So, I was reading around and about today and wondered about something. I've got a 75 gallon rain barrel. I put a mosquito dunk in it, which broke up into pieces and I'm not really too thrilled w/ the mosquito dunk. However, I need a way to keep skeeters out. So....if I bought a couple fish (what kind??) and put them in the rain barrel, well, that wouldn't work would it? I mean, they'd eat the mosquitos right? But there wouldn't be a filter or heck, much light or anything....and how would it affect watering the plants? I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about fish, mind you. Stop laughing! Stop it!!!
Seriously though, I do figure that since I control gnats w/ sundew, I'd love to control skeeters w/ fish! How cool would THAT be? 8)
This isn't really my idea, I swear I read it elsewhere, but was intrigued enough to ask about it.

So, I was reading around and about today and wondered about something. I've got a 75 gallon rain barrel. I put a mosquito dunk in it, which broke up into pieces and I'm not really too thrilled w/ the mosquito dunk. However, I need a way to keep skeeters out. So....if I bought a couple fish (what kind??) and put them in the rain barrel, well, that wouldn't work would it? I mean, they'd eat the mosquitos right? But there wouldn't be a filter or heck, much light or anything....and how would it affect watering the plants? I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about fish, mind you. Stop laughing! Stop it!!!

This isn't really my idea, I swear I read it elsewhere, but was intrigued enough to ask about it.

Heather, you could get some gambusias, they are a livebearing fish that are sometimes known as Mosquito fish. They are also cold hardy and can be found even in the waters around here (i'm in NYC).

They're very prolific and eat tons of mosquito. They were introduced to the waters around here years ago specifically for that purpose.

If you can't find gambusias, you can also probably use any livebearer you can find at the pet store, such as guppies or swords, etc.

:lol:
I would have gotten a mosquito net to drape over the top of the barrel, maybe make a lid with it. It should let the water in and keep the mossies out. That way you wouldn't have to worry about keeping fish fed, alive, etc...

Ok, so it isn't the dumbest idea ever?

Seriously - I am not sure what livebearer means. Sorry, I'm wicked dumb about fish. What about when I siphon the water out of the barrel - will have to watch for fishies? No filter needed? The plants will like the water?

Are they big? Small? don't answer that, I'll search...In the winter, if I retire the rain barrel, what will I do with them? How large a tank would I need? How many would I need to control the bugs in 75 gallons? I'm sorry for all the questions, but I am intrigued! Do they like warm weather also, as it is on my deck and will get some sun in the afternoons.

Oh my....

:lol:

Hey! I said stop that!!! Funny Marcus, very funny. :roll: Besides - fish = 8) and Lien wasn't posting enough! :poke:

FWIW - It does have a cover w/ a screen, and a child safety thing, so if the fishies went it, it will be harder to get them out, also.

Heather, I don't think it's a dumb idea. I think it's pretty cool. I love fish. :D

Ok, so it isn't the dumbest idea ever?

Seriously - I am not sure what livebearer means. Sorry, I'm wicked dumb about fish. What about when I siphon the water out of the barrel - will have to watch for fishies? No filter needed? The plants will like the water?

Are they big? Small? don't answer that, I'll search...In the winter, if I retire the rain barrel, what will I do with them? How large a tank would I need? How many would I need to control the bugs in 75 gallons? I'm sorry for all the questions, but I am intrigued! Do they like warm weather also, as it is on my deck and will get some sun in the afternoons.

Oh my....

No, not dumb. I know people who raise fish in barrels outdoors. Though I know more people who have barrels of water outdoors to raise mosquito larvae for their fish!

Livebearer means they give birth to live young, rather than lay eggs. You'll probably have to watch for fish when you siphon the water, or you could just net whatever goes into the bucket and put back in the barrel.

I'm sure the orchids would do well with the water, a lot of people use old tank water to water their plants.

I'm not sure how many you'll need, maybe a dozen to start, but trust me they will quickly become many many more! Each female releases 10-100 fry every month.

