Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 Was looking for feedback on which plants to put in my summer tubs.i have plans for 3 - 20 gallons and 1 - 40 gallon ponds/tubs. I was going to pick up a 4 pack of water Lilly rhizomes, water sprite, hornwort, moss (mix of Christmas and Java), bacopa, and floating some water lettuce. We are in USDA zone 6. Won’t be ready usually for fish until May or June was just hoping to get them going cycling and be ready when nighttime temps hit the mark. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 1 hour ago, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Was looking for feedback on which plants to put in my summer tubs.i have plans for 3 - 20 gallons and 1 - 40 gallon ponds/tubs. I was going to pick up a 4 pack of water Lilly rhizomes, water sprite, hornwort, moss (mix of Christmas and Java), bacopa, and floating some water lettuce. We are in USDA zone 6. Won’t be ready usually for fish until May or June was just hoping to get them going cycling and be ready when nighttime temps hit the mark. We’ve seen success with water lettuce and hornwort. It depends on how much sun vs shade you go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 @Fish Folk I have the largest one that will have partial morning sun south facing with an awning and 3 that will be partial afternoon sun on the northwest of our house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 19, 2021 Share Posted April 19, 2021 4 minutes ago, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: @Fish Folk I have the largest one that will have partial morning sun south facing with an awning and 3 that will be partial afternoon sun on the northwest of our house. You’ll be surprised how intense sunlight gets. Just be prepared for some die-off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 19, 2021 Author Share Posted April 19, 2021 It will be a year of learning that’s for sure. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy's Fish Den Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 You might have to trim back lily pads, as some water lilies can get quite large. I had a 8x10 foot pond at a house I used to live in and I had two lilies in there and probably 60-70% of the surface was covered in lily pads. I am planning on having a tub or two this summer, and will have water lettuce, hornwort and a couple dwarf lilies in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 2 hours ago, Andy's Fish Den said: You might have to trim back lily pads, as some water lilies can get quite large. I had a 8x10 foot pond at a house I used to live in and I had two lilies in there and probably 60-70% of the surface was covered in lily pads. I am planning on having a tub or two this summer, and will have water lettuce, hornwort and a couple dwarf lilies in them. Exactly what I was going to say. Water lilies can get very, very large. If you want a flowering plant, water hyacinths would be a good option. They'll grow rapidly, like really rapidly, and flower from time to time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDukeAnumber1 Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 15 hours ago, Fish Folk said: You’ll be surprised how intense sunlight gets. Just be prepared for some die-off. Assuming @Beardedbillygoat1975 is not an interstellar traveler new to earth, I bet they have experienced sunlight before, 😜 But I get what you are saying lol. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Folk Posted April 20, 2021 Share Posted April 20, 2021 1 minute ago, TheDukeAnumber1 said: Assuming @Beardedbillygoat1975 is not an interstellar traveler new to earth, I bet they have experienced sunlight before, 😜 But I get what you are saying lol. LOL . . . we totally fried everything except Water Lettuce, since our tub was unshaded . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 Thanks everybody. I’m sure I’ll make some mistakes but it’ll be fun trying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 21 hours ago, Fish Folk said: LOL . . . we totally fried everything except Water Lettuce, since our tub was unshaded . . . Oddly enough, I'm finding frogbit works outside in full sun for me. At least until we get a frost tonight. It may not survive that. I use 110 gallon stock tanks to collect rain water for my garden and when I was getting ready to dispose of my weekly bowl of excess floaters a week ago this past Saturday, I dumped them into one of the stock tanks that gets full southern exposure. The duckweed's not happy. The salvinia is a goner, but the frogbit is thriving. Days have been 60-ish and nights in the mid to upper 40s so it's not really tropical weather, but the frogbit is growing like mad. It does well in my house also, but I was expecting it to keel over out there and so far, it hasn't. