I wanted to make a thread that all of us could share our container or mini ponds on. Regular ponds pics are welcome too!
Heres my introduction:
Container ponds are one of the easiest ponds to set up In My Opinion. Very Peaceful and relaxing. Also affordable (Inexpensive). Fish and plants can go in them, but I leave that stuff alone. Maybe soon I will get some plants.
First, I got a clay pot (Glazed and Brown) without any hole (Holes would of had to of been filled up). Second, I bought a pump (130 GPH). Third, I bought a large fountain nozzle kit. Once put all together, I added some aquarium gravel that I had laying around (This is to keep the pump stable).
OK, I get it now. I was thinking it was in small pots, like maybe 10-12" planters. Do you have little ones like that as well, or you just find large containers like the one above?
I have 5 or six 100 gal hazmat containers. I grow plants in th got turtles that inhabit a 30 gal pond. Even used the same container size as a pond filter
That container pond is awesome! My M-in-L would like a pond but isn't sure because she has a small garden and two little dogs. I think something like this would be perfect for her!!!
Rubbermaid stock tank. They are thick and practically indestructible. They are available from 50 to 300 gallon. I have an 85 and a 300 and end up using them for all kinds of stuff. The 300 was my original pond. (I've expanded a few times and I'm over 3000 gallons now) The Rubbermaid tool boxes are made out of the same material. I use one for a mechanical filter on my pond.
It gets the plants heavily thinned out. I cut back most of the leaves and blossoms of the Lilys and throw out a good portion of the Water Hyacinth.
I keep a pair of 150~200 watt heaters set to about 60 degrees and an active airstone running in the planted tank. This tank also has plexiglas over covers to keep the heat in. The Koi sections get just an airstone and all the floating plants removed. Not really cold winters here.
Just moved my ~20 gallon pond outside for the spring/summer. I'm pretty happy with the canna lilly you can barely see- I divided it a couple days ago, no signs of sprouting at all, and today, there is life! Hoping that it can grow like nuts this year, it was pretty stunted, but pretty last year.
I'm also hoping to get either water hyacinths or another large floater soon. Didn't have any at the pond store I went to (not yet anyways), and I'm having second thoughts about the hyacinth... racoons love them like nothing else.
Our local Bi-Mart gets in those nicely glazed terracotta big planters from Mexico at about this time of year. I've wanted to silicone shut the hole in the bottom of the really big ones, (I roughly estimated they will hold about 18 gallons.) and do a small 'pot-pond' with one. Only problem is they taper and the bottoms don't have much room for substrate.
Mine actually tapers as well, and there isn't nearly as much room down there as I'd like. I use pots to keep plants from spreading too much, and bricks to give me different depth levels. That takes up a ton of room mind you, but I use bricks with holes in them so they can be hiding places for fish as well.
First blossom of the year... hardy water lily in a 25 gal plastic tub. Started with one small tuber 7 years ago. Very low maintenance. Water top offs when needed, Miracle-Gro added to the water column in late spring and mid summer. Dies back naturally in the winter and has survived some hard freezes. Need to get off my 'hind-parts' one season to thin it out (afraid to look at the tuber mess growing on the bottom). The only real expense with maintaining this tub: adding mosquito dunks.
My 7.5 gallon rimless cracked, so let's give this a shot. The 5 guppies I threw in already had a batch of babies, this could get crowded quick.. plants are taking off as well!
Here's my summer experiment. 4 fast growing guppy fry that I have seen every day and 2F/1M adult swordtails that I haven't seen since the moment I released them. I might have seen them once while doing a water change. I think I had some residue in the bucket when I did the water change, as I didn't have that film before.
I just stumbled on this thread and it looks really interesting
I have a couple of questions though
In the winter how do you keep your pond from freezing into a block of ice?
Also how do you keep the critters from eating all your fish.
Forgive my ignorance I don't know much about bonds (clearly).
So, yeah ... I love the container pond, but I killed all my fish in it. I went away for a week and the floating plants had completely choked out all live by the time I got back. I didn't take enough photos. I very much want to try this with a larger circular trough next year.
The photo is from AFTER culling plants sometime in September. I shut it down not too much later.
Isn't that the heavy duty 27 gallon from Costco? That's what I use, the bowing is frightening when its full to within 2 inches from the top. Goes from 27 to well over 30 gallons after the bow lol. Needs reinforcement or to be buried.
Spring has sprung. Water lily is definitely in growth mode. Still have not thinned out tubers... eight years in this tub with very low maintenance. Noticed a few mosquito fish made it through the winter. Lotus' (plural) are starting to extend their leaves. They should be full-blown by early summer. Hopefully I can post some pictures of the blooms in the near future. Terrestrial bulbs and azaleas are putting on quite the show this week.
Got a couple of the plants into mine. New canna lily, divided the ratty looking Acorus, and got some hornwart in there. Also have Rotala Colorata and Crypt Balansae, considering adding swords and way more stems. And a lily.
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