Here are some auctions for "rare" gambusias (and YES, there is an auction site JUST for fish) LOL


http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwlivebearersw&1121032456

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwlivebearersw&1120959282

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?fwlivebearersw&1121034538

For what you want, I wouldn't get those, you can get a couple pairs of mollies or swords at a petstore.

No filtration is okay. The people I know who raise fish in barrels outside don't use anything.

Not sure what you'd do in the winter. . .

You may be able to go to a stream and try to catch some gambusias, though depending on where you are, they may not be that far north. Where are you from again? I've caught gambusia in certain parts of NY, NJ, CT and MA.

Though I know more people who have barrels of water outdoors to raise mosquito larvae for their fish!

Ah- hahahahaha!!! Thank you for making ME laugh this time!

Ok, I will be looking into this, I would much rather this than BT dunks. I imagine though that I should have a clean barrell before I add any fish, yes? Too cool!
I am excited!

If anyone can weigh in on the "what to do in cold weather/winter" please do, that is my remaining concern at the moment.

I imagine though that I should have a clean barrell before I add any fish, yes?

Not necessary, unless there are chemicals in it that'll be harmful to the fish, but other than that, one that's been out for a long time is better, one with algae covering the inside, etc. would be ideal.

I don't know if this would possible, but you *could* drop a heater in it in the winter and maintain it in the mid 60s and the fish should be okay. Or you could drain it and bring the fish indoors...of course you'd then have to have a fish tank inside.

Then one tank turns into two and then before you know it, you have 200.

Then one tank turns into two and then before you know it, you have 200.

I know, G is going to throttle me when (IF :twisted: ) he finds out!

The only thing in the tank is pine pollen and the mosquito dunks. But again, I'd imagine I need to get the latter out of there and drain the tank because I'll want the mosquitoes, yes?

If you're able to find some gambusias in your local waters, then you could just release them back in the winter. But agiaqn, i don't know if there are any there. You could find some other local fish. .. perhaps some of the other fish people here will know what's local to your area.

If you're able to find some gambusias in your local waters, then you could just release them back in the winter. But agiaqn, i don't know if there are any there. You could find some other local fish. .. perhaps some of the other fish people here will know what's local to your area.

Thanks Lien!
I'm draining my (full) barrell now as we are in the midst of hurricane remnants, so I've a good chance of refilling it w/ fresh water by morning.

For what it's worth, I'm in central Mass. Worcester County, Shirley Village. :D

I used to just put fantail and comet goldfish in my barrel in the summer and then overwinter them in a little aquarium in the guest room. They did a good job taking care of the skeeters and got big and gorgeously gold and glossy from that live food over the summer.

However.....

As my loyal following knows my world is one of shade. In this case that means trees and the fish, even my beloved Goldie couldn't keep the leaves and other falling detritis out of my barrel. So, I fashioned a lid out of a bicycle wheel rim with window screen laced to it with wire. It kept out the leaves and twigs but allowed the downspout to fill the barrel. But then I had to feed the fish since they weren't getting bugs.

So, long story short (too late, I know) I no longer have fish, mosquitoes or gunky leaves in my barrel. It's not very romantic, but it's easy and low-maintenance. 8)

Mark

All of the above is good advice.....I am one of the crazy people that has barrels of water outside for the skeeters to feed my killies in the house. If you just buy feeder guppies they will take care of your problem. They are cheap and you can just let them die in the Winter.....I know not very PC, but they are just common guppies.

I put fish outside in my ponds to eat skeeters and they seem to really grow and their colors are much more intense than indoor fish.

Just about any reasonably sized tropical fish store should be able to guide you on what will work in your area. Besides winter, the only issue should be movement of water and quite a few need some sort of water movement instead of "dead" water. Both issues can easily be resolved with a submersible heater and an air wand or two. Something to be wary of are the cheap goldfish in quantities because they'll foul your water quickly. One or two as someone said earlier is decent but a group leaves nasty stuff settling to the bottom.

