Fish & horse troughs...

Okay, this is a new thing I'm trying. I've been considering it for years actually, but never put it to the test. But then the beginning of this year my husband brought me to Hawaii for our 10th anniversary and we went on a long horseback ride while there. They had these troughs all over their property and had these (quite beautiful) guppies in them...we're talking 100s at least in each one! Now, there troughs weren't under trees, but out in the full sun wide open. But the fish obviously were thriving there.

Now, I live in NC, hot summers and of course I won't leave them out there in the winter as there's no need anyway (no bugs) but in the summer time my 2 troughs are so full of mosquito larva that first I hate getting bit up all the time and I'm sure it's not good for my horses if they accidentally drink any. the years past I'd be dumping and cleaning out the troughs every week or so (still got bit up all the time) but that makes for so much mud and messy watering areas. So this year I'm trying it with feeder guppies in one and mosquito fish (Girardinus Falcatus ie Cuban Ditch Fish) in the other. My horses drink enough each day that I refill the troughs several times a week, so that's like their water changes, but there's no filtration other than the algae that grows on the bottom (bio)

Now don't slam me, but thoughts, comments? And I'll let you know how this turns out

 

the fish will for sure swim away from big old horse noses so I would highly doubt that they'd get sucked up...my horses are pretty silly when it comes to drinking, they like to splash a bit first with their noses, I'm thinking they do this to get the larva away from their drinking spots which would also get the fish down to the bottom.

and yeah, both my troughs are shaded under big trees...come fall I won't be able to keep fish in there as the leaves make for very messy water. but it's starting to get cooler at night anyway so I'd be pulling fish in by then anyway.

As for fish waste and horses, I'm thinking not. you figure in the wild they drink from fish filled ponds and streams (course streams are running) and in HI I don't think they ever changed the water, they were on auto refill thingies with a toilet type system where then the floating ball dropped down too much, the faucet would auto refill...I wouldn't mind some of those myself! lol They had horses and cattle drinking from these so I figure must not hurt the horses.

course my vet is coming out in about a week to give first vac shots to the baby horse, so I'll be asking her for her opinion, but till then, I'll be watching

 

well so far today, each time I peek in there, the fish zoom down to the bottom of the trough...lol when horses drink, mostly they drink from the top 2-3inches of the surface, so there's tons of room for the fish to get away. That's the biggest problem though, the mosquito larva live in those 2-3 inches...grrr. If this doesn't work with the little fish, I have a few spare (unpaired) convicts that might go in for a big snack...snack for the fish, not the horses

 

that's what I'm hoping too.

Well day 2 and I see all fish accounted for. in the first trough there's way less larva already with the cuban livebearers, but in the second trough with the feeder guppies, doesn't look like anything has changed. I'll give that one a few more days, if I don't see a difference, I have a spare dwarf pike cichlid that could go in there I think with no problems. (his mate died a while back and I can't seem to find another one)

 

yeah, that's true, didn't think of that...well we'll see how the current guys do

 

Right now, I'm in Raleigh for their annual fish auction, we left on Fri will go home tonight, but when i left they all seemed good. te one i put the tequilas in had no larva at all, the "mosquito" fish, there were still a lot...lol

 

Oh I'm so freakin' excited!!! I've been working in the fishroom all day getting things all changed around for my new guys. I have now ob peacocks and frontosas that'll go in the same 55g till they grow up enough to move into the 125. I'm working on a new hard water 30 to move my son's tiger limias so that I can move the peas and fronts into the 55 that's already hard water. I've been taking all day to acclimate them with a very slow drip.

Then I got a trio of checkerboard cichlids to add to my discus tank. I learned that the 125 they were in was too big which is why they weren't happy. SO they are now in a 55 with driftwood that I also got at the auction, and the checkboards. I'm adding leaf litter and have a whole bag of live black worms to add to it once the leaves drop *grin* oh will they be happy! I already see a difference, they aren't hiding as much anymore.

Then I got more fancy guppies to add to my Thai guppy tank. I figure that the Thais are hybrid anyway that now it'll be for color that I go for in that tank.

Then a few random things, plants, a light strip (which I realized I forgot there *blush*) a big old piece of drift wood, the black worms (1/2 pound) and a bit of food from Ken's place. Anyway, it was awesome and I sold more than I bought, so WHOOT!

Okay, back to the troughs...they are going well *grin*