Ok. So I found a picture in a Southern Living Mag that gave the instructions for this~easy pond feature~. Today purchased the trough. Cannot for the life of me find the original directions. Help. Help. Don't know how to figure how much gallons this will hold or exactly where to start. Thought we had it made and have lost the directions.
Christi Lou
2X4X6 galvanized livestock watering trough as a water featur
Which issue was it in or do you have a picture?
One of my lily ponds is a round galvanized pool that I think was originally intended to water cattle. It is about 6 feet across and about 18 inches deep. We simply dug a hole and put it just a little above being level with the soil. The reason I put it a little above was to eliminate water runoff from the garden bringing in debris and mud that would cloud the water. I did not line it and it has been there for a couple of years with no problems.
Here is a link to a website that will give you directions on how to figure water volume -- http://www.bonniesplants.com/how_to/how_many_gallons.html This should help you to calcuate how many gallons your container holds.
Enjoy your new water feature, but be aware that they do become addictive! :^)
This message was edited May 28, 2007 9:03 PM
Thank you very much. We think we saw it in a recent article. I have every issue for over a year and we cannot find the picture with the instructions. We will probably just adjust directions for other container ponds but this would have been a lot easier. This is an oval 2X4X6. Too small for koi but a nice little fountain and some plants....would probably get mosquito fish, minnows...something to keep the bugs out. Of course will read up on algea and all those other stinkers.
The tub will hold 360 gallons.
This message was edited May 29, 2007 9:18 PM
Well, I hope you find the directions, I would be interested to see exactly how to do it. You got me going on this topic in the middle of the night last night, I was searching Southern Living Mag website, google, ask.com, never did find the exact article. Let us know how you do with it!
Thanks. I have done the same with the internet. It was reprinted in their special issue called "Backyard Retreats". It went off the newstand May 22 and I cannot find anyplace to get a copy of that either. Will probably e-mail Southern Living and hope a live human being reads it and not another computer.
Is this a picture from the article? If so, I can see if I can find the magazine, it was from a while back though.
Loretta
Hi Loretta, I haven't seen the article yet, but if you have the directions to go with that photo, I'd love to see them! I'll bet that's it!
Good job!
Brenda
Oh goodness...not the exact same but it looks great....just how different can they be? So excited...hope there are suggestions with it. Just got back HD and purchased the pump and fountain. Got to start somewhere.
On my way to the yard when I decided to check DG just one more time.
Brenda, with the fantastic , fabulous, wonderful....oh here I go again.
Thank you very much, Brenda. Can always depend on the friends that populate DG. You guys are great!
Christi Lou
Hope to post beginner pictures tomorrow. You will laugh out loud. My neighbor has 3 ponds and the latest rivals the San Antonio Riverwalk. It is beautiful and they are accomplished koi gardeners so that is an extra. I hope to have two or three different kinds of baby fish straight from WallyWorld. I'm afraid that this is reading sarcastic and that is definitely not the intent. If I could put the inflection in the right places you would understand that I am enjoying both my "pond" and my neighbor's immensely.
I should post pictures of our combined yards and you would understand.
DH cooked country style ribs tonight with all the trimmings and as is our usual Saturday night on the town, invited our neighbors, our friends and we enjoyed the evening.
I will be watching with anticipation. I have been looking at these stock tanks for a couple of years with visions of container water gardens.
Beth
I didn't take your post as sarcastic... I'm quite excited about your stock tank water feature... and BTW, no $2,000 koi for us... all of ours come in at under $5.00 each...
can't wait to see pictures!
Brenda
Worked on our "pond" all weekend. Got a long way to go even though it is a container. Have Dr. appointment early today and haven't taken any pictures. Hope to when I get home. Thanks for the encouragement from all of you.
Christi Lou
Been to Wally World this afternoon and purchased my first little babies.
Did you know they have Koi for only $4.58? Of course, they are about 1-1 1/2 inches but they can grow. As it has been for the last 4 weeks, it is raining again. No pictures today but maybe it will clear for a little while tomorrow. Already have names for two of the five. Betty Grable, Spot.
If possible will get pictures so you know why. I love you guys.
Christi Lou
I love the names! We've gotten several koi from Petsmart ($4.59 each or so), and as we have a big pond, we ordered 100 koi (babies) from an ebay seller in North Carolina, shipping was expensive, but the result was about $2.50 per fish, and they threw in 16 extras. We've had no losses (knock wood), and they are already growing like crazy!! Can't wait to see photos!!!
After seeing so many other ponds am embarresed to put this littl pail in the same category. Got it filled on Saturday.....added 5 baby koi from WallyWorld last night. Lots of work to add plants both inside and out.
OOOHHHH.
I like it! It is very much in scale with the rest of your yard and you will so enjoy it, just you wait and see. What kind of plants did you put in?
I like it, too! That's a big stock tank, bigger than the one I am planning on using. It looks great already, can't wait to see it with plants, and a photo of the fishies! I hope you have some friends to donate some pond plants to you, after having several of my friends here on the Southwest Gardening forum donate plants for our pond, I have checked around, and most places charge exhorbitant prices for crappy plants. Ebay has some pretty good sellers, we just bought some things from Gram's Garden on ebay... pretty good and pretty fair prices.
Congratulations, and will you quit "being embarassed"... all water features are good, and you're teaching the rest of us while you learn! Love it!
Brenda
I think it is just darling!
