Laceleaf and goldfish

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Laceleaf and goldfish
From: gtong at sirius_com (G.Tong)
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 1996 08:50:56 -0800

>From: Stephen.Pushak at saudan_HAC.COM
>Date: Tue, 2 Jan 96 13:47:20 PST
>Subject: Re: (Q) Madagascar Laceleaf (Aponogeton fenestralis)
>
>by temperature. An ideal growing temperature is probably about 72 degrees
>with a dormant cycle temperature of 50-60 degrees. You could expect
>ich problems with most tropicals in the low 70s I think. Goldfish might
>be ok in temps of 50-60 but I have no experience to support that.
>The plant will grow at higher temperatures but less successfully. 75
>might be an ok compromise.

Goldfish are cold water fish but you can expect some degree of dormancy
below 60F, with almost full dormancy at 55F (will hardly move, won't eat).
They are happy between 65F and the low 70s. They appreciate extra
oxygenation through air stones and such when the temp hits 75F. Above that,
the risk of illness or just odd and harmful reactions rises greatly. They
also prefer base pH.

I think of goldfish as little bulldozers. They will nip, plough, and tug at
anything. They particularly like to strip the leaves off cardamine and
ludwigia--not eat them, just strip them. I haven't found many plants to
survive their attentions. Swords and transplanted giant vals (raised in a
plant tank) seem to hold their own. Right now, two're working over the
giant val though and have breached a few leaves.

Greg. Tong
San Francisco, CA, USA
gtong at sirius_com

"Every infinity is composed of only two halves."