If you want to try it out and see how it works for you, pick up about $2 worth of guppy feeder fish in a local store for a first attempt. They're cheap, prolific, voracious and hearty plus come with a few interesting colors. If you get them, be sure to float the bag in the water until the temperatures are the same before letting them loose and it's a good idea to slowly mix the barrel water in the container water so they get used to the chemical change.

As to a population explosion, if it fits in a fishes mouth and there's no place to hide, the babies become food too so I doubt you'll have any problems. While you're in the fish store, look at some surface floating plants (cheap too) for your barrel. The plants thrive when the water is suitable for them and the fish making it also excellent for the orchids (and babies to hide).

WOW! Wow! You guys are awesome!
I'm gonna get me some fishies! :clap2:

Truly, very cool, I am totally excited! New pets for the orchids! Now all I need are some leezards! 8)
AND I have a newly fresh/full rain barrell, and an extra 20 gallons, AND the deck is holding! GOOD morning! :whoo:

I've just got to this late in the game so let me just tell you a tale to begin with.

Here in Australia (as in the US I suspect) there was a time when we didn't have piped water. We used Rainwater tanks. Strangely, I'm old enough to remember them. Here's where it gets weird. To stop mosquito larvae we put kerosene (I kid you NOT) in our tanks. This lighter(?) than water fluid formed a barrier which stopped mosquitoes from laying their eggs.

Yes, the water did taste weird. Ocassionally (and sadly) Green Tree frogs would get through the mesh but that's another story.

The Green Tree frogs add another facet to this storey Paphgirl - The mosquito fish referred to earlier are literally a pest here. They control mosquito larvae fine. They also kill tadpoles big time. Live bearers take very little looking after - If you have frogs and you want to keep them (they eat heaps more bugs than fish) then may I suggest Pacifc blue eyes? They're frog friendly.

Paphgirl - Where's your tap?

Stephan

Interesting, Stephan!

My tap? On the barrell? On the bottom of the tank. I will have to probably watch for overflow, and get a little net to put over the tap when I am draining water off for the plants. Then, I can just toss the fishies back in the top.

Oh, O.K. :-)

Oh and it's not such a dumb idea - my sister did much the same thing last year.

Have a nice day

Cheers
Stephan

Okay, well, my fish frenzy went south. :( No one had mossies and the feeder guppies the good store was out of and the not as good store said they wouldn't eat mosquitoes. Also, I had seen a website saying that Rosy Red Guppies were good mosquito eaters, and the second store had Rosey Red Minnows, which looked the same. Are guppies and minnows the same thing?

The first store I trust more in general, and have bought other things there all my life. All my gerbils. They now specialize in fish and reptiles though. I thought the blue water lizard was COOL!! My first kitty came from them also. :) In addition, the woman there seemed knowledgable, looked up pond plant info for me, discouraged me from buying a pump that was more than I needed, and goldfish, and has a mother who grows orchids she feeds w/ her fish water. So, I think I'll keep hunting for some Mossies for the cooler months, and get some guppies in the meantime.

What do you guys think? Ok plan?
She also told me a good place to find pond plants. And that if I got comets I'd attract heron. Not sure I want heron on my deck, or that they could get in (and back out!) of my barrell.

No one had mossies and the feeder guppies the good store was out of and the not as good store said they wouldn't eat mosquitoes

What are mossies? And feeder guppies will definately eat the mosquitoes. They eat the larvae.

Mossies ... er, I was too lazy to type out mosquitos :embarass: And I wasn't quite sure if there was an e in the plural, and then I knew the spelling bee police (some Shady Character around here :poke: ) would come down on me and stuff...

Mossies ... er, I was too lazy to type out mosquitos :embarass: And I wasn't quite sure if there was an e in the plural, and then I knew the spelling bee police (some Shady Character around here :poke: ) would come down on me and stuff...

Now i'm even more confused (dumb sometimes). Why was Heather looking for mossies (mosquitoes) in a pet store?? I thought she was trying to get rid of them....

