Unfortunately illegal.
Picked up 2 water lillies and some plants I don’t know the name of; its tropical, floats on the water but has a pretty large continuous stem covered in what looks and feels like foam, and the leaves close up when touched.
It’s finally happening, but it’s actually happening
- Thread starter The Masked Shadow
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Picked up 2 water lillies and some plants I don’t know the name of; its tropical, floats on the water but has a pretty large continuous stem covered in what looks and feels like foam, and the leaves close up when touched.
Water Lilies, even more than fish, really make a pond...a pond, IMHO. Yours look great! Did you buy them complete with leaves already on them like that? I'm assuming you can just leave yours out there all year long, rather than being forced to overwinter them indoors like I must do?
Do you still have your colony of Gymnos outdoors? Depending upon what else you get for the pond, they'd likely do great in there. You wouldn't see them as easily as koi or other "bright" fish but if they're anything like my G.rhabdotus they use pretty much the entire water column and are seen often enough to stay interesting.
Remember, you don't need to get some weird-ass fish that costs an arm and a leg and is never seen. Just because they are shiny and new in the hobby, or because nobody else has them, they won't necessarily make your pond any more interesting or attractive. Hardy, easily-kept and commonly-available fish that are peaceful and, most of all, visible will make your pond fun.
Did someone say goldfish?
Do you still have your colony of Gymnos outdoors? Depending upon what else you get for the pond, they'd likely do great in there. You wouldn't see them as easily as koi or other "bright" fish but if they're anything like my G.rhabdotus they use pretty much the entire water column and are seen often enough to stay interesting.
Remember, you don't need to get some weird-ass fish that costs an arm and a leg and is never seen. Just because they are shiny and new in the hobby, or because nobody else has them, they won't necessarily make your pond any more interesting or attractive. Hardy, easily-kept and commonly-available fish that are peaceful and, most of all, visible will make your pond fun.
Did someone say goldfish?
I do, but they are so small that I think I’d rather get G. Balzanii or Rhabdotus. I would like to get an albino channel cat, so even a couple more inches would be good.
Yeah, I bought them with a couple leaves about a foot off the plant, but they now have quite a few leaves and have about 4’ long stems. They can stay outside all year round, though from what I understand, they stay dormant for a couple months. These were sold to me as ‘hardy lillies’ and marketed as lillies that would survive all year round, while they also had ‘tropical lillies’, which were marketed as ones you take indoors during winter, but my close proximity to the beach makes it so that the only ‘cold’ we get in winter is ~45f; 7c, so i feel like getting one and leaving it out there is an experiment worth trying
Did someone say goldfish?
Potentially. I like comets, but I really like koi
G.balzanii, in my experience, plaster themselves to the bottom of the tank or pond, rarely going more than a couple inches above it. When my adult balzanii were outside for the summer, I quite literally never saw them, beyond an occasional flash of movement if I caught one off-guard by approaching very softly. In a tank, they were disappointing; in a pond, they're a complete waste of time, IMHO.
G.rhabdotus, on the other hand, don't get as big but they have sparkling personalities and swim all over the place, feeding even from the surface. I would have thought that G.terrapurpura would be similar? They're definitely a better choice than the sunfish you have mentioned a few times; they won't bother anybody else and don't even do more than the very occasional lip-lock with each other when you have a bunch of pairs breeding simultaneously. They are...dare I say this?...nice, non-psychopathic cichlids. Shhhh...don't tell
FINWIN
that I admitted that.
My water lilies were sold as "semi-hardy", which means that I am still supposed to overwinter them indoors...but my lowest temps will be an occasional -45F rather than +45F so not really comparable. I started with one, divided and sub-divided it several times over a number of years, even left some outside for a couple of winters with complete success...and then last summer (2024) they all failed to come back to life in the spring. I got two more for the 2025 season, both did well, lots of pads, lots of blooms, but I'm taking them in this week now that all the leaves have yellowed and died. They look just like yours, no idea what the actual variety is. It must be nice to just plant them and leave them.
The albino Channel Cat idea sounds great; they get big and they will eat smaller fish but they're definitely slow growers, they tame nicely and are active, and an albino will look great and be easily seen.
