So about 6 months ago, I got some pass-along plants for my pond, which wasn't yet completed. I put them in a huge plastic storage tub. (About 30" diameter and 2 1/2 feet deep.) The water got stinky initially, so I did one water change. I weighted and bagged a couple of lily bulbs and sunk them to the bottom. There was hornwort, parrot's feather, and a few other plants in there. Some snails had hitched a ride as well.
I put in an airstone just to keep the water moving a bit.
Fast forward to now. There is a ton of string algae encasing the hornwort, but I'm absolutely amazed at the water quality in this tub. I have totally ignored it, other than to harvest a few plants to move to my pond. The water is as clear as drinking water. I'm so surprised at this, especially since a small amount of water has a greater likelihood of getting funky. There must just be a perfect balance of plants to snail poop.
Now if I can just get that same balance going in the real pond!!!!!! It's been running about 2 months now. The water is clear, but tinted greenish-brown. Fish are thriving but the plants are not. I guess it will just take some time!
I put in an airstone just to keep the water moving a bit.
Fast forward to now. There is a ton of string algae encasing the hornwort, but I'm absolutely amazed at the water quality in this tub. I have totally ignored it, other than to harvest a few plants to move to my pond. The water is as clear as drinking water. I'm so surprised at this, especially since a small amount of water has a greater likelihood of getting funky. There must just be a perfect balance of plants to snail poop.
Now if I can just get that same balance going in the real pond!!!!!! It's been running about 2 months now. The water is clear, but tinted greenish-brown. Fish are thriving but the plants are not. I guess it will just take some time!
