Outdoor Pond care "?"

[marisa]

Hi! I am not sure if anyone on the forum can answer this but anyways...

I have a large plastic pond I put my RES turtle in outside during the summer months. It has no filter, but the water is kept clean because I buy masses of plants and a few fish. And I do regular water changes. (The "pond" is a huge heavy duty kid pool. About 1 foot deep, 5 long and 3 wide)

How can I prevent all mosquitos from breeding in it? Someone told me if I have enough fish that should take care of it. Normally I keep Rose Minnows and those common guppies in it. Will these do the trick?

Marisa

[Scotty Allen]

Water Hyacinth is the best plant that I know of for keeping water clean, but your slider may nibble on it. You won't beat guppies for eating the mosquito larvae, they'll flourish with lots of plants for the babies (guppies) to hide in.

[marisa]

Water Hyacinth....o.k. I will check that out. I didn't have any of that last year...

I highly doubt he will touch it. He HATES anything veggie and wouldn't even touch the plants last year. hehehe thanks Scotty!

Marisa

[Jeff_Favelle]

You want plants that are great filters? I manage a water plant nursery. Its my life. Here's a list of plants that filter water like you wouldn't believe:

Cattails
Thalia dealbata
Water cannas (tropical)
Water hyacinths (tropical)
Brooklime
Aquatic Mint
Parrot's Feather
Hornwort
Sedge (numerous cultivars)
Egyptian Papyrus (tropical)
Umbrella Palms (tropical)


Keep in mind that the tropical plants will only be useful outside for maybe 4-6 months of the year.

As for mosquito larvae, even feeder goldfish will take care of them! And they are cheap!

[marisa]

Hey thanks Jeff. I have written that list down.

I only have the "pond" set up for 4 months of the year (the warmest months) so tropical should do alright.

Aside from filtering the water, which plants on that list grow the fastest would you say?

Marisa

[Burmies]

If you have fish in it to take care of the misquitos, the turtles that you put in will take care of all the fish.

Burmies

[Jeff_Favelle]

Cannas grow the fastest by far. They are almost like Bamboo in that you can "see" them grow. They also flower profusely from June-September as long as you keep cutting the flowers back. We can't keep up with the water Cannas around here. Make sure its a WATER Canna you get though. They are also called "Longwoods".

Plus, you can store them the easiest as dry tubers!!! Just put them in sawdust or dry-ish sand until you want to use them the following spring/summer!

[marisa]

Burmies- My turtle is 15 years old, and cares less about fish than he does about plants. And many fish live with him now. He will only eat pellets. But thanks for the warning.

Jeff- thanks those sound like a good choice!

Marisa

[homebrewed]

Hornwort and duck weed kept my pond crystal clear last year. althogh the duckweed was more of a snack for my koi. but like whats already been mentioned, guppies are great for larva control