Mosquito Fish Are Friends of Fish-Keepers

The best nature-friendly method to control mosquitoes and other insects in and around your pond is to introduce mosquito fish there. They will consume insect larvae in huge quantities which can benefit your pond and the surrounding environment.

Let us find out something more about them to know how they control the population of mosquito and other insects.

1.    They are basically freshwater fish. They originate from North and Central America, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. Their body is slender and their color is dull gray.  They also have a tail.  

2.    They are very strong species and they can survive in even the harshest winter if you are keeping them a deep pond in which there will be sufficient places for hiding.  Their need for oxygen is low and they can survive in the water of high salinity also.  They can survive in a wide range of temperature. For these reasons, they spread all over the world very easily. If the water levels of the pond are lower, they will start multiplying faster by quick reproduction.

3.    They breed many times in a year and so they multiply in huge quantities over a short period of time.  Experts say that their population can grow from 5,000 to 100,000 in just six months!

4.    They have a big appetite for mosquito larvae.  A single male or female can eat about 300,000 larvae per day, so they can put a big dent on the population of mosquitoes.  You need not use any chemicals for controlling mosquitoes, as this is the natural way.

5.    Their method of reproduction is different than the normal fish.  They do not lay eggs but they directly give birth to the small babies.  These smaller ones can immediately start eating and they become independent in a short time.  As no care is required for the small ones, the parents continue with the reproduction activity without any disturbance!  As there are no eggs in the reproduction process, the chances of getting the eggs destroyed or eaten by predators are not there. As such, their population grows faster than any other species of fish.

6.    They are very useful for people keeping livestock.  If your horses or cattle are infected with mosquito related disease, such infections may prove deadly.  These animals may also get infected because of dragonflies. The solution is very simple.  You can just set up a pond around that area and they will bring down the diseases occurring because of mosquitoes and other similar insects.

7.    They can live happily with other species of fish.  However as they are small in size, they may get hurt or eaten by other fish population.  In order to protect them, you should provide enough hiding places in your pond.  Otherwise, you can place them in a small pond, next to the main pond.  You can also place them in swimming pools which are temporarily out of order.

8.    In addition to eating larvae of mosquitoes, they will eat larvae of other insects also.  They will also eat harmful algae. They also eat small insects which enter your pond.  

9.    They are not expensive to buy.  In fact, you can get them free of cost from your local authorities.

Mosquito fish are good friends of fish-keepers. They are inexpensive; they are the easy to maintain. They help to maintain the ecosystem of pond as well as the surrounding environment.

Chintamani Abhyankar is a goldfish enthusiast and has been raising and breeding goldfish for many years. He is an expert on their care and an advocate for raising healthy goldfish the natural way. His famous digital book, "Secrets on Keeping Beautiful Goldfish", offers simple, easy to follow instruction for raising healthy, long-living goldfish. Visit his website http://www.goldfishcaretips.com to learn more about expertly raising your goldfish and to receive your FREE copy of his special report, "Fish-Keeping Hobby Secrets Revealed".