MohanBabu
I have hoped to create a small water body in my garden. But I did not do it for long since any fresh water body would attract mosquitoes in our place. Mosquitoes thrive in large numbers in tropical regions and a water body makes the problem worse. Then I considered using fish to keep such a water body mosquito-free. Protecting fish from birds would pose another challenge that I had dropped the idea.
It was only early this year we picked up a small cement tray from a neighborhood plant nursery. This cement tray is the same as the ones used in construction sites, but I wanted to use it as a permanent water body in my garden. I added a few guppies onto this water body. The guppies are very adaptive creatures and have learnt to survive here for the last six months. Crows often drink water from this tray and occasionally swallow a few guppies. Still, the guppies have survived for long keeping the water body mosquito-free and clean.
I have a few waterlily ponds in my garden. All the fish that I had put inside were eaten up but as the lilies thrived the fish came back in numbers. They just hide under the leaves now.
The water lily and the other plant (Java Moss I think) that we tried earlier died after a week. The fishes managed to survive in the bare tray. Now after 6 months, I tried water lily and the other plant. They look healthy for over two weeks and I see new leaves coming out. The underwater greenery should create an illusion of extra space for the guppies.
I read about guppies when I was a kid, and how they eat mosquito larvae.
I’m glad your little water body with guppies has been successful for so long. ?
Thanks sabtraversa. I hope the guppies survive and keep the water tray clean.
This looks like a great idea for my garden!
Sure Carol. Give it a shot.
use ecology to beat ecology
We used to catch guppies in a creek to sell it. I didn’t know then that guppies are predators of mosquito.
Wow. That is great. I am curious to know the reasons for buying guppies. Was it just for use in indoor fish tanks or something else?
That’s a great idea, it looks wonderful.
As of now, only the fish survive but the plants did not. Hoping to get the plants back inside this tray.
I agree with Grace ……….
?. As I have just told her, it is too small to accommodate a fountain.
Birds could finish your guppies in course of time. Why don’t you have a small fountain. You can do that with just a half hp pump.
It is too small to support a fountain. The fishes manage to survive for over two months now. Few might have been eaten by crows but they survive in good numbers.
It sounds awesome there. The guppies are thriving. They look very happy. What a great idea. How deep is it?
It is very small. The tray is just about one and a half feet in diameter with a depth of about 4 or 5 cm.
Okay, thank you. I am trying to think of a water feature for my small yard. This kind of thing would be perfect.