Is Lantana poisonous to fish? Also goldfish inbreeding ques

[coyotesweat]

Howdy! I have created a second water garden out of my brick planter at the front of my porch. I was thinking of planting Lantana, which grows well here in central Texas and flowers all summer. I discovered that it's poisonous to mammals and livestock... does anybody know if it's poisonous to fish as well? I wouldn't want spent blossoms to blow in and poison my minnows...

Also, I had 3 original goldfish (from a friend's pond) for my 180 gallon stock tank redneck pond. They've had babies already (4 months later). The babies are now about 2/3 inch long. I assume they'll grow up and breed too (I'll be giving away a bunch of goldfish in the future at this rate). Will inbreeding be a problem, since we started with only 3 fish?

Thanks!

When I get a camera, I'll post pics and enter the contest.

Coyote

[dskidmore]

Interbreeding can bring out genitic defects already in the starting population of fish. If any one of those three had a recessive detrimental gene, then some precentage of the third generation will have two copies, and the detrimental effect. That said, unless you're prepared to remove all the babies every time the adults spawn, inbreeding will occur. Keep an eye out for birth defects in the babies, and make up your own mind if it's a problem in your pond.

I don't know about Lantana, from what I've read, it's invasive and poisonous, so if you have any wild areas near your property it could spread to, it would be inadvisable to grow it on purpose.

[coyotesweat]

Thanks! I did get a reply from some local folks, and the lantana is apparently not a problem if the flowers blow in the pond. No wild areas nearby, I'm in the city, and there's plenty of wild lantana growing here anyways! It's a pretty plant, and tolerates our Texas heat and drought very well. (I love weeds, and am not particularly sensitive to this one...some people get irritating rashes from handling the thorny stems, but I don't. Wouldn't eat 'em though, and will keep them away from the dogs' pen. They smell nasty, so likelihood the dogs wouldn't eat 'em anyways. Had lantana in my last yard, and the dogs left it alone. Bloomed pretty much all year except the coldest part of winter.


I'm gonna be trying to remove the babies and give them away, but catching the little buggers is an issue! They're quick! In a pond this size (180 gallons) I figure I really should only have about 3 goldfish, plus the minnows. Of course, the goldfish have other ideas...

Coyote