I just figured "mossie" was an established nickname, sorry!

So, what about ordering online - would that be a good way to go? Any vendors that would be recommended?

Guppies most certainly won't eat mosquitoes unless they can catch the dumb one or two while they're laying eggs on or near the water which is a slim chance. They eat the free swimming larvae which is what you want anyway. They also have a fondness for brine shrimp and daphnia.

Yups, that was a pretty lame tropical fish store if they didn't have a few hundred feeder guppies swimming around to feed the huge amount of cichlids and arowanas people love to raise in tanks. There's got to be another one out there that's a lot more knowledgeable. Sheesh, what am I saying, I live in a town of 70k people and I don't even HAVE a fish store, or a hobby shop, or an orchid seller, dang rednecks.

Be patient, you'll find them and be telling us marvelous fish stories and taking pictures of the beautiful spots on your fantail guppies someday.

added Umm, online purchasing is a bit unwise imho because you'll pay for the water weight and speed shipping which makes it unreasonable for what you're getting. Check your phone book instead, there has to be more than one tropical fish store in your civilized part of the world.

I just figured "mossie" was an established nickname, sorry!

So, what about ordering online - would that be a good way to go? Any vendors that would be recommended?

Why don't you wait until the better fish store has some feeder guppies in? They will definately do what you need them to do. Or you could ask for any livebearer (such as mollies, swordfish, fancy guppies, etc). Any of those will eat mosquitoes. In fact, almost any fish will, those are recommended because they're hardier in that type of environment. Remember, not everyone who works at a petstore knows what they're talking about.

I was once in a petstore and someone sold some female bettas as tiger barbs, because that's what the label on the tank said...

Guppies most certainly won't eat mosquitoes unless they can catch the dumb one or two while they're laying eggs on or near the water which is a slim chance. They eat the free swimming larvae which is what you want anyway. They also have a fondness for brine shrimp and daphnia.

Yups, that was a pretty lame tropical fish store if they didn't have a few hundred feeder guppies swimming around to feed the huge amount of cichlids and arowanas people love to raise in tanks. There's got to be another one out there that's a lot more knowledgeable. Sheesh, what am I saying, I live in a town of 70k people and I don't even HAVE a fish store, or a hobby shop, or an orchid seller, dang rednecks.

Be patient, you'll find them and be telling us marvelous fish stories and taking pictures of the beautiful spots on your fantail guppies someday.

Must be they misunderstood about eating mosquitoes vs. larvae - I didn't specify. The first store was out of the guppies, and they had expected an order today but they didn't come.

So, will other fancy guppies work also? They were pretty!
Do gambusias and guppies get along together?

Sorry to send you off on a wild goose chase for mossies, Heather :therethere:
Don't listen to me, I don't know much about fish. Listen to Lien. :D

Why don't you wait until the better fish store has some feeder guppies in? They will definately do what you need them to do. Or you could ask for any livebearer (such as mollies, swordfish, fancy guppies, etc). Any of those will eat mosquitoes. In fact, almost any fish will, those are recommended because they're hardier in that type of environment.

Okay! I wasn't sure if any guppie would work. I only thought the gambusias might be better in my cooler weather.

The first store had other nice guppies, and they were much more helpful, I just wasn't sure if they'd all "work" and "work well together". So, I could get a mix, maybe?

THANKS! Sorry I'm such a dummy....

Hey Heather,

If you want, I can send you oodles of Endler's livebearers. They'll work and are sorta pretty. Here are some pictures.

http://www.guppyk.com/gallery/ed%20or%20s%20g11.jpg

http://endlerslivebearer.com/images/endlerlogo.JPG

Not my pictures, but gives you an idea. The population I have are neat because they are the original collection of Endlers, collected by John Endler in 1976 (or was it 1978) and have never been outcrossed to other populations so they are pure.

if you want them, i'll send you a bag of several dozen, just pay the shipping. I can ship by Priority mail which will probably cost about 8.00.

