If you can find them Freeze dried foods are usually better and cleaner. In the case of Brine shrimp, when its frozen the exoskeleton bursts, and most of the nutritional value is lost. I have not used it in over 15 years. I don't think Daphnia has much to offer either, I do raise some occasionally, but its not the best food around. Frozen Blood worms, and mosquito larvae another thing altogether, they both freeze well, and are very nutritious. The only problem with bloodworms is some people have had allergic reactions to them, and some of them have been very bad, so be careful. I have heard of some people being hospitalized from reactions from them. The Golden pearls have impressed me, something that is not easy, I've been keeping fish for most of the past 45 years, worked for a couple of wholesalers, and owned a Pet shop. I'm currently raising groups of Killifish fry using them and newly hatched brine shrimp, and see very little difference between them, but I want to see how the fry color up. I am impressed so far, the Golden Pearls are easier to use,and would be perfect for those unexpected spawns that catch you off guard with nothing to offer fry for their very important first meals. I like the variety of sizes they come in, and won't miss hatching brine shrimp and paying what I feel is too high a price for cysts.

Wow Celeste, They all look gorgeous. You are so funny! I have been wanting to order Destin to See because it looks GORGEOUS! I also have Shores of Time and it was one I ordered last year and was my most anticipated and I fell in love with it. This year my most anticipated one was Viola Francious and Oh my gosh, if you want a beautiful cream one ya gotta get it. I also have Femme De Joie and luuuuuuv it. It was my favorite several years ago but it seems like nowadays whatever is blooming is my favorite. hahaha. I saw Conner on your other post and my goodness he growing so much and such a little cutie. All your flowers look beautiful as usual. Thanks for sharing, Judy

It's not a hoax in the sense that Formosan Termites have been introduced to the NO area. The message all over the internet about infested mulch traveling all over the country to big box stores, though, is not based in truth. Here's an excerpt of a press release just issued by an industry group in response to the rumors: ..."As for the possible infestation of mulch with Formosan Subterranean Termites, the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry has a quarantine in 12 infested parishes (counties). No wood or cellulose materials maybe moved out of the quarantine areas without approval from state inspectors, including all materials from Katrina clean-up efforts. Louisiana State University termite expert Dr. Dennis Ring explained that this termite was introduced into this country after World War II; it has been around for more than 50 years. The Formosan Subterranean Termite prefers a moist environment at approximately 57°F (14°C). According to experts, the practical survivability of a soft-bodied insect withstanding the violent environment inside the mulch grinding process or the high temperatures (130°F  160°F) of mulch packages and pallet stacks is extremely unlikely. Dr. William Fonteno (of North Carolina State University and program director for the Mulch & Soil Council Product Certification Program) inspected over 500 bags of mulch and soil products taken from retail stores in 2005. No products inspected from anywhere in the country had any live termite presenceÂnot a single bag." If anyone wants more info on the subject, go to http://www.sna.org/ (Southern Nursery Assn. website) for the straight poop. Marty

otomatoo - Sorry to hear about your problems there in "Chi-town". If you don't mind, I'd like to try and help. I need to ask some questions. I raise everything in 18 gallon containers and this year have harvested more than 90 pounds of tomatoes from my 19 "buckets". And the harvest of the "heavy beefsteak types is just getting started. How large is the container? How much direct sunlight each day? What kind of "dirt" - Potting Soil or Potting Mix or ????? What kind of plant - variety name? How tall? How much water each day? Have you fertilized since planting? Can you post a picture? Even if you decide not to grow in containers again, let the rest of us learn from your experience.