I have a 29g that has an overgrown pl*co that continues to uproot
everything, but it's more my fault that his... He's too big, I would like to
get a bigger tank, but just got married and can't afford it, so we'll be
keeping him for a few more months, or until after winter and give to a
friend with a 450g pond....

Q: How do you keep a plant in the gravel, with a fish that is so big, every
turn he makes pulls it up?
A: Clay/TerraCotta pots 'could' be an answer, but then what do you put in
with them, just gravel? how about some clay, or some dirt that has been
un-ferted?

Q: Is there a way to take dirt from your yard, unferted, and put into your
aquarium? not potting soil, not anything special, just a little dirt...

I've got two Anubias, that recently developed a case of black brush algae...
had to take the entire tank apart to fix it, but now I've got some little
patches that came back, and I'm not sure if that's what it is.. it's small,
I can live with it... anyone care to take a look? bad picture so it
probably won't matter anyway....

ok, that's it for now.. I'm all typed out...

RedForeman ©® wrote:
keeping him for a few more months, or until after winter and give to a
friend with a 450g pond....

The pleco will likely die next winter anyway if left outdoors.


--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

You could try surrounding the plants with larger rocks so that the
fish can't knock into the base or dig them up. Pots might work, too -
I've never tried that - but I'd fill them with gravel heavy enough to
keep the plants down and a little laterite for root feeders.
Cris

On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 10:32:27 -0400, "RedForeman ©®"
wrote:

I have a 29g that has an overgrown pl*co that continues to uproot
everything, but it's more my fault that his... He's too big, I would like to
get a bigger tank, but just got married and can't afford it, so we'll be
keeping him for a few more months, or until after winter and give to a
friend with a 450g pond....

Q: How do you keep a plant in the gravel, with a fish that is so big, every
turn he makes pulls it up?
A: Clay/TerraCotta pots 'could' be an answer, but then what do you put in
with them, just gravel? how about some clay, or some dirt that has been
un-ferted?

Q: Is there a way to take dirt from your yard, unferted, and put into your
aquarium? not potting soil, not anything special, just a little dirt...

I've got two Anubias, that recently developed a case of black brush algae...
had to take the entire tank apart to fix it, but now I've got some little
patches that came back, and I'm not sure if that's what it is.. it's small,
I can live with it... anyone care to take a look? bad picture so it
probably won't matter anyway....

ok, that's it for now.. I'm all typed out...

they have two 125's they keep in basement for all the inhabitants to stay
during winter months... he was going to heat the pond until he got an
estimate on the cost of it... quite high...
"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
RedForeman ©® wrote:
keeping him for a few more months, or until after winter and give to a
friend with a 450g pond....

The pleco will likely die next winter anyway if left outdoors.


--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

RedForeman ©® wrote:
they have two 125's they keep in basement for all the inhabitants to stay
during winter months... he was going to heat the pond until he got an
estimate on the cost of it... quite high...

It is indeed unrealistic to heat an outside pond, in most places anyway.
However, most pond fish will easily survive the winter provided the surface
of the water is kept from freezing. An airstone-type thing works for most
folks. Where is your friend located? A friend of mine here in Austin covers
his pond with plastic in the winter and his tropical lillies keep on blooming
all year round! I'll move my pl*cos to his pond for the winter once it gets
cold around early December.

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...
RedForeman ©® wrote:
they have two 125's they keep in basement for all the inhabitants to stay
during winter months... he was going to heat the pond until he got an
estimate on the cost of it... quite high...

It is indeed unrealistic to heat an outside pond, in most places anyway.
However, most pond fish will easily survive the winter provided the
surface
of the water is kept from freezing. An airstone-type thing works for most
folks. Where is your friend located? A friend of mine here in Austin
covers
his pond with plastic in the winter and his tropical lillies keep on
blooming
all year round! I'll move my pl*cos to his pond for the winter once it
gets
cold around early December.

Eastern Tennessee... unpredictable winters, sometimes nothing, but other
times, we've hit -10, but we really average about 20dF during the winter,
but it starts in Dec., ends in March...

RedForeman ©® wrote:
"Victor M. Martinez" wrote in message
...

