likwid

Just to update you guys. I put in 4 small goldfish a few days ago, and they are doing great. They are really active, and come up to the surface easily when there are flakes of food up there. I also put a cup at the bottom of the pond that they like to go inside and play around in, very cute. What size tank would be sufficient enough to over-winter these guys in?

Thanks for the link. I don't know exact water temperatures, but I do know that it does get nice and warm during the day, and fairly cool at night, since the overnight lows are around 10 degrees. Would it be alright to add a few goldfish, or is it too late in the season to start this now?

Would I be able to add just 1 very small koi fish, or is there no chance for it in a 35 gallon pond? Also, how long would I be able to keep these fish out in the pond before having to bring them in? Should I add a heater of some sort?

Thanks for all the great help guys. I have filled up the pond, added a small fountain with beautiful green lights at night, as well as a bunch of water lettuce and hyacinths. I think I am going to go with nyb440's idea and build a plant ledge around to fill with some nice plants and grasses. With that all said and done, I would also like to add some fish to this pond. If I were to add a couple small koi and goldfish, how long will they be able to survive in this pond before having to bring them indoors?

I have attached a few photos of the pond to give you a better idea of what I have to work with here. I think I will try out the water lily at the greenhouse, and hope it will get healthy again. I think I will also purchase some water lettuce and hyacinths to cover some of the surface. As for a ledge, there isnt too much to work with, other than a couple inches as you can see in the pictures. Hopefully adding those plants and the small fountain will be enough to create a beautiful pond. That being said, seeing what I have to work with, do you have any suggestions on what you would do to create a beautiful and sustainable pond?

Thanks for the speedy responses. I apologize for all the questions. I have had many fish tanks, and have always wanted a pond, but living in a condo, I can only have a free-standing pond, and it is hard to find good information for smaller ponds like this. I am in Lethbridge, by the way, so we should get quite a bit more light and warmer weather than most of alberta. The lilies (hardy lily) at the greenhouse are potted, but they are in shallow water, and the pad only goes up a few inches from the pot. Will this be a problem, considering they will be fully submerged in my pond since it is a few feet deep? What other aquatic plants do you recommend I throw into my pond that will be beneficial and look good this time of year? The local greenhouse has quite a lot to choose from, hyacinths, water lettuce, etc.

Thanks for all the great help guys! If I decide to go with gravel at the bottom of my tank, do I have to rinse it well first? I have a ton of gravel in my front yard that I could scoop up and put into the pond. Also, I went to the local greenhouse and they do have water lilies there, however their pads were fairly brown and no lilies were blooming at the moment. You could see new stalks starting to come out from the base though. Is it still fine to buy one of these and hope they will bloom this year? Will the pads stay brown the rest of the year? Thanks.

Hey guys, I just bought a 35 gallon corner patio pond at home depot. It is essentially like a giant plastic planter, but meant to be used as a small standing pond similar to those whiskey barrel ponds. Anyways, I would like to create a nice pond that has aquatic plants like water lilies, as well as a small fountain at the top, and eventually some fish. Would a small fountain/pump be enough for water movement? How will water lilies do with a fountain? Any places online to buy aquatic plants from? I am looking at getting this pump/fountain for it for water movement: lagunaponds.com/lagunaeng/powerjetpumps/pjet100a.php?link=1402 Also, before I begin filling up my pond, I was wondering what you recommend I put at the bottom? I read a few articles with some people putting gravel, some putting soil, etc. Do I need soil in there to keep aquatic plants? Thanks

Hey guys, I have a 5 g puffer tank with 1 dwarf puffer and some live plants. I have a big chunk of driftwood in there as well that I purchased at the local pet store. Since day one, little pieces of wood keep falling off the ends of the driftwood and settling on my substrate, making it look like theres tons of fish poop in my tank. Anything I can do to stop this from happening?

Hmm well that sucks. What do you do with yours? Is there any kind of fixture/lamp I can get a walmart with a light that will work well for low light plants in a 5 gallon? I dont thinkt he 9w light that came with the aquarium will be good enough.

Does this come with the legs to mount the fixture on the tank, or do you have to buy that seperately?

Thanks again. Do I get a cf lamp from Petland made for freshwater, or just go to home depot and get a 6700k cf lamp? Also, where can I buy aquatic soil for a planted aquarium? I have only seen gravel at pet stores. I am looking for something black like this http://www.pbase.com/plantella/image/68013548.

Thanks for all the great info! In terms of doing it DIY, I love that cube that you posted! What you didnt mention, was what wattage of lighting will be needed for a smaller tank. If I were to go with a cube like that, with that type of grass in it (what kind is that?), what wattage of bulb should I get? Do I just go to walmart and look at all the lamp fixtures, and find one that can take compact fluorescent? Most of the lamps I have seen come with high wattage ones, would I be able to throw in a smaller wattage lamp inside that fixture? What do you recommend for that cube and how many gallons is it? Also, where can I buy the soil they use in that tank? Is it aquasoil? I havent seen any freshwater plant soil here at Petland or Petcetera. Thanks

What tank do you recommend Sharuq? Would an eclipse or hagen 3-6g tank work for this?

Sorry I dont know the names of the plants, but something that can grow as grass on the bottom of the tank to fill it out, and something that can grow on the back wall, hair grass I think its called.