I'm not very familiar with Gambusias (I have a clue though) by that name but I'll check around a bit. What I expect though is that the Gambusias will be a LOT more aggressive than the guppies and probably beat them to death. Since your Gambusia are native to your area I think, they'll survive the water temp extremes over the year better I think but then I also believe they're only found in fast moving streams or rivulets which means you need moving water.

There are some really beautiful guppies out there known as fantails but they can get fairly expensive and wouldn't you want to be sure you can support a guppy population first?

I would stay away from mollies since they prefer hard, neutral to alkaline water in order to thrive.

Another picture i found of endler's. The colourful ones are the males. The females are the larger colourless ones.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y130/DataGuru/Endlers/Endlers050408g.jpg

Okay, thanks again!

Lien, are you sure? how big will they get? Is that the adult size?
That would be great if you are sure you can part with them, but I hate to impose! They are very pretty, I like their coloring.

Okay, thanks again! Lien, are you sure? how big will they get? Is that the adult size? That would be great if you are sure you can part with them, but I hate to impose! They are very pretty, I like their coloring.

No problem i have a ton of them, they're in a 50 gallon tub and are overcrowded. E-mail me your address and i'll ship them to you on monday or tuesday.

To give you an idea of how prolific they are, i put one female in a 5 gallon tank and three months later, i netted out 89 of them.

By the way, the females store sperm so they only need to mate once and can release fry for several months.

The males get to be about 1.25" and the females about 2" or so. . . I think.

Those Endler's should be perfect for what you want but you'll need a screen top or keep the water in the barrel below a certain height because they're jumpers. They'll handle still water but I'm not certain how they'll do in your temperature changes without a submersible heater. Lien will probably know.

No problem i have a ton of them, they're in a 50 gallon tub and are overcrowded. E-mail me your address and i'll ship them to you on monday or tuesday.

To give you an idea of how prolific they are, i put one female in a 5 gallon tank and three months later, i netted out 89 of them.

By the way, the females store sperm so they only need to mate once and can release fry for several months.

The males get to be about 1.25" and the females about 2" or so. . . I think.

Okay, WOW! thanks so much, that's just great and so very generous of you! Most heartfelt appreciation for you!!

I'll send you a PM. THANKS!
That's pretty wild about the sperm storage. A good idea!

Those Endler's should be perfect for what you want but you'll need a screen top or keep the water in the barrel below a certain height because they're jumpers. They'll handle still water but I'm not certain how they'll do in your temperature changes without a submersible heater. Lien will probably know.

I'll send some floating plants too actually. I was about to dump some out since they've covered the surface. The plants will also keep the fish from jumping. I don't keep a cover on my tub and i have yet to find any fish chips (dried fish).

I had a tub of endlers outside last year and was surprised because they survived the winter without a heater. I thought the thing would have frozen over completely but i guess not.

Good Deal Lien,,,,I have a few golden split tail guppies that do well with "mossies". I use to have a bunch of Endlers, but I gave them away when I moved. They'll do the job for you Heather

Awesome! Plants too? Cool! Thanks!

You guys are just GREAT!

Okay,
I am totally in love with my fish!!
:heart:
:)

Okay,
I am totally in love with my fish!!
:heart:
:)
So, did you name them yet? :poke:

Okay,
I am totally in love with my fish!!
:heart:
:)
So, did you name them yet? :poke:

This I gotta hear...50 or so look-alike fish all with different names :roll:

Nope, I'm not THAT crazy! Just guys and girls. :D
(and there aren't 50....yet!)

Heather,

Can you post a photo of your R/O set-up with the fish & plants? I'm trying to envision it, but am having a hard time. I just had to toss my R/O yesterday as mosquito larvae were in it. I thought we'd get thunderstorms & lots of rain. WRONG!!! So now I'm back to well water. I think my plants really prefer R/O, perhaps I'm imagining it, but they look greener.

Susan, sure!
Not R/O though - just rainwater in a barrell. It is dark in there - will be interesting to see what sort of pics I can get. Will post when I get something - - - anything!