RedForeman ©® wrote:

they have two 125's they keep in basement for all the inhabitants to stay
during winter months... he was going to heat the pond until he got an
estimate on the cost of it... quite high...

It is indeed unrealistic to heat an outside pond, in most places anyway.
However, most pond fish will easily survive the winter provided the

surface

of the water is kept from freezing. An airstone-type thing works for most
folks. Where is your friend located? A friend of mine here in Austin

covers

his pond with plastic in the winter and his tropical lillies keep on

blooming

all year round! I'll move my pl*cos to his pond for the winter once it

gets

cold around early December.


Eastern Tennessee... unpredictable winters, sometimes nothing, but other
times, we've hit -10, but we really average about 20dF during the winter,
but it starts in Dec., ends in March...

-10...must be tough...(don't worry, I'm just saying that because I have
BAD winters)

I like to have ponds, but in North Dakota, I have two problems: the
water gets too hot in the summer, and it's too cold in the winter. I
had two ponds, but now I have none. In summer, depending on the day,
the water could reach a temperature of 110, easily, with direct
sunlight. Two days later, the water might be 55 or 60. In the winter,
however, it is not unusual for a temperature to be below -30 for weeks
on end. After a while, I just became to frustrated to keep on doing it.
So now, what I sometimes will do (depending on the year), is put a few
fish (usually guppies or golfish) in a kiddie pond in a well shaded
area. I cover the top with poultry wire over the top to protect from
birds, and have snails in it to keep it clean. They have a steady diet
of insects, occasional worms, occasional catfood, occasional other
"treats", and they live just fine. I really wish that I could get back
into this on a real level. I just want everyone to realize how lucky
they are in terms of weather for this hobby.

AD

About Dakota wrote:
water gets too hot in the summer, and it's too cold in the winter. I
had two ponds, but now I have none. In summer, depending on the day,
the water could reach a temperature of 110, easily, with direct
sunlight. Two days later, the water might be 55 or 60. In the winter,

Let me guess, a shalow pond with a black bottom? About the worse thing
you can get for fish... Our pond never gets over 78-80 degrees, even
in the middle of August when the air temperature never drops below 75 and
is usually over 100. It does get shade in the middle of the day and it's
3 feet deep.

however, it is not unusual for a temperature to be below -30 for weeks
on end. After a while, I just became to frustrated to keep on doing it.

I'm pretty sure there are folks up north who have ponds. If you are interested,
you could ask on rec.ponds how they do it.

--
Victor M. Martinez

http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

Victor M. Martinez wrote:
About Dakota wrote:

water gets too hot in the summer, and it's too cold in the winter. I
had two ponds, but now I have none. In summer, depending on the day,
the water could reach a temperature of 110, easily, with direct
sunlight. Two days later, the water might be 55 or 60. In the winter,


Let me guess, a shalow pond with a black bottom? About the worse thing
you can get for fish... Our pond never gets over 78-80 degrees, even
in the middle of August when the air temperature never drops below 75 and
is usually over 100. It does get shade in the middle of the day and it's
3 feet deep.


however, it is not unusual for a temperature to be below -30 for weeks
on end. After a while, I just became to frustrated to keep on doing it.


I'm pretty sure there are folks up north who have ponds. If you are interested,
you could ask on rec.ponds how they do it.


I live out in the country, and thus have no trees to provide shelter to
these ponds. One was about 4 1/2 feet deep, the other 6 feet deep. The
problem would be that because it is prairie with few trees, most area
get sunlight for extended hours, especially in summer when we can have
upwards of 18 hours of daylight. I used clear plastick for the botton,
and it was covered in sand.

"RedForeman ©®" wrote in message ...
Q: Is there a way to take dirt from your yard, unferted, and put into your
aquarium? not potting soil, not anything special, just a little dirt...

Is your question whether it's safe, or how to do it? I'm using a soil
underlayer in my tank, with the soil from my backyard. It's been
working great.

If you're asking how to get dirt into an existing tank, either put it
in a pot, or wrap a brick of it in wax paper and insert the brick
under your existing gravel. The wax paper will decay away over time,
and you can speed up the process by stabbing it with a knife after
getting it in place.

- Jim