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-----Original Message-----
From: Harro.Hieronimus at t-online.de
[Harro.Hieronimus at t-online.de]
Sent: Monday, August 14, 2000 6:24 AM
To: rainbowfish at pcug.org.au
Subject: Re: [RML] Wolfia
Hi Ralph,
I haven't heard from you for a while. Two questions:
Are you still sure you have Wolffia?
And are 11 $ okay?
Regards Harro
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Taylor, Ralph <taylorr at Marshall.edu>
An: 'rainbowfish at pcug.org.au' <rainbowfish at pcug.org.au>
Datum: Dienstag, 8. August 2000 20:41
Betreff: RE: [RML] Wolfia
>For you folks who do not know about wolfia (duckweed) it is
a pain in the
>arse for aquarium keepers. I fear the day that it will
come into my
>fishroom again. Once it gets started it takes over
everything. It is a
>great little plant if you have something that eats it. I
have not noticed
>the five species of bows that I keep eating it. I wish
that they did!
>I will sell a giant bag of the stuff to anyone for $5.00
plus $3.50
shipping
>(priority).
>Ralph Taylor
>Huntington WV
>Taylorr at marshall.edu
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: PETER.UNMACK at ASU.Edu [PETER.UNMACK at ASU.Edu]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2000 2:24 PM
> To: rainbowfish
> Subject: [RML] Wolfia
>
>
> Here is an article I wrote a few years ago on it. Should
>tell you all you
> need to know about it. It can likely be picked up in the
US
>via biological
> supply houses like Carolina Biological Supply.
>
> Peter
>
> Wolffia: Great Green Food For Rainbowfish
>
> by Peter Unmack
>
> Many rainbowfish keepers may be unaware that rainbows are
>omniverous,
> meaning they eat both animal and plant material.
Providing
>sufficient
> animal material is not a problem, unfortunately though,
some
>aquarists may
> fall a little short in feeding them their veggies. There
>are several ways
> of overcoming this deficiency without going to too much
>trouble.
>
> My prefered option is to feed wolffia, (family Lemnaceae,
>genus _Wolffia_).
> This is the worlds smallest angiosperm or flowering plant
at
>around 1/16 by
> 1/8th of an inch or 1.5 by 3.0mm. This plant apparently
has
>a world wide
> distribution, although, it can be hard to come across.
The
>most likely
> place to find it is in still water habitats along rivers,
>(i.e. billabongs,
> lagoons, swamps and oxbows, in other words habitats
isolated
>from the
> current most of the time). Wolffia is similiar in many
ways
>to the better
> known duckweed, (family Lemnaceae, genus _Lemna_) and can
be
>cultured in a
> similar way. I usually grow it in 3x4x1 ft ponds in which
I
>also culture
> daphnia or something similiar. Only a few individual
plants
>are required to
> start a culture, although the more you start with the
>quicker things will
> get going.
>
> Basically that's all you need to know to get started.
>However, there are a
> few things that can be done to boost production. All
plants
>need a source
> of nutrition, thus it helps to add rotting leaves, only a
>few are required,
> some experimentation will soon teach you what levels are
>adequate without
> fouling the water. Plenty of sunlight is desirable, if
>algal problems
> develop then there is probably too many nutrients present.
>I don't know
> what the temperature tolerance of wolffia is, but I had no
>problem
> maintaining it in Melbourne, Australia where daily maximum
>air temperatures
> may reach 40°C (104°F) and the minimum may get down to
>freezing. Wolffia
> generally grows best in the low to mid 20's (70's °F) but
>once your culture
> is up and running you should have more than enough for
most
>of the year.
> One trick is to cover the ponds during Winter, (preferably
>with glass to let
> the light in) as when rain hits the wolffia a significant
>proportion of it
> will sink, (probably an adaptation to stop it being washed
>away). (Ed.
> note: I can't resist commenting at this point. I live
>where outside ponds
> are frozen most of the year. Well, at least the wolffia
>will not sink.
> Also, wolffia is native to Michigan so it is hardy to our
>winters.) When it
> sinks it does not die, it is just harder to collect. If
you
>have problems
> with sinking wolffia a little trick that I found was to
stir
>up the pond,
> this would usually cause some of the wolffia to float,
once
>I had collected
> what had come to the surface I would stir things up again
>until I could no
> longer get any more. Always maintain a pure culture of
>wolffia, do not mix
> duckweed or any other floating plants in with them as they
>are typically
> inferior foods and they will overtake the wolffia.
>
> Also, I prefer to avoid snails unless you want them
>throughout your
> fishroom. To feed it to the fish I just collect it of the
>surface of the
> water with a fine net and put it in the aquarium. The
>quantity you put in
> doesn't really matter as the fish will eat it as they
desire
>and it probably
> won't last very long anyway, (depending upon how many fish
>you have of
> course). There is some variation in which species of
>rainbows will eat
> wolffia, i.e. species such as all the _Melanotaenia
>splendida_ subspecies
> love it, while some others are not quite so keen,
although,
>I am yet to see
> a rainbow that will not eat it. Other plants that make
>suitable rainbow
> foods that I don't believe are as good as, but could be
used
>instead of
> wolffia are, duckweed, riccia, (familly Ricciaceae, genus
>_Riccia_) and
> probably azolla, (family Azolaceae, genus _Azolla_). Of
>course rainbows
> don't mind eating kitchen scraps such as par boiled
spinach,
>silver beat and
> probably any others that any other fish will eat. However
>these have the
> disadvantage of being dead and fouling the water, you will
>not have problems
> with uneaten food if you feed your fish live plants. Best
>of luck finding
> some wolffia now!
>
> Reprinted from The Rainbowfish Times, journal of The North
>American
> Rainbowfish Study Group. Volume 8(3): 15-16. 1994.
>
>
>