Wow, looks great. I agree, doesn't need "dulling down" or painting or anything.
2X4X6 galvanized livestock watering trough as a water featur
Thanks. Raining so hard we got 1/2 inch in the last 20 minutes. Hope the babies like it.
Christi Lou,
Could you post how you put in the fountain? Is there a filter in the trough? I think your water garden looks fantastic, and I'd love more description of the plumbing/electrical aspects of it. I just made a whiskey barrel water garden which has two gorgeous goldfish in it. But the water volume is apparently not enough for the goldfish, so I'm thinking of copying you!
I bet everybody would love more pictures, too. :)
Yes, more pictures please!
Off to the dr today. will take pictures later today
gayle,
have not forgotten you. It hasn't stopped raining more than half an hour at a time. very overcast and pics wouldn't show very well.
I love the way your pond is turning out. I do have a concern though, do you think the plant stand that you have placed in the water will rust out? I have one that looks just like that and I have to be vigilant about rust.
It was originally white and rusted when I purchased it. I painted it with Rust-o-leum. If I hadn't been so impatient to finish the pond in 15 minutes I would have painted it something that would have blended in better. If it EVER STOPS RAINING, will probably take it out and paint with another type of Rust-0-leum as they have so many different specialties. You are correct....it will probably rust and I don't want anything to hurt the babies. They have grown so much. Can't believe I am attached to fish. Now have names for all 5.
Spot, Cat, Betty Grable, Goldie Hawn, and Sylvia (after a play of the same name).
I have a 15 year old Westie and a 6 year old Shitzu. They come running when they hear me "talking to the fish"........since I effect a mommie voice and talk really silly they think I am talking to them. Oh the things we do for love.
I have an adoring husband of 46 years, a daughter and her family of 2 boys, her daughter-in-law, her husband and a 9 month old great-grandaughter, a son and his wife and 12 and 13 year old grandaughters and multiple extended family and many great friends. Just to let you know that I am not desperate for love.
The DG family is one of the greatest groups ever. I love all of you.
Don't I always tell you more than you ever wanted to know.
Sweet, Christi Lou... and aren't family and friends and being surrounded by those that we love (critters & all) what makes life rich?!
Brenda,
That is exactly what makes life worth it. While I have a great many "things" they sometimes seem to own me rather than the other way around. Always something needs repairing or cleaning or moving......oh well, you know. With the exception of the world outside......there is where life really picks up.
Christi Lou
Hi everyone, sorry for my non-responsiveness. Here some pics. This is our newest pond. About 2000 gallons. The view is from just outside my home office windows. The structure on the left is a screened porch. The are covered by stone and pond was all grass a couple of months ago. The pond has 2 sections about 6 x 12 ft connected by a 4 x 15 channel. The center is two feet deep and it has a 1 ft deep i ft wide ledge all the way around. We have tranferred 10 Koi 8 to 12 inches long that we had a a small pond. Since then they have spawed and now we have more fish than we can count.
This end has a little water falls into a reservoir where our pump is. It pumps to the other end where we intend to add a larger falls or stream or something. We added an aquarium type oxygen pump because we were concerned about how lethargic the fish seemed and that seemed to pep them up. We've also added a pair of birds that look like cranes (fountains) that spit water half way across the pond to circulate the water a little more..
We are really happy with the way it turned out. We can sit at the little tables and watch the fish go back and forth between the two ponds. I find it interesting that they don't spend much time in the channel that connects the two. They seem to just use it to get between the two bigger ponds.
The pond has completely changed our yard. Before it was an unused grassy area of wasted space. Now the people in the office (those windows at the end of the pond in the previous picture) will look out the windows throughout the day to see what's going on or just take a break by going out and walking around it. The reflection of the trees and treehouse off the water make the space feel twice as large as it was before.
LouC, your trough pond is wonderful!!!!! I too made a pond out of a field trough.
We had to transfer some sand from one spot to another to cover some pipes, so I ended up with a huge hole in the ground......so I sunk the trough in the ground. Mine is a 300 gallon 32 inch deep rubbermaid product.
I decided today that I need to get another one. The plants I put in there have gotten really unruly. I was given 3 water lilies to add to the one I already had. Amazingly, the new 3 grown from kits actually survived. Now there is way too much surface coverage and the lilies can't see the sun to bloom. Today I pulled 2 lilies out and put them into 2 - 5 gallon buckets of rain water. I don't think they will last long like that, so need to get that other pond going.
Gregg, I wouldn't mind having your riverwalk as a lap pool for myself, sans the gator.
Molly
:^)))
Once again, Gregg, welcome to DG. The help you have given me is immeasurable. Maybe DH could cook some ribs for you or something.
What time is the gate open Christi Lou?
You can come and do laps anytime molly. We put our grandbabies in there with floaties on. The fish don't seem to mine.
Oh yeah... I did forget the gator. We had him just for decoration but we found out later he helps keep preditor birds away.
ok. I've had sort of a set-back. Spot died this week. Filling the tank and making it pretty was NOT ALL THERE IS TO IT. I thought I needed to clean the filters frequently. Last Thursday that is what I did. Seems that I destroyed all of the good bacteria (or whatever) and everything went haywire. Way too much amonia, way too much nitrite, ph off (probably because of the endless, endless rain. Now remember this is a very enclosed environment. Panicked I took off for the Pet Store and bought WAY TOO MANY chemicals in an effort to "fix" things. Today Gregg came to my rescue.....more importantly Betty Grable, Cat, GoldieHawn and Sylvia. He showed me how to just point the fountain outside the trough to empty rather quickly. Hooked up a hose from his filter and spliced it until it would reach my pond. Filled it a little more than half with the water from his that is in perfect balance. Then I added the chorine remover and finished with tap water. We shall see what the morrow brings. His new pond (filled only the middle of May, 2007) is working alive with fry. How exciting. They had purchased a couple of new koi and apparently they were pregnant. What a plus. Will keep an update going as I want the pond to be more than a pail of water.
