Fish in my water bucket?

I have 2 big styrofoam containers that I'm using to catch rainwater. Problem is, mosquitos like to lay their eggs there, too. I'd like to put a couple of goldfish in the tubs to eat the larvae as I've done in the past. But here's my question. I've been keeping a little Miraclegro in the water so my trees get just a little every watering. Will the Miraclegro kill the fish? Anybody tried it? Thanks, y'all.

Libby

I have thought about that in the past but the problem I came to is the collection of the rain water is for the purpose of watering and if you put fish in there you are limited in the amount of water you can use. Also I would be ever worried of scooping up a fish in the watering can. Mosquito dunks which contain Bacillus thuringiensis v. israelensis that kill the larvae are pretty common and that is what I use in my rain barrels. Hope that helps

No expert on fish but I believe it is down to the Ph value for fishies. Maybe it would make the them grow?

Mike

Mike Jones wrote:No expert on fish but I believe it is down to the Ph value for fishies. Maybe it would make the them grow?

Mike

Maybe!

If it is just a little fertilizer your fish will be fine...lots of folks that do aquariums with live plants use it all the time. A more tolerant fish, which has certainly proven to be good and bad in terms of invasive species is most likely native to your area...mosquito fish and can be harvested from just about any small creek, pond, ditch, river, lake, swamp, etc...in the southern US with a small dip net. They will eliminate the larvae and survive in ever changing conditions. I have used them often through the years.

John

Fathead minnows from your local bait and tackle will do the trick. And you know what you can do with them on a cool afternoon!

Fertilisers contain high levels of nitrogen based compounds.
Nitrogen based compounds are one of the key things one tries to remove when filtering fishtanks / ponds because it is harmful to fish.

Putting miracle-gro in an environment where you are keeping fish is a bad idea in my view.
However, consider that the fish will themselves be creating wastes - so you'll be getting a bit of natural fertiliser in your water anyway.

Tom wrote:Fertilisers contain high levels of nitrogen based compounds.
Nitrogen based compounds are one of the key things one tries to remove when filtering fishtanks / ponds because it is harmful to fish.

Putting miracle-gro in an environment where you are keeping fish is a bad idea in my view.
However, consider that the fish will themselves be creating wastes - so you'll be getting a bit of natural fertiliser in your water anyway.

agreed...but we are not talking about an aquarium or a pond here...something with a large fish load... a couple of mosquito fish and a low dose of fertilizer will not be problem...as you recognize, nitrifying bacteria will immediately start breaking down any ammonia and nitrites from the fertilizer...leaving just the nitrates for the plants:)

I have been keeping fish and aquatic plants for nearly 40 years now. I am down to just a well-stocked koi pond currently. Most of the fish have been with me for more than decade. I water my bonsai nearly everyday from the pond...amounts to about a 10% water change...the plants love the fish water and the fish love the water change..hard to beat a win-win.

Actually, the secret is to add the Miraqcle Grow to your watering can after you pull it out of the rain barrel. You might also look into a solar powered bubbler for the tank to keep the O2 levels up for the fish. If they do a good job holding back the larvae, yo might also have to add fish food to keep them healthy.

We have several coworkers who have fish tanks, once every week or two they pull 1/4 to 1/3 the tank water out an d use it to water their office plants w/o the added fertilizer. Then top off the tanks.

Jay

All the rain collection setup I've come across had a mesh covering the top...much like window screen. This keeps the mosquitos out and adding fertilizer isn't an issue.

Best of Luck

Screen is a good idea. Also something that keeps the water moving would work too. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.

jgeanangel wrote:

Tom wrote:Fertilisers contain high levels of nitrogen based compounds.
Nitrogen based compounds are one of the key things one tries to remove when filtering fishtanks / ponds because it is harmful to fish.

Putting miracle-gro in an environment where you are keeping fish is a bad idea in my view.
However, consider that the fish will themselves be creating wastes - so you'll be getting a bit of natural fertiliser in your water anyway.

agreed...but we are not talking about an aquarium or a pond here...something with a large fish load... a couple of mosquito fish and a low dose of fertilizer will not be problem...as you recognize, nitrifying bacteria will immediately start breaking down any ammonia and nitrites from the fertilizer...leaving just the nitrates for the plants:)

I have been keeping fish and aquatic plants for nearly 40 years now. I am down to just a well-stocked koi pond currently. Most of the fish have been with me for more than decade. I water my bonsai nearly everyday from the pond...amounts to about a 10% water change...the plants love the fish water and the fish love the water change..hard to beat a win-win.

Pretty fish, pretty photo!

John that is a stunning golden butterfly one of the best exampels I have seen most have some other color like a errant black scale but this one looks pure gold do you have more pics of it?

Nice kohaku top left!

Seth Ellwood wrote:John that is a stunning golden butterfly one of the best exampels I have seen most have some other color like a errant black scale but this one looks pure gold do you have more pics of it?

Here you go Seth.. She has never grown like I thought she should...I have seen longfins in the plus 20# class and over 3' long. This is probably 18" with her tail...she about 2" when I got her.
John

prestontolbert wrote:Nice kohaku top left!

Thanks! It is actually Kikisui which is a doitsu platinum kohaku.

Thanks,
John

Wow, I didn't notice the doitsu scales. Super fish.

Depending on amount of fish you stock in your tank a monthly water change would be a disaster, as many people have said a 20 % water change weekly is ok for most types of tropical fish ,If you using tap water add aqua-safe to the clean water.