So I'm going to try to make a "pond"

Hello,

I've been lurking in here for awhile. I really want a pond, but I can't add a permanent one because I rent, nor can I have a removable one that kills the lawn. My mom has an aquarium we've had since I was 10 that she needs to get rid of. I can't have an aquarium in the house.

But, with all these facts we came up with an idea. I could make a "pond" on the side of my porch with the aquarium! So here is the aquarium.

I want to make a cover that will be turned into a fairy garden. Here is the thread where I’m dealing with that aspect http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/877263/

The aquarium will have water mint (pictured), water iris, canna lily, and a lily pad. I might try doing a couple fish in it depending on how it turns out.

What do people think?

Laura


This message was edited Jul 24, 2008 12:40 AM

well I dont know one thing about WA.
BUT, here are some thoughts
Position it so that your mower wont 'throw' rocks at it and make it crack.
Also if you have cold temps in the winter, will it freeze and bust?
If you position it where it gets even a little sun in the summer it will heat up very quickly through the glass and kill your fish.
You might try just plants in it and skip the fish, unless you can put it in shade.
In the winter the fish would die. The temp would fluctuate alot since it isnt in the ground.
Also if you want to use the filter in the pic you will need to plug it into a GFI safety outlet.
I think it would be neat to see the roots of the plants through the sides. You could add colored rock on the bottom or float gazing ball on the top.

Rocks aren't a problem and the cover I want to make should protect it if a small one slips through. We shouldn't get cold enough for it to burst, some ice yes, but not solid. Before I put fish in I'll check the temperatures it reaches during a hot day and make sure it's within acceptable ranges, I'm not stuck on that idea; it's just a thought. Right now it would get morning sun, but be in full shade during the afternoon. We just put it there today, I'm cycling through the water to get any funk that got knocked loose out, and I won't use a filter like that unless I have fish.

cool. It just might work,
Post pics when you get it going!

I found a leak in the aquarium this morning so I need to drain it and figure out what the problem is. I think I just need to recaulk the bottom edge. It's been moved 8 times, once from CA to WA and is almost 20 years old. I'm amazed it's in one piece, much less only has a small leak. Hopefully, whatever the problem is, it'll be easy to fix.

Hi zhinu...I just recently made myself an above ground pond. I got the idea from another DG'er who had one on his back porch. Not in the grass, nothing permanent. But he used a plastic stock tank, like you can get at a feed store. I went and got one, too. His is sitting on the cement, with nice pond plants, and a few fishies, and until recently didn't even have a pump going to it. He did get a little pump last week, but only to circulate some water from another bucket he placed in front of the first one. With mine, I did sink it partially into the ground, but he did not. My two cents is this...you could combine the two ideas, by..getting a plastic tub, and then maybe stacking some rocks around it on your porch to hide the tub, like I did..or just leave it like his. I will post his pictures and mine. I agree that the glass will heat up too much, even if you do have mild weather. Just think about the inside of a car :( His pics are in this thread. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=5224031

And here is my pond..uh minipond..uh water garden

I need a thermometer but the water seemed fairly cool at the point it went into shade today, and the cover I want to make should make it about what yours is, without the black bottom to collect heat.

I do like your garden though, that's pretty cool!

This is a stock pond 2X6X4, $109.00 at a tractor supply. Sits at an angle under my canopy on top of a stone patio. Behind is another smaller stock tank that is a bog garden and that helps shade it. Could be dismantled in a matter of hours if need be. Have 6 koi and several water plants. A small fountain from HD. Very relaxing.

lilly

back side.

LouC

Yeah, I saw this on one of the other threads.

Not what I'm looking to do this time, but quite nice.

If the glass does get too hot, you could plant cannas, elephant ears ect to make a shade hedge around the tank. Or stack cement block around the sunny side and plant a vine over it. That would create some instant shade for it, and make it appear bigger.

Oh, when you patch that leak, Remove all of the old sealer that you can with a razor blade.
Then make sure you wash the area well with rubbing alcohol. This will help the silicone to seal better. You might also be able to get critters to go in it besides gold fish, obviously koi are out because of their size. Have you thought about a crawdad, minnows or mosquito fish, or maybe a frog or a salamander. Just avoid turtles because they require a special light and diet to keep their shells hard, plus they get very large and would quickly out grow it. You would need to get something that could survive in the winter unless you have a place to house them over winter. You can also buy heaters for small ponds, or maybe even a bird bath/fountain heater would keep your water from getting too cold if needed. If you are putting it up next to the house though it may be sheltered enough to keep the temp more stable.

I was trying not to double post, but since I keep getting questions:

What I want to do is create a cover for the aquarium that will be turned into a fairy garden. I was thinking that I would do the cover in glued sand, with divots to put plants in, cover it in either air plants (like hen and chicks) or sod, and add a few taller plants in the divots. I want the cover to enclose a pump for a water fall (which will sit on something like a 4x4) and a filter in case I want fish. Here are my very basic conceptual blueprint drawings for what I want to do.

If you want to see more on the cover quest go to the link in the first post or I reposted the beginning thread here in hopes of getting a better response http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/877525/

FrillyLily - I'm sorry I'm tired, way too little sleep last night. I tagged your post and then forgot to say how much I appreciated you posting the tips, I would have just added the sealant on top of the old.

We might get native frogs, we have some around here. I will get a heater if I get animals.

A neighbor added an above ground pond to his yard with no digging. Just a small preformed surrounded by cut landscape timbers that disguised double walled styrofoam sheeting which proteced the pond from freezing ( zone 5 here) and it worked. He had fish year round. Everything sat above ground. The filter was disguised behind rocks. It was really cute, about 100 gal.

FrillyLily - Thanks again for the tip of removing the sealant and rubbing it with alcohol. I got it fixed! Right now I'm going through the rocks picking out the natural ones, it's going to take me forever, but I don't have the money for new ones and I do have the time.

My caulk didn't stand up to sitting in water. I'm going to have to get aquarium specific caulk. One more step back I've had to do today. Wish me luck on eventually finishing this. We're going to have colder, wetter, days for awhile so I can't even do my prototype cover.

This message was edited Jul 26, 2008 8:47 PM

You will have to use aquarium sealant. It comes in clear or black. You can get it at most pet stores or online. The tank has to be COMPLETELY DRY> Don't forget to take off all the old caulk, and rub down with alcohol first. The tank should dry 24 hours at least before you move it afterwards. I would probably wait longer than that even.

I got the aquarium sealant emptied and cleaned the tank today.

update?

Stalled… I think I’m going to do a box around the aquarium, then do a berm like garden around it. But, I need more money then I currently have to pull that off.