# pond fish I want



## bmwr71 (Jan 30, 2010)

The frog subject made me think of a subject I have looked at here and there for a long while. I can't have gold fish in my ponds as I have a very healthy raccoon population (I hand feed them cookies and they will even sit in my lap and get scratched and are not sewer creatures but cookie monsters). And anyway gold fish are not in scale with G so that can detract from the realism of a layout like having a figure fishing in a pond with these huge golden fish swimming around. Mosquitoes can be a problem and fish can solve that problem. I know that some health departments and such will put fish in water holding areas called "mosquito fish". From what I have seen in researching them, they look pretty much like very plain guppies. These could be just the right size for G scale like maybe the scale size of a big bass and they would eat the wigglers. But I can never find where to buy them. Anyone ever see these for sale?

I remember in my chronological childhood days (that never seemed to end) that an old couple down the street had a small pond in their backyard. I remember it was full of fancy tail guppies. Always wondered if they would survive freezing in the winter or if these people restocked every year?

Doug


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## Andre Anderson (Jan 3, 2008)

Greetings, 

I would go to my local pet store and see if they have any Guppies, they are some times used as feeder fish. When I went to Petco they listed seven different kinds at my local store.


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## Dean Whipple (Jan 2, 2008)

Doug,
I have 2 ponds with Koi, goldfish, and mosquito fish, I don't know were you live but here in southern California the government's "mosquito control" furnish them free.....they would furnish us with a new supply each year if needed....


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Believe it or not, you can normally get the mosquito fish for free from your local city or county government. "vector control" if that term is familiar to you. 

they give them out so you can stop mosquitos 

Greg


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

When I was in college, I was doing a project for a thesis on using electronic current passed through the water to encourage growth in Chlorella (algae). While this provided little if any stimulus for the Chlorella, the electrified trough (there was an electrical gradient) didn't have any mosquito larva where as the control trough was loaded with them. Unforetunately, the side effect was that the coating on the metal on the electrified trough began to peel down exposing the metal where as the control trough didn't do this.

Perhaps a small charge in the water will take care of the problem.


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## Dick Friedman (Aug 19, 2008)

Vector Control is the answer to the mosquito question. Here in Sacramento CA, I just called them, and they dropped a big container of the little buggers into my rather small pond AT NO COST. (I see a charge for "vector conroll" on my County tax bill every year. Now I get some direct benefit from it.) 

Mine lasted a few years, until the goldfish got big enough to eat mosquitoes. I, too, have a racoon problem, but have solved it by buying more feeder goldfish at the pet store. they're really cheap, live 'til about six inches long, then provide a snack for the neighborhood raccoon. Haven't seen his damage since I got an ultransonic critter repeller a couple of years ago.


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## Bill4373 (Jan 3, 2008)

ultrasonic critter control??? I have a scarecrow but that requires having a hose hooked up 24/7.\.\
.


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