Mosquitos

[dpatte]

Im thinking of keeping some fish/plants outside this summer. Not really a pond, more like an outdoor aquarium.

What do people do to keep mosquitos and other pests from getting into their ponds and outdoor pools, and catchments?

[Vizerdrix]

You could always put fine netting over top, but that would be an eye sore.  Then again, the mosquito larvae are great live food for the fishes!

[bergenm]

If you are keeping fish, outdoors then insects will not be a problem for you.

I add fantails into my water features and they control the daphnia, mosquitoes, and bloodworms. I have even seen my koi taking worms, spiders, crickets and mosquitoes from above the waterline.

What do you plan on housing them in?

[Steve_2]

Yup, fish will be your best bet. Also, surface water movement usually does not allow mosquitoes to breed in your pond.

Steve

[bergenm]

I have heard that about surface water movement before, although all my water features have bell fountains or spitters and the mosquitoes larva show up every spring - I think you would need a lot of surface movement in order to prevent the larva from reaching the surface.

[Steve_2]

Yeas, and it has to be through-out the whole tank surface. I know in ponds, there are often "dead spots" where the adult mosquitoes can lay their eggs. These spots are often where dense vegetation is found for example.

Having fish is the best solution.

I have goldfish in my pond, along with a lot of surface water movement(big water fall, medium pond) and I have never seen any mosquito larvae.

Steve

[Montrealguy]

I put paradise fish into the pond I care for at work, to get to the shallows goldfish don't. I got to see lots of bubble nests, and my two pairs of very cheap paradises yielded 115 one to two inch fish by fall one year, and 45 last year after roofers messed the pond up mid-summer. I have never caught a mosquito larvae in there...

[dpatte]

thanks for the advice. my goal is to try to grow aquatic plants in storage tubs outside over the summer. i'll go for adding fish - now just have to decide which fish.
do u find that birds/cats/racoons are problems?

[Dorrie]

If mosquitos are your concern, you could always try an experiment with guppies , as mosquito larvae is one of their main natural food source (to the point where they've been introduced in malaria-infested countries).

[bergenm]

White Cloud Mountains might also be a good choice - they are small, fast, inexpensive, can handle outdoor temperatures and love mosquito larva.

[Nerine]

I did the bucket "pond" last year and never had a problem with bugs, in fact saw a decrease in the amount around, guess they were getting too close to the water

I had minnows and danios and they did just fine! plants grew very well too!