Hi all,

I filled up the half barrel with water, placed a water lilly inside,
some oxygenator plants, and the Obedient Plant is standing by until I
get the right bricks.

In order to not encourage disease carrying mosquitos, I've read and
heard of a number of ways to do this. Fish, pumps, (fountains?),
wired cloth, flooding the container when baby mosquitos are in there
(as long as they're not microscopic!), and mosquito dunks. Though I
am a little more interested in eliminating the risk nearly entirely by
not having the water stagnant. And neighbors et all can actually hear
and see the evidence, without worry.

Some questions:

1) How much of a mosquito dunk would be needed for the half whiskey
barrel? Have there been reports of mosquitos building up a resistance?
How can I be sure all are gone? My idea is to flood first, and then
add the dunk.
2) Would placing a suitable wire/cloth mesh to keep mosquitos out
bother the water lily very much?
3) Could I add a fish or two right now and they be healthy, or do I
still need to wait a couple of days to a few weeks to give the water
garden a probationary period? I already added dechorinator. No rocks
at the bottom, though. Any other aquatic scenery I could add to make
them happier? The container gets afternoon sun, by the way, is
positioned on a lone patio stone, and I'm in the South. Any idea of
pH and temperature levels before adding fish would help.
4) I'm not quite as interested in filtration as I am as in keeping the
water not stagnant, or at least making the water as unfriendly to
mosquitoes as possible while at the same time preserving the plants
that are in there. I would hope a filter/pump combo won't catch the
floating plants that are in there! Perhaps a fountain would also do?
5) Is this time of the year really the time to worry about mosquitos?
6) Any alternate, more cost effective ways to control mosquitos
without a pump?

Daniel Phillips

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