis]

I did it once, and it was way too much work. And after all was said and done, I still ended up losing it (around early March). I kept it going well inside in a tank and it even propagated, but it seemed that all of a sudden it melted and that was the end of that.

[CACAdmin]

Sorry to hear the water lettuce started dying off. Other than the change to much higher lighting, have you changed anything else in your tank? Just wondering as it's usually the leaves that die off first.

[Gramma]

No I haven't changed anything. There were leaves dying off and I was removing them, but they seemed to be multiplying just the same. There were no longer any large plants, they were all medium to small. With the filter continually plugging up somewhat and at alot at the end, I was wondering if I did not have enough current in the tank. Or maybe I just had too many plants as they just about covered the top of the tank. Another thing is that my mollies and platies pick at both the hornwort and the roots of the water lilies. One would think they were starving.

[CACAdmin]

I'm wondering if you're right and there were too many and they just weren't getting enough nutrients.

Mollies love algae so I'm not surprised at them picking at any of the plants. People often forget that although they are not first thought of when it comes to algae eaters, they do their part in keeping plants clear of algae.

[CACAdmin]

Having read in your Algae Problems - finding the right balance (http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4996) thread that your nitrates are 0, I would say the sudden die off was from the lack of sufficient nutrients as water lettuce is a heavy feeder.

[Gramma]

Last night I was beginning to think that was probably the problem with the water lettuce. I guess the slimy roots were probably algae. I am having a slight problem with the hornwort as well, but that can be salvaged. I knew my nitrates were 0, but everything looked fine in spite of it, until suddenly there was a mess. I was actually going to post about it this am. Just goes to show you how many nutrients that the plants use.

[Pamelajo]

Remind me next spring to add them to my barrel. Please.


That reminds me Jay trim your plants.

[CACAdmin]

Remind me next spring to add them to my barrel. Please.


That reminds me Jay trim your plants.

If I get them to last over winter, I can send you some. As for trimming my plants... hmmm... thanks for reminding me. I just looked at the tanks and I guess I will have to do that again soon.

[Gramma]

For a while there I thought I was going to be able to send everyone some. :laugh: