Hi Frank, Don't feel bad about not wanting to repot your plant. No novice wants to repot their plants. I'm assuming that you are a novice. It's a little bit like skydiving. You just have to go for it and know that the parachute will open. Yes you are correct in that you can start a new plant from just stem cuttings. They don't need to have any roots on them to begin with. With this plant stem cuttings root very easily if put into moist soil and then put into a clear plastic bag (not in direct sun light). It's even possible they may root without the plastic bag but why put these plants under that kind of stress. My feeling is do what is going to maximize one's success. Along with starting a new plant you can also try to save the mother plant. Again I gave you those instructions. If anything about saving the mother plant doesn't make sense to you then ask away. I am perfectly happy to explain things in more detail if need be. With a porous soil, goldfish plants should do very well without having to work very hard. Giving the plant a good watering until water comes out the bottom of the pot is the way to do it. This is pretty much true of any plant for that matter. Then let the soil are you heard so you've already too are OK every 5 minutes to do this dry out and stay dry for about a day and then repeat the cycle. I don't think you did anything wrong. I think that problem is with the soil. Many greenhouses plant their plants in very dense soil. I'm not sure why. It may be that they don't have to water the plants as often. But I really don't know. All I know is that it happens and it is a real problem for people when they bring their plants home. The reason I don't think you did anything wrong is because you only watered the plant two times in six weeks. That should've been plenty of time for the plant to have dried out in between waterings. The fact that the soil did not dry out is probably because of two factors. First the plant is not absorbing any water from the soil because of root damage and the soil is so dense that it is holding a tremendous amount of water that will not evaporate very quickly. Goldfish plants are not bog of plants. They need to have some air in the soil for the roots to be healthy. If the soil is too dense then there is no place for air pockets to exist. When this happens the roots basically drown. Goldfish plants are epiphytes or tree dwellers. These epiphytes grow in trees in the rain forests of the Americans and the Caribbean. They basically grow in the area where branches meet the trunks of trees. There's usually a little cavity where decayed leaves and such collect. The goldfish plant seeds germinate there and that is their native habitat. The medium is very airy and not saturated with water. You ask about light. Goldfish plants like to have strong indirect light or direct light that is before 10:00 AM and after 4:00 PM. They can get a little sun burnt if they get direct sunlight in the middle of the day. That's about all I can think of at the moment. Again if you have any other questions don't be afraid to ask. Good luck on your plant propagating. Larry

Oh the poor babies! I have a 200 gallon fish pond next to an 80 gallon plant only pond. My second year I noticed itty bitty fishies in the plant pond. Wow, goldfish! I put some in a 1 1/2 gallon tank and took them to work. Some I gave away, kept other in that pond but lost them over winter. They must have come over as eggs in plants from the main pond, but I still call them Jesus Fish, cause obviously Jesus thought I needed more fish. I thought they were goldfish but it turns out they have barbells so they are really koi and not goldies. So far they seem OK in their new 5 gallon tank but I expect them to outgrow that in mere months. I pray I get no more fish!

I think the idea you have of putting them out in a tub would work fine and would be better than the floating bag. You should probably quarantine them for a couple of weeks first, though. Outdoor fish are at their weakest in the spring and more prone to catching bacterial and fungal infections, so you need to be especially careful when you add anything to the pond right now. That will also give you more time to make sure your remaining fish are healthy.

Hi GF like most of the carp family are egg scatterers the eggs are adhesive and stick to plants.. spawning occurs over a large area . Swordtails on the other hand produce live young as fertilization occurs internally. Both species provide no parental care so they're not limited to a particular area. Wouldn't worry about repottiing as even if there are eggs in the pot they're also in other loctaions. Both will produce a LOT more offspring than a pond can handle lol gary