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celly Rasbora Posted April 21, 2021 Share Posted April 21, 2021 I chopped off the two floating leaves of my banana plant and put them in my tub outside. They both have roots starting! Also bought some Azolla caroliniana, as I thought it is so pretty and also native. Also hornwort and dwarf sag for oxygen. It's still colder than I expected (zone 8 and wearing a sweatshirt today!?!), but the plants are thriving. I also have Bacopa caroliniana coming from Aquarium Co-Op. I am excited to be able to buy natives for my tub and also to be on this new adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 21, 2021 Author Share Posted April 21, 2021 @Celly RasboraI did the same with the bacopa on the way, figured I’ll acclimate it to my water and then put it out when nighttime temps get into the 50s/60s. I’ve got some nice water lettuce and some other trimmings I’ll give a go. what are you going to put in livestock wise into your tub(s) @gardenman we are still getting into the 30s-40s at night I feel like I’ll never get going. Might pull a @Dean’s Fishroom and put out some Heaters to get a head start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celly Rasbora Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 @Beardedbillygoat1975I've been wondering why CPD are such a popular choice and if that is available at my local big box stores. (Oh how I wish I had a true LFS!!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 They can do slightly cooler temps I suppose that’s why. I’ve never seen them at Petco / Petsmart but doesn’t mean they don’t have it I think store to store there’s variability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 On 4/21/2021 at 7:51 AM, gardenman said: Oddly enough, I'm finding frogbit works outside in full sun for me. At least until we get a frost tonight. It may not survive that. ... I was expecting it to keel over out there and so far, it hasn't. Frogbit can take a beating. Mine is outdoors year round in Oklahoma City. Even in our harshest winter freezes it still survives, albeit with a little die-off. Yours will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric R Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 (edited) There are several varieties of hardy dwarf waterlilies available that work well in small tubs in zone 6 and like full sun. According to Dr. Ted Coletti's Tub Pond Handbook, Helvola works well for tubs less than 15" in diameter, Joanne Pring or Snow Princess for tubs less than 20" in diameter, Little Sue or Dauben for tubs less than 25" in diameter, and Chromatella, Red Spider, or Sioux for tubs less than 36" in diameter. There are other waterlily varieties, this is just a sampling of ones that have worked well for Dr. Ted. He lives in Northern NJ, which is also zone 6. Water Hawthorne is also a very attractive surface covering plant, similar to water hyacinth (but unlike it, it's not considered invasive in many states), except that it blooms most frequently in the spring and fall, and goes dormant through the summer. It can flower even into winter! I highly recommend his book if you're interested in tubbing, lots of info on containers, plants, fish, how to handle pests, timelines, how to overwinter plants, etc. Edited April 22, 2021 by ererer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 22, 2021 Author Share Posted April 22, 2021 @erererThat’s a great book got the ebook and based most of my decisions on it. Was just fishing for real world experience from other tubbers. It’s an awesome community and really appreciate your time and input. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric R Posted April 22, 2021 Share Posted April 22, 2021 22 minutes ago, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: @erererThat’s a great book got the ebook and based most of my decisions on it. Was just fishing for real world experience from other tubbers. It’s an awesome community and really appreciate your time and input. Well, I'll be trying out Water Hawthorne and at least one of the waterlilies this summer (looking at Sioux right now, though there are a few other varieties up in the NEC auction I might try instead if the price is right). This is my first season, so I can't give you any personal feedback yet! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 23, 2021 Author Share Posted April 23, 2021 @erererlearning together enjoying nature! Can’t wait for us all to share our experiences! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted April 28, 2021 Author Share Posted April 28, 2021 I started my first pond today, 40g resin planter on our front porch. Amazon pond pump and some tetra pond fountain attachments. Used Lava rock, pea gravel, seasoned aquarium gravel and some river rock in the bottom. Put the pump in an aquaponics tray I had with lava rock surrounding it to hold it in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted May 1, 2021 Author Share Posted May 1, 2021 In goes the water lettuce. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 Well I got busy on the front porch pond - grabbed a planter, but in some bacopa, a dwarf Lilly and a water Lilly. For my backyard trio I got 2 coats of Plastidip on the lining of my ceramic planters. I’m still uncertain on the eventual stocking fir the front porch pond - can’t be a sensitive species as the kids are always coming and going and they’re so tempted by the fountain etc. have thought about some comet goldfish vs whiteclouds. Still have some time as nighttime temps are still too low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted May 2, 2021 Author Share Posted May 2, 2021 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted May 5, 2021 Author Share Posted May 5, 2021 Back porch planters are filled with substrate- pea gravel, lava rock, and river rock. Water and water lettuce are in as well as some Fritz 7. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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