Shubunkins can live in very cold water. I have a friend with an outdoor pond with Shubunkins and there is ice on the top of it right now. If you prefer to have it heated, that is your decision, but they can survive in low temps. Keep in mind, there is a certain water temp where you aren't supposed to feed them, but I believe its below what you have. I think you need to look at other possibilities for their death. I'm sorry you lost some. My brother just lost all 6 of his because they ate rocks. Check the chemical levels in it, too.

I wasn't totally nuts about the Mother Earth News list because they placed a heavy emphasis on early tomatoes, and I am not a huge fan of the typical early tomato. Partly, though, that is because mid-season tomatoes actually produce pretty early here, and they taste better, to me, than the early tomatoes that are only a couple of weeks earlier in ripening. So, I thought about it all day long, and came up with my list of my favorite tomatoes for our climate. Here they are: FOR THE EARLY ONES: SunGold (57 days) Early Girl (52 days) New Big Dwarf (60-65 day)* Eva Purple Ball (70 days) Neves Azorean Red (75 days) PASTE TYPES FOR SAUCES AND SALSAS: Principe Borghese' (for sun-dried tomatoes) Martino's Roma Opalka San Marzano Redorta FOR SANDWICHES AND SALADS: Brandywine (Sudduth's) Mortgage Lifter Brandy Boy Cherokee Purple Black Krim FOR GREAT GREENS & ZEBRAS: Aunt Ruby's German Green OR Green Zebra Cherokee Green FOR ORANGES, STRAWBERRIES AND LEMONS: Nebraska Wedding Aunt Gertie's Gold Kosovo or the oxheart of your choice. I don't grow oxhearts because they don't produce many tomatoes per plant in our heat. Instead of an oxheart, I'd grow Black Cherry which is absolutely delicious. As for Fifteen Favorite hybrids, I am choosing these as much for their reliability and disease resistance as anything. They all have good flavor in most years that have good weather (with good weather being ANYTHING that is not excessively wet). FIFTEEN FAVORITE HYBRIDS: Better Bush Better Boy VFN Big Beef VFFNTA (1994 AAS winner) Beefmaster VFN Brandy Boy Bucks County Celebrity VFFNTA (1984 AAS winner) Fourth of July Lemon Boy VFN Momotaro Porterhouse Roma VF Viva Italia VFFNA Sweet Million FNT SunSugar FT or Sungold (virtually identical)

Interesting data. I don't have any "official" data, but I noticed my Burpee Jalapeno M were some of the first to pop up. They aren't the early ones per say, but they are usually the first variety that produces ripe fruit for me. Probably around 8 days if I had to guess to pop up(based on the 4-5 days it took for the 'maters). California Wonder, Big Dipper, and Chianti were about a day later. Anaheim were a little slower for some reason. Corno di Toro never germinated at all, as you know.

your english is fine enough ... whats the media ... how do you water.. do you let it near dry in between waterings??? .. how did you come up with thinking it needs water every 3 days... do you insert finger and find out if the media is drying???? trees are not like many houseplants .. they like a sip of water.. and then near drying... most do not like to be sodden all the time ... whats the sun light pattern ,... good start.... more info needed... ken