LouC,
I am so sorry to hear of the troubles you are having and for the loss of Spot.
I have resigned myself to keeping goldfish and 1 pleco only. My last 2 ponds have been stillwater and this one has a solar powered fountain that waters my river moss floater. I depend on oxygenating plants only to sustain my fish and they have done very well. This system would not work for Koi who need a lot of water movement.
Call me a bad fish momma, but I don't even have a test kit. When I put my hands down in the pond, I only come up with pond smell, not skank.
The only time I had a bad one, was when the yard man in Lauderdale mowed without a grass bag. Threw cut grass in my pond and killed all my fish and soured the water. I don't keep grass anymore and I sure don't have a stupid yardman.
But I DO need another pond now. I wonder if someone on freecycle has one they don't want anymore............
Thanks Gregg, I'll be right over for that swim....
Molly, I can't wait.
Christi Lou... I am so sorry that you lost Spot. I have learned how easy (and fast) it is to become attached to the water pets. Many of us are learning this whole ponding thing... and when it goes awry it's very sad. It does sound like you've got it under control now... be very careful about chemicals (all my pond friends have scolded me for using any... and I won't use them again unless absolutely necessary). There is good bacteria additive that is completely natural that I have used with good results, but if your pond is good now, I would leave well enough alone.
Good luck... thinking of you...
Brenda
Brenda baby, where are you?
Hi Christi... just dmailed you. I'm at my parents' home in Western New York. Brother's Memorial Service is today. Looking out the back of the house at a lovely Cardinal, and an Oriole (I think, gotta ask Dad!).
Brenda
Molly,
You should try Craigslist.com too. I see them on there all the time.
I'll leave the light on.
Gayle, you asked sometime ago about the details. Things were pretty shakey then and I lost two little fishies.
We purchased the water trough at Tractor Supply for $109.00 + tax. It is 2x6x4 holds 360 gallons when full to the top. The filter/fountain is from HD for $99.00+....it is a very small bioballs thingy. First mistake was putting the fish in after only 4-5 days. Second original filter too small. third positioned and old flower stand directly in the water to simulate a water fall with the little jug fountain. Took everything out and now it has the above filter,
2 water lilies, and star grass. the pond is angled under a canopy and I have plants and baskets along the back side to help cool the water. There is no plumbing required. Just fill with tap water and add dechlorinator. In the back area are the two eletric plugs for the pumps and the rope light. We buried a heavy duty extension cord under the rocks and the tub before filling it. The rope lights are ok if you are very careful not to put either end into the water. MAIN THING. Don't be too anxious to add fish. Let water and plants do their thing for 2-3 weeks. Many, many kind souls helped me on this forum. I just sort of missed the part about being patient. Now have 3 koi and 1 plec??(something). They all seem very happy and are getting big. I call it my Fish Pail because it begs the definition of a pond. lol
small as it is....very gratifying
I'm resurrecting this thread, LouC, because a friend of mine on the SW Gardening Forum is about to build his own water garden, and because I still haven't made my horse trough water garden, and I want to do it soon. Can you elaborate on how your DH made the hanging plant holders over the side? I love that feature, and would love to have details on exactly how it was done. Thanks, and I hope all is well with you!
Brenda
Hey, girl. We are in Maui tonight at Braveheartsmom, Jenny. Can you believe it? Met her in Tropical Gardening and now here we are. Really tired tonight but by next week we will be back in Texas Thursday. May sleep till Sunday. hahaha Will post all about the pond then, ok?
Aloha,
Christi (Kilikina)
Those plant hangers look like the plastic robe hook that you place over the top of the bathroom door. Very simple and handy. Good thinking.
Molly
:^)))
Wow, Christi, how fun is that? Molly, I think you're right about those hooks... good thinking!
Good Morning, Brenda. Molly is correct, just plastic "over-the-door" hooks. Tried to find "S" hooks but none of them were large enough to fit over the lip of the trough.
The entire area is so different now. By the end of last summer I had planted tropicals all around the trough and practically obscured it entirely. Had to dig and pot all of them for the winter. We have a Planket we purchased from HD covering the entire thing. The water plants are thriving and so are the koi. Ready for Spring. Please post pictures of your newest project. I loved watching the original pond being developed.
Jenny is Braveheartsmom on the Tropical Gardening forum. If you've not visited it I encourage you to do so. Fabulous people and information. Carol, AlohaHoya lives on the Big Island and is flying over to Maui today and we have a whale watching boat tour scheduled for this afternoon. The humpback momma's are here with their newborns and they are everywhere. How're you gonna keep 'em in Texas after they've seen Hawaii`? Gonna be realll hard.
That sounds like just an awesome trip! I hope you can post some pics when you get back. Thanks for the info... also can't wait to see how things evolve this spring in your yard. We haven't decided what, if any new projects we're going to tackle this year...