I wish I could build a pond in my tiny garden, but with a huge Gleditsia (Honeylocust) tree planted on the fence-line, yikes - it would be a lot of work to keep clean and too shady to attempt. I love watching fish swim about and see living plants grow in water. Relaxes me.
My compromise:
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| Found this great flask/terrarium at Pier 1 Imports. Made in Spain, it's quite durable - with
rather thick glass (weighs a ton without the water), I thought it was
the perfect choice for my new fresh water pets: "Goldie"& 'Gorbie". I've seen
other terrarium style glass bowls and such but all made from glass too
delicate for outside. This one is perfect. |
The small spouted neck will prevent unwanted animals and birds from attempting to grab my fish. Big enough to provide air, to access and clean.
I've added two fresh-water, living plants:
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| Hornwort - ferny plant and Duckweed - lime green butterfly floaters |
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Both plants will oxygenate the water and Goldfish eat Duckweed, when nothing else is available. (Great back-up food source for weekend getaways).
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| Portable enough so that I can take it inside come any change in weather. Still need to find a perfect stand but for now, it nestles into my planters. |
Because Hortwort floats, best to get sinking Goldfish food. That way the fish don't have to tangle and fight with plant life.
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| To help clean the terrarium, this little fresh water snail will help a lot. |
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| I chose goldfish for their tough ability to withstand temperature ranges and for their colouration. 'Goldie' stands out quite well, to give visual interest. |
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| Was glad to find 'Gorbie' (named after Mikhail Gorbachev :) isn't he/she cute? |
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| Best friends. |
I will warn you, this is not the easiest to take care of. Each week, I remove about 1/3 of the water. I have a turkey baster that I use to suck out the waste at the bottom and I wash the bowl once every 2-3 weeks. It is a labour of love, but sooo worth the effort.
This would be great for condo/apartment balconies too.
This looks very pretty, but is horrible for the fish. Single-tail goldfish need at least 50 gallons for the first fish and a lot of filtration. It is a complete myth that goldfish will do well in a bowl. They live much shorter lifespans and die when their organs grow too large for their stunted bodies and they fail. In a proper set-up goldfish can live up to 50 years. Please, if these fish are still alive, give them to a proper home before it is too late for them.
ReplyDeleteIsland Bird - I understand your concern. These two goldfish continue to live and out-grew the terrarium. They lived happily indoors this past winter with a pump. In total, they lived in the terrarium for nearly 8 months. I released them into a garden pond in late June. I use the terrarium now with snails, hornwort and some other aquatic plants. Given I bought feeder goldfish for 25cents/ea, they had a better and longer life than in the gullet of another fish.
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