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Worms and wood bugs have an
unhappy knack of falling into ponds-dead
worms will foul the water more quickly than
anything-if the other fishes miss them the
bottom fishes will benefit. Tench, Catfish and
Thunderfish are the best of the scavenging
fishes. So much for the plants and fishes,
the most important members of the pond
community ; there are, nevertheless, other
creatures that play their part in maintaining
the balance necessary for a successful pond.
Water snails, feeding as they do like the
common winkle, help to keep the leaves of
the plants and the sides of the pond free from
green slime. Also, they devour decayed vegetation, thus assisting in keeping the place
sweet and clean. Some water snails-the
Great Pond Snail, for example-do not wait
until the plant has died but will eat the growing
leaves. For this reason they should be excluded from the small pool ; their place is
in the large pond or lake where the vegetation
may grow to excess.
The bugbear of the pond keeper is ' green '
water, and it must be admitted that this
discoloration, caused by the prolific breeding
of minute algae and infusoria, certainly spoils
the look of the pool. The fishes cannot be
seen and the thick pea-soup appearance is
far from pleasing. Still, the fishes do not mind
and the small crustaceans will thrive on it;
to remove it, however, do not change the water,
it will be just as green in a few days ; instead,
place a few fresh-water mussels in the pond
and they, from their peculiar manner of
feeding, should clear it in time.
To complete the list of the principal inhabitants of the pond we must mention again
the small crustaceans, the finest food of all
for the fishes. Daphnia, Cyclops, Gammarus
(alias the Water Flea) and Asellus (otherwise
the freshwater shrimp) are the more common
crustaceans found wild in this country. They
will congregate in the shallows among the
roots of marginal plants and among the
foliage of myriophyllum and other plants ;
they are rather adventurous, however, and
they pay dearly for their wander-lust.
To stock the circular pool described in the
previous chapter we will require, first, a water
lily. This may be obtained from a pool or
lake in the country, but the wild varieties
are so inferior as regards the size and colour
of the blooms that it is far better to procure
a good one from some reputable nursery,
if it is at all possible. All conceivable shades
of white, pink, yellow, orange, scarlet, crimson
and purple are obtainable ; many of the
cultivated kinds are delightfully scented and
are excellent when cut for the table. The
pool in question will accommodate two lilies,
not more.
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