can honey gouramis and cories survive just off nature

[Sgooosh]

Hello, I am setting up my pond build right now and im wondering if these guys need anything special to survive in the wilderness. Guppies and platies can survive because they eat the little flying gnats and i also feed them aphids sometimes.

Is this sufficient for these fish? especially cories since I'm not sure if there's a lot they can eat that sinks...

 

[Byron]

The cories will be the issue here, you will probably have to somehow increase the crustaceans and insect larvae on the substrate, which is what cories eat in their habitats. Worms too, just for variety, but not staple as they are too high in protein and fat and cories in nature do not seem to eat many.

 

[Sgooosh]

The cories will be the issue here, you will probably have to somehow increase the crustaceans and insect larvae on the substrate, which is what cories eat in their habitats. Worms too, just for variety, but not staple as they are too high in protein and fat and cories in nature do not seem to eat many.

I have many types of bottom feeder food so I am not worried about them starving,
but I am wondering how I can increase the amount of crustaceans?
do ghost shrimp work? I can't have access to any other live continuously culturing foods sadly.

 

[sharkweek178]

When I think of ponds, I think of colder water fish. Honey gouramis aren't cold water fish. They don't need extremely warm water. But their floor is 72 degrees.

 

[Sgooosh]

When I think of ponds, I think of colder water fish. Honey gouramis aren't cold water fish. They don't need extremely warm water. But their floor is 72 degrees.

Yes, I am creating a tropical pond, and I have a tank indoors in case it rains. it gets around under 90 degrees (in scorching days) to around 70 (in cold days) in summer, under the shade of a tree. in fall and spring its all around 70. In winter it rains quite often and gets cold, so I can move them indoors. I have a planted extra tank I use as a hospital or quarantine, fully cycled and bioactive

It is too hot in here to raise cold-water fish, because we don't have the temperature requirements in winter for them. however tropical fish are perfect here other than our short and wet winters.

In the winters mostly all the native perrenials in the water die back, so fish are super easy to scoop and move.

 

[Colin_T]

You can add rotifers and Moina to the ponds a month or so before adding fish.

 

[Sgooosh]

You can add rotifers and Moina to the ponds a month or so before adding fish.

Thanks, how do I obtain these? Is there a way I can culture them?

 

[Colin_T]

Look online for them and buy a starter culture. Then add them to a green water culture and let them grow.

The following link tells you how to culture them. Daphnia and Moina are cultured the same way but Moina tolerate warmer water.

Back to Basics when Breeding Fish

STARTING OUT Make sure you have a pair, (1 male + 1 female). There is nothing worse than spending your hard-earned dollars buying a couple of fish to try and breed and ending up with a pair of fish of the same sex. Let's face it, to reproduce fish you need a male and a female. Two males won't do...

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