FYI...Gregg1011 is a new member. Happens to be my neighbor with the beautiful wandering pond. He and his DW are very knowledgeable and he will no doubt be an asset to DG. I have been sending him so many "pages" of DG guess he just gave up so he could right to the source.
Welcome 1011.
Welcome 1011, obviously we're going to need more photos of your pond!!
Making progress.....long way from finished
another
Have replaced the fountain with a stronger filter/fountain this afternoon.
Can't spell it but put in 3 algae eaters (plec....something) today.
Purchased several tropical plants that I hope to get in the ground around it in a few days.
Have to work tomorrow so they will wait.
Thinking of "paint/smearing" the tub a little so it is not quite so bright.
What a joke after looking at so many beautiful, wonderful, fantastic....did I say that already......ponds. My neighbor just joined DG but has not shown his San Antonio Riverwalk as yet. They share with us and are terrific friends.
This message was edited Jun 11, 2007 9:23 PM
The fish you put in are called plecostomus (sp?). They are great algea eaters and will quickly grow to an incredible size. I do not know how big they can actuall grow, but one of the local pet stores here that specializes in aquatics has one that looks to be about two feet long. I have two in my indoor aquarium and they are just wonderful. Very peaceful fish but with a voracious appetite for algea. I have not had to clean the walls of my fish tank since I put them in there about a year ago. If you can catch one of them pick it up in your hand (not necessary to take out of the water) and feel the tough plating on the fish. Where a normal fish is kind of "squishy" these are built like a tank.
Your pond is coming along -- thank you for sharing the pics with us.
Thank you for your unending encouragement.
LouC
I LOVE IT!!!! Honestly, I am loving the plants hanging off the edge (how did you do that?, details, please!). I think it is awesome, but maybe I like the whole sto'ck tank thing. You could paint it or "smear" it, I rather like it as it is! Thank you for sharing, the thing about this water garden/ponding thing is that it IS addictive, and I'm not kidding when I tell you I hope to learn from what you do with this one because I want to add one like it!
Well done!
Worked a lot yesterday. Moved rocks, planted tropicals and groundcovers, all sorts of trailing things. At your suggestion will not change the galvanized finish. Think you are right....should not try to camoflage what it is.
If I knew how I would send several scenes at once instead differenct posts.
Another.
The rust colored rocks are iron ore picked up around Lake of the Pines in East Texas over 30 years ago.
The flat rocks are from the riverbed of the Paluxy River in Glen Rose, Texas. We picked them up the first summer we lived in our home...40 years ago. My mother lived in Glen Rose as a child and had a weekend place there when my father passed away. Many good times. That is where the Smithsonian took molds of dinasuar tracks from the Paluxy in 1941. There is a state park there now with a place where you can wade in the tracks.
The "eagle" shaped rock is from that area. I have a lot of fossil rocks from my great grandmother who had a dairy there in the early 1900's.
Built a waterfall from an old flower holder that is shaped like a winding stairway. The rocks on it are riddled with holes as well as the one under water. Should have painted it with green or something but as always too impatient...got to put it together right now.
This message was edited Jun 15, 2007 9:15 AM
The thing in the foreground that looks like a big square nail belonged to my grandmother. There was a water trough....big round concrete...at a 4 way intersection in downtown Dallas, Texas in the 1920-30's. This was a portable horse tie....simply push it into soft ground and a good horse would stay with his rains looped around it. It was still there in the 50's when I was a child.
Wow! Very nice! First, the pond looks great, the waterfall is very clever, and thank you for sharing your lovely stories about your rocks! I love the tipped pot planter, gotta make one of those one of these days. You have lots of great plants in there already, did you get those locally? Have you got any photos of the fishies? Oh, love the little fountain, too!
Brenda
After much trial and error think we finally got the right size fountain/filter.
Hope that the foliage grows this summer and will give this a softer look.
The sound is already wonderful.
Brenda, You are just too kind! Wish I could know you other than just a post. I'll bet you are one wonderful, happy person all the time.
The fish are still very shy. Have had them for about 10 days but during that time I have been working with various filters and fountains and moving rocks in the tank, and, and, and,....they must think they are in the middle of a tsunami. hahaha
Most of the plants came from HD. The water plants come from a specialty nursery only 8 miles from me. They have gorgeous plants of all kinds. Hope you can see the rig that DH did for the side hangers. He wanted to drill into the top ridge but the fish were already in there and I was afraid the vibrations would kill them.
Love the side hangers! And yes, we had to mess with our pump and filter for days before we got it right. And yes, I'm pretty happy these days, and very thankful and appreciative. Ya never know, maybe someday we'll meet at a roundup or something. We do travel to Jefferson, TX (far eastern side, almost to Shreveport, LA) once a year in the spring for a motorcycle event.
How funny. I was just posting on your thread "a walk through the garden".
My sister and her DH are motorcyle enthusiasts. Harley-Davidson. I haven't been following long enough to know what your obsession is.
We have been to Jefferson often. It is not far from Lake of the Pines and we used to bass fish and camp.
Well, we have the Harley, and a few other road bikes, but the obsession is a vintage motorcycle competition called "Trials". Tony competes nationally. He builds and competes on bikes from the 60's and 70's.
Is there anything that you two have missed? What a wonderful life!
We try not to miss too much!! Practicing daily at the "Live Every Moment" concept!! LOL!