You're very lucky to have your parents on-board with your pond project. Make sure you keep them that way by having attractive and easily-visible fish in there and maintaining it nicely. Wasting your time and money on some supposedly-cool fish that gets oohs and aahs in a place like MFK means diddly squat to somebody who just wants to see colourful fish; it even gets old fast to the fish-keeper himself if he never sees the rare and exotic Sumatran Tiger-sucker Loach that he just had to have...
G.rhabdotus, on the other hand, don't get as big but they have sparkling personalities and swim all over the place, feeding even from the surface. I would have thought that G.terrapurpura would be similar? They're definitely a better choice than the sunfish you have mentioned a few times; they won't bother anybody else and don't even do more than the very occasional lip-lock with each other when you have a bunch of pairs breeding simultaneously. They are...dare I say this?...nice, non-psychopathic cichlids. Shhhh...don't tell
FINWIN
that I admitted that. My water lilies were sold as "semi-hardy", which means that I am still supposed to overwinter them indoors...but my lowest temps will be an occasional -45F rather than +45F so not really comparable. I started with one, divided and sub-divided it several times over a number of years, even left some outside for a couple of winters with complete success...and then last summer (2024) they all failed to come back to life in the spring. I got two more for the 2025 season, both did well, lots of pads, lots of blooms, but I'm taking them in this week now that all the leaves have yellowed and died. They look just like yours, no idea what the actual variety is. It must be nice to just plant them and leave them.
The albino Channel Cat idea sounds great; they get big and they will eat smaller fish but they're definitely slow growers, they tame nicely and are active, and an albino will look great and be easily seen.
You're very lucky to have your parents on-board with your pond project. Make sure you keep them that way by having attractive and easily-visible fish in there and maintaining it nicely. Wasting your time and money on some supposedly-cool fish that gets oohs and aahs in a place like MFK means diddly squat to somebody who just wants to see colourful fish; it even gets old fast to the fish-keeper himself if he never sees the rare and exotic Sumatran Tiger-sucker Loach that he just had to have...
Terrapurpurra are mostly fine but when they breed, 5/6 of the tank is for the pair…which is a problem because I had 2 pairs. I enjoy watching them from the side anyway.G.rhabdotus, on the other hand, don't get as big but they have sparkling personalities and swim all over the place, feeding even from the surface. I would have thought that G.terrapurpura would be similar? They're definitely a better choice than the sunfish you have mentioned a few times; they won't bother anybody else and don't even do more than the very occasional lip-lock with each other when you have a bunch of pairs breeding simultaneously. They are...dare I say this?...nice, non-psychopathic cichlids. Shhhh...don't tell .avatar--xss { width: 21px; height: 21px; line-height: 21px !important; margin-right: 2px; }
I cant really find any other gymnos than balzanii, anyone know where to find them?
Also as far as substrate goes, is it worth getting pea pebbles? The pump intake is at the very bottom of the pond.
Lastly, are there any algae eating fish worth getting?
Well...there are about 350 rhabdotus in my basement right now...up here in Canuckistan.
Personally, I think that large gravel like that is a completely useless substrate in any tank or pond. The big gaps between pebbles allow uneaten food, plant debris and other detritus to settle into the substrate, where it just sits and does...no good for anybody...
I can think of two that would be perfect. First, my own favourite is the Red-finned Uruguayan pleco Hypostomus laplatae. Fairly bland-looking, although with a nice impressive dorsal fin; these things are the best algae-eaters I have ever had. They get big...18+ inches...and their southern origin makes them very hardy when it comes to cooler water during winter. Mine overwinter with my goldies and Gymnos at temps sometimes down to 50F and they thrive. You won't see them much in your pond, but if you want a big cool-water algae-eater, this is it.
The other cool one is Hypostomus luteus, also from the Uruguay region. I've never had this one, so I am only assuming that it would be cool-tolerant. I want to try them, but I see them only rarely, always as adults and always in the $300 range; not happening for this guy! If I could ever find a few small ones I'd be on them in a flash. Gorgeous colours, not often seen, you'd be the only guy on your block with one in your backyard; it's practically got "The Masked Shadow" tattooed across its back.
Absolutely gorgeous day
You can see the sheer amount of algae on the bottom
Pink Sprite and a Bullrush in the basin
A Papyrus
The Lillies are always beutiful
There has always been dragonflies around due to the patio ponds, but these dudes must scatterbomb eggs.
