Moving into a house with a yard this Friday! Not enough room for a really proper pond, but the plan is to build the potting shed so it will drain rain down a corrugated metal roof through a rain gutter and into a horse trough. The idea sprang from wanting to have rainwater for the garden. But then I thought, why not put in a lotus or water lily, and make it a home for my sweet koi who is getting a bit too big for the tank? He can control the mosquito larvae for me. I would have to keep a close eye on the ph, but other than that, anyone see any problems with it? Aeration shouldn't be a problem. I know it's nothing you'd see at Versailles, but it's more functional than decorative.
Thanks!
input, please, on "pond" idea
You could make it decorative, too, by using a pre-formed pond. Could maybe even use a waterfal section as part of your gutter. I'd guess that you'd need a pump of some kind, though to help aerate. Rain is pretty inconsistant. And on the same note, is there a water supply close enough for emergencies if you get a drought?
If you already have the trough, so you don't want to spend the money on a pre-formed (or can't find one with a size/shape that will fit), is there enough space to put a raised bed around it? Or dig it into the ground some, then do some landscaping around it? The dirt will help insulate it against freezing, too. At the very least, you could PAINT the outside of the tank for a garden you never have to weed! A cinder-block or two in the tank could hold marginals, too.
I guess, in short, I'm wondering why not make it decorative as well as functional? Nothing says that just because something is functional it has to be ugly ;-)
Yeah, Zoo, this idea is taking root and quickly becoming more than a functional rain barrel. Equilibrium from gardening for wildlife voiced a concern about rain playing havoc with the pH. I could just keep an eye on that, though. OR, it was suggested I just do plants in it. But down here in SE Texas the mosquitos are horrendous -- Rita gave them a boost you wouldn't believe. Maybe, though, I could just keep some comets in there to take care of the larvae.
Remember that koi jump out of containers and ponds if the water level is high enough to allow them.
We keep rescued or orphaned fish in a 180 gallon stock tank in the garage. We have a pump and filter for them. I also vacum the bottom sometimes. We do water changes as needed using a big plastic barrel with water that has been a able to sit til the chlorine gets out. My hubby fashioned a cover made out of taunt bird tree netting and rubber tubing. That way if they try to jump they just land back in the tank.
The only other problem I have heard of using a stock tank was from a lady in Texas. The tank was above ground and one day the weather went through an extreme shift in temperatures and she lost some koi.
Just go for it and put in a preform or liner pond. I would be afraid to use a tough, only because the temperatures would vary too greatly, and yes you could wind up cooking your fish.
Rain may or may not affect your PH.. depends on just how much you get, in my opinion. Just a part of caring for the pond.
Here's another idea tho.. if you want to stick with the tough,..... you can throw in some misquito fish or rosies and they will help with keeping your bugs in check. And of course it would be more of a plant./ornamental pond. Put in some grasses, lilies... etc, and it would look very nice.
Or just dont use any fish, and throw in a misquito dunk, with the plants. That will kill the larve without hurting your plants.
Sorry to be away so long, and thanks for all the... fish... Hmmm... just came out that way... anybody else read Douglas Adams?
Anyway, with that bit of silly out of the way, I moved into my new house on Friday, and y'all will never believe what the old owners left there. A FISH POND. Just the pre-formed hard plastic liner thing, but do you think I just might ought to use it? Personally, I think I'd get struck by lightening if I didn't!
I'm SO excited. Plus, we got about 10 inches of rain yesterday, and it really peeved me I hadn't had time to set up some kind of rain barrel. Of course, my canoe was upright in the back yard, so it got FULL. But it will rain again.
Zoo, I have a hose and tap about ten feet from where I'll put the pond, so if we have dry times, it will remain a pond. I'm thinking a few plants and some comets to control the mosquitos. Works for me!
Thanks for all the advice!
And Terri -- there is a Buddhist monastery nearby, and I can get some beautiful lotuses or lilies from them; they had a sort of open house a few weeks ago and their plants are amazing. I have a pot of sweetgrass; maybe that would do well at the edge of what is becoming a central water feature instead of a rain barrel.