Adding plants without algae spores?/ Coldwater Fish types?

[jn]

Hi there,

I have a pond and am considering setting up a small aquarium mainly to overwinter some oxygenating plants as my pond gets too cold for alot of these plants over winter.

Getting tired of having to buy stuff again every spring so it's worth making sure I have some cuttings to start from!

I have some lilaeopsis, myriophyllum, some bunches of another plant which came nameless.. looks like a medium leafed hygrophila, and some gratiola sexdentata. The bigger plants are fine in the pond or on the verandah overwinter.

I have some blanketweed in my pond and I hear this is a real problem in a tank environment. How can I limit this when I bring my plants into an aquarium indoors? Is there some way to sterilise them without damaging the plants? Would a bath in algicide work? I don't have any snails (yet!) so that's not a worry.

This will be a cold water aquarium in a room that doesn't get alot of heat in the winter. I may heat the tank eventually if the plants start turning to mush. Not looking for lush growth as I'm sure I'll have plenty enough to fill the tank up nicely... just want to keep the plants alive

I plan on putting some WCMM's in it, I'm looking at the AR380, which is 34L, how many do you think it would handle? 8-10? Are there other types of fish I could put in there that might like it as cold as 12-14 degrees possibly colder?? I know this tank is too small for goldfish.

Also what are the odds I'd have to add fertiliser for the plants if I have fish in there?

And lastly.. what to WCMM's eat? Will they Goldfish pellets?

Thanks, Jennifer