That Fish Blog – Aquarium Advice and Information

A few weeks ago, a co-worker presented me with a photo, and asked me if I knew what the thing represented in the pic was. I’ve seen a lot of things in my 15 years with That Fish Place (many of which spent in the fish room), but I had never seen the object I was looking at in the pic. My first guess was a bizarre form of algae, as ponds can be home to some strange sludge. Then I contemplated that the mass might be an egg mass of some type, the gel of which possibly being coated or having incorporated algae and muck into it as it floated along. But something still wasn’t right about it. I turned to Google, and with a few quick clicks I found similar photos helping me to identify the blob with relative certainty. It was a freshwater species of Bryozoan! I was familiar with marine forms of bryozoans, but this was quite a different and interesting specimen from others I’d seen, and certainly worth a little more research. Read More »

Few species of pond plants can be compared to the striking foliage and blossoms of the Sacred Lotus, Nelumbo nucifera. The Lotus is native to tropical Asia where it is deeply rooted in cultural symbolism, history, religion and legend. Its large, round leaves and spectacular pink, cream or white flowers are produced by long, buouyant, fibrous roots called rhizomes. The foliage and flowers stand tall above the water’s surface, while the rhizome runs in long strands through the mud or substrate. These plants and their hybrids are prized by pond and water garden enthusiasts and can be show-stopping if cultured and cared for properly. Read More »

It’s that time of year again…time to slip on the rubber boots or waders to clean out the muck accumulated in the bottom of your pond. Though it’s always nice to see our finned friends coming back to the surface to see us after a long Winter, there are also many things we can encounter in the pond that most of us would rather be left unseen. I’m talking about the nasty, writhing, wiggling creatures that take refuge in the muck and dormant filtration. While there are thousands of microscopic creatures in a pond that you will probably never have the opportunity to see, it’s the worms and larvae that you can see with the naked eye that can cause panic or alarm if you don’t know what you’re looking at.  I’d like to take this opportunity to talk to you about a few of the common critters you may find in your pond to hopefully save you some worries in the coming weeks. Read More »