Fish Pond - Part 2

Reminiscing my old pictures of my water pond where I keep my goldfish and above all - fastening them with all kinds of aquatic friendly plants which I can get my hands on. This is my Part 2 of the continuation of the story.

I had always loved colored foliage plants especially the red ones - this particular of my strong interest when they turn to those rosy tones when exposed well in the a balanced indirect light. It doesn't get much care except some sprinkles of water from the water pond below.

This one is placed in a hanging basket just above the pond. This Sygonium Pink is truly remarkable specimen.

Finally my love for the Fish pond is the cream with the cherry on top: The Gold Fish.

I have taking care of them for years. I could they that they are a hardy ones - lived with me for so many years - I hope they continue their life journey for another decade. 

They are so tame that they come to the hand when comes to feeding time. Sort of used to it and have no fear. 

The only ordeal is keeping the water pond clean and clear from dirt and debris. I had to change & wash the filters on weekly basis to keep the water from turning murky. Also change quarter of the water quantity in keeping them fresh.

Overall, the plants and the biodiversity that rolls in this system somehow manage to keep everything in their perfect order. Happy Fish and Happy Plants.

I also have a spider that had spun a web across the pond which I would say - it is kind of cool to see these living creatures making a home in this tight space tiny garden. I am still amazed to note that it had lasted so many years and still does continue to web to this day.

Can you spot the Spider?

Also, I am a bit of a crazy when it comes for moss when I find this aquatic type of moss growing by the drain-side. I'm still experimenting on it and seeing how well do they fair in my garden condition.

It had eventually evolved when more plants started to grow and introduced together with it. Sort of like a symbiotic gardening putting all of the plants together.

Fish Pond - Part 1

Reminiscing my old pictures of my water pond where I keep my goldfish and above all - fastening them with all kinds of aquatic friendly plants which I can get my hands on.

Somehow the beauty of keeping them colorful and interesting can prove to be challenging when they overgrow or becomes leggy. Sometimes they don't do so well in this aquatic setting - as they prove to be more of a trial and error basis plants.

Here are in the collection of the types of pothos and philodendron.

The overall at the beginning when things look bare and empty. The staghorn fern takes the dominant position and the rest are slowly setting in.

Some plants did well in the inital stage like the Dumbcane species but slowly they didn't cut out well in this setting as they slowly started to have root rot - perhaps, it was too humid or wet and didn't get much air movement as they always look limp. 

However, after removing them and placing them more to a sunnier side - they picked up better in that condition. As I mentioned - most of the times, it is more of the trial and error basis. 

I'm guessing - the factor of trying it out and identifying what works best and what don't actually makes a lot of difference in this experimenting gardening.

The proverbial Turtle and the Hare story (here is very much a Doe) was very much challenging to me as each season - I have to constantly change the plants as they don't seem to do well in this condition.

In the beginning, it appears to be OK, but slowly diminish and becomes bare.

It is still work in progress to identify what works and what don't.

The Sun appears to shine brighter here only during the first few month during the Year especially (Jan-March) and the light slowly shifts out to other direction making this place very shaded and wet, which explains why most of the plants can't manage the humidity jump.

Regardless the challenge faced, I somehow find these particular types do so well in this condition, especially pothos, philodendron and sygoniums. These do have beautiful colored varieties that brighten up this place.

I also find that they have root sensitivity that once they had adjusted themselves in these aquatic conditions - they can't switch back to the soil medium like an ordinary plant - often when I do so - they slowly succumb to root rot and wither away. I'm guessing that they had been too long in wet feet that they just don't have the legs to stand back to the ground - figuratively speaking.

I would say, they are kind of ideal to put them in water for a week or two for their roots to grow and stabilize but they are not meant to be there in long term basis - unless, you intend to put your spares here just to add colors - then by all means go ahead, but to put your only collection here can be high at risk.

 

I also found that Satin Pothos do not like wet feet. I had placed a cutting here and it had slowly rotten away and was very disappointed at the outcome of it.  I guess not everything of the "pothos" ariod types like wet feet.

I also tried with this particular type: Dragontail plant and I find that it does fairly well in this condition compared to the ones planted in soil medium - infact they had grown better roots and very much stable to be transplanted back to soil medium.

I didn't want to have too many of these as they can grow big and become a handful & had graciously gifted to many of friends who had loved having them in their garden collection.

Do check out my part 2 on this journey of my fish pond with my challenges facing with aquatic plants, well - they are water tolerant per say.

Plants with Fish pond

  It amazes me to discover, the life and times of a water pond,
Occasionally cats drink from the fountain, the plants and ...

Oh.. I wish for a wider scope of wildlife:
frogs, dragonflies, mayflies, spiders, salamanders and docile amphibians
but I guess - I have to settle with this.

I had spotted few times, kingfisher flies around my housing area,
something that I dread as I don't want to sacrifice my goldfish as food for them.

Nor would I welcome any snakes, monitor lizards or storks..
Predators of the fish eating kind.

The menace with the rats is not over yet, even with cats around

its not helping very much. Sometimes - toppling off my pots, ruining the plants by digging the soil off from the roots...

I still have to find a way to get rid of them.. Urrggh!

Fish pond

Very much earlier, I preferred guppies, platties and swordtails as the dominant species in my pond.
I even introduced mollies - but the fact remains that they are slow to populate and the pond is basically empty.
 

Then I decided to introduce Goldfish
And now, that is the game changer, they are big and passive - well, in a way I can still maintain my original residence without being devoured.

I tried introducing different species of goldfish and their various colours but somehow - they preferred the main majority - golden orange.
Others, like white - find difficult to get into the crowd, isolated and died.

Even the bubble-eye blacks don't seemed to get in.

So far, I'm just maintaining on these.
They are quite healthy and no causality so far.