>
> Very interesting. I wish you luck with your specimens; mine started to
> deteriorate daily after removing them.They lost their interesting brain coral
> appearance ( which I attribute to removal from the water with too small of a
> net, as well as handling in general) and ended up looking like gray globs of
> mush. These things being gelatinous are of course delicate and fall apart
> easily.Last time I went to the vernal pool I got them from they were not to
> be seen and the pool was halfway dried up.
> The fact that your specimen harbored insect larvae reminds me of the
> freshwater sponges which house spongilla fly larvae. Let us know how you end
> up doing with your bryozoans.
>
I just so happened to check the colony I planted in my main pond. So far it seems
to be holding up well. I situated it right near the shore between an emersed
clump of Virginia Chain Fern and a water lily. I let one of the pads cover the
colony to shade it since the habitat where I collected it was in the shade.
I think getting a whole colony while it is still small may be the key to success.
That way you can take the colony along with whatever object - stick or root it is
growing on as opposed to ripping a peice off of a bigger colony.
Also I scooped the colony up in a bait container so it did not leave the water
for an extended period of time. Then when I got it home I gently released them
into a small bathtub pond used for starting new pond plants. From there I scooped
up one and transfered it to the main pond.
The other variable is water condition and that is unknown. My pond tests about
6.4 to 6.8 and has brownish tinted water from the barley straw used to control
algae. I'm guessing that Cranberry Lake also has soft moderately acid water but
I'll have to test it some day - if I can remember to bring my kit!
Jeff
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