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RE: [APD] Re: Goldfish as snail control




-----Original Message-----
From: aquatic-plants-bounces+rick703=mts_net at actwin.com
[mailto:aquatic-plants-bounces+rick703=mts_net at actwin.com]On Behalf Of
Diane Brown
Sent: Friday, March 05, 2004 1:01 PM
To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
Subject: [APD] Re: Goldfish as snail control


>
> From: MJPinckard <MJPinckard at lbl_gov>
> Subject: [APD] Re: Snails
> To: aquatic-plants at actwin_com
>
> The bit about goldfish being "coldwater" fish and therefore not
> suitable
> for a heated tank is over exaggeration... there may be other reasons
> why
> a goldfish isn't suitable (size of fish, omnivorous eating habits etc.)
> but temperature isn't really one of them. Goldfish are widely adaptable
> and are tolerant of quite cold temperatures (they semi-hibernate if in
> an outdoor pond over the winter), but they don't require cold
> temperatures.
>
>
Quite true....my planted goldfish tank gets to mid-high eighties in the
summer and my common goldfish are just as happy as when it's high
sixties or low seventies in the winter.  And they are super
snail-hunters.   The bigger problem with them as long-term snail
control is that they eat your plants, and are far more destructive to
most plants than are the snails....  So if you know someone who has
some nice healthy small goldfish, drop one or two into your tank for a
few days to snack on your snails, and if they don't seem to get it,
lightly crack the shells of one or two with your tweezers or forceps
and they'll figure it out pretty quick.  But then you have to fish them
out before they start in on your plants.....or you have to redesign the
tank around their appetites.

I started out with a planted goldfish tank, and ended up with a bunch
of other tanks full of happy plants, and one larger tank with very big
pugnacious goldfish and a few sturdy, hardy, but still a little
scraggly plants--net consumers of cuttings from the other tanks despite
the same light, CO2 and fertilizer conditions that keep the other tanks
producing plenty of cuttings.


Diane Brown in St. Louis



I think there is another issue with goldfish that make them unsuitable in a
tropical fish tank and that is the amount of waste they create. Recommended
tank space for goldfish is normally one fish per 10 gallons. They are messy
eaters and create large amounts of waste besides if you have small tropicals
in the tank you will likely find the goldfish ignoring the snails in favour
of the smaller fish.

Rick


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