At my website we get pond questions daily. With the problems that invasive plants are causing with the ecology of some parts of the country, we are having to redefine what we need to do to keep our ponds clear.
This is a question asked recently:
I have learned a lot from you, pondlady! You gave me great advice a few years ago. I quit feeding my goldfish and bought many bunches of Anacharis Grass for them to eat and all has been well. Now the DNR has banned it in WI. What will be a suitable replacement for my fishies to eat? I am worried. My local pond supplier says they will have ribbon grass and hornwort for submerged plants this year. Will one of these work? I assume the ban is due to the plant becoming invasive, which makes me wonder if I can go out and harvest it from a lake somewhere. I tried to overwinter some in an aquarium this winter but did not have enough light, got long and leggy not many leaves.
And a couple of answers:
1. There are other similar species that are native to Wisconsin that can be collected from lakes, along with hornwort that is abundant. Your fish will do well with them and the algae that normally grows on the sides of ponds is all a few goldfish will need to survive. Do obey your state laws concerning the import of invasive plants. The laws exist for a reason, even when we don't agree.
2. Hornwort will work well. So will cabomba. And it sounds like a Latin dance.
Anacharis is and has been banned in more than one state. I can understand why as it is so very invasive.
In my book I discuss various kinds of plants that can be used as underwater grass. They function as natural filters to keep the water clear and they grow faster than the fish can eat them.
You can get my book at Amazon
A Practical Guide to Building and Maintaining your Pond
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