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Hi:

I've got a 1,000 gallon stock tank filled ~ 2/3'rds full as a summer pond, about 2/3'rds covered with water hyacinth with a couple of hardy presumably native water lilies. I keep a goldfish, a few native fish, some crayfish and some of my turtle collection in it.

In the winter, I'd like to provide a live plant mass to provide surface area for beneficial bacteria, draw nitrates out of the water, and generally keep the pond water in decent shape for overwintering fish. This past Spring I had some fish deaths when the weather warmed up, presumeably due to decomposition of bottom crud once warm weather aided bacteria & decompensation which would've produced ammonia.

This is in southwestern KY, and occasionally during winter an inch or two of ice forms on the stock tank for a few days.

Possible candidate plants include water milfoil (a friend showed it to me in a natural water body; unless I look very closely, almost a dead ringer for hornwort) and willow moss (which I'm not that up on but it's supposed to be the cool water equivalent of Java moss. In my indoor tanks I grows lots of Java moss, and it keeps nitrates down, so...).

So, guys, any thoughts?

Richard.

If you're looking to overwinter the plants I'd definatly consider native species to the region. Anything that's not freeze hardy (ie tropical plants) will just cause more trouble than good.

Since the deaths occured in the spring, make sure you've got enough surface agitation in winter (will help prevent freezing as well) and in spring to maximize surface area. Also keep in mind feeding schedules and hold back on the more protein rich foods until your sure your biofilter has reestablished itself.

^_^

Try water hyacinth if yyou can find it. It can take freezing temperatures. But a warning: the spread like lightning so you need to take some out every once in a while.

-Vincent

Water hyacinth can't overwinter here; I keep it in the summer (covers about 3/4 of the pond right now) but it can't take out winters.

One thing that complicates things is the need for a winter-hardy plant that is submersed (so the tank freezing over doesn't kill it) and is photosynthetic during winter (unlike the lilies, which overwinter as a root).

Richard.

ok, I live in florida and mine take the occasional freeze. But your looking for submerged plants. I'm not sure what you could use

-Vincent