aphids & ladybugs

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HarleyK

HarleyK

Canister Man
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Aug 17, 2005
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Howdy,

I have a problem with my water lettuce (floating plants): Aphids seem to have found a new home on its leaves. Well, I guess I can't spray insectizides, and I don't really want to throw the entire batch out, since it won't be until next year pond season that I can find it in stores again. Has anyone of you had aphids before, and how did you get rid of them? I was thinking maybe ladybugs?! My butterfly fish would like those, too ;) . But then: They're red. Mother nature normally paints dangerous life forms red. Has anyone of you fed your fish with ladybugs before?

Thanks,

HarleyK
 
Some fish like sunnies will eat them but my butterfly just spit them back out, they apparently don't taste good (not that I have eaten them), my cat didn't like the one he started to eat and he licks his own butt. Try pulling out all the water lettuce, sloshing it around with some white vinegar in the tub, then giving it a good fw rinse before returning it to your tanks, might not get rid of them all so you will have to repeat as needed, but it can't hurt to try. If you don't rinse the plants thoroughly it might lower you ph a tad.
 
I tried washing off the aphids on my lemon tree, but they are just attached to the stems and "immovable". Is it feasible to wash them in warm water or ice water?
 
hardb0iled said:
You could maybe try submersing them under water for a few hours and hopefully the aphids will either bail out or drown?
Click to expand...

Great Idea, that also dawned on me as I was sitting in front of the tank last night: It's their home, let the fish do the work! So I tied the roots together with a rubberband and sank the bouquet with a fishing weight. Now the swordtails and the gouramis have to work for their dinner while I watch :D As a matter of fact, tghey started picking bugs off right away :woot: I'll keep you all posted how it worked

HarleyK
 
Vince said:
I tried washing off the aphids on my lemon tree, but they are just attached to the stems and "immovable". Is it feasible to wash them in warm water or ice water?
Click to expand...
This won't work for tank plants but for your lemon tree try a spray bottle filled with 1 part dish soap and 5 parts water, spray all the affected areas thoroughly them wait an hour and hose off with clean water, it will kill most of the aphids. Follow up a couple times by repeating the spray and rinse on any concentration of aphids you see.
Sorry Harley, I should have thought to ask what other fish you had in there. I have given tetra tanks a "treat" by giving them aphid covered marsh marygolds to pick at, they love them.
 
Howdy,

Just a follow-up: I submerged all waterlettuce for three days and wiped the glass of the tank above water level thoroughly to remove possible remaining individuals. I also didn't feed my fish. They did a great job and picked off all aphids. When I let the water lettuce rise to the surface again, its leaves were pretty unhappy, they started to decompose. But new growth started within a day, and now it's all green and flourishing again. I have not seen any aphid since. If they come back, I'll simply do the same thing again.

Thanks for all your input! :thumbsup:
HarleyK
 
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