…… Help or Ideas needed for building a garden pond

[packyderms_wife]

I want to build a garden pond from a stock tank, the type used for watering cattle and horses. Getting the stock tank is not the issue.

What do I need to do to keep the pond healthy? Do I need an air filtration system? I see some of the ones online have a water feature where the water seems to be recycled.

Also what type of plants, I live in central Iowa and we're supposedly zone 5B here but a smart person plans for Zone 3A because we can have brutal winters with very late cold Spring/Summers.

Also if I put koi in my pond will I have to bring them in for the winter, and if so how do you keep them from dying, i.e., shock, etc.?

 

[packyderms_wife]

So I can see I can purchase a de-icer for the pond, the electricity would be an issue so would have to look at going solar.
http://www.lilypons.com/product/894


De-Icers

De-Icers Under normal circumstances, De-icers will take care of turning themselves on and off as needed, dependent on water temperature (normally turning on when the water temperature is below 40 degrees F for more than 30 minutes). De-icers will also normally turn themselves off if removed from the water for more than 40-50 seconds. To turn a de-icer off, you should unplug the unit from the power source before removing from the water. This "out of water" shut off device is for safety purposes and should not be relied upon as an "off switch".



The purpose of a De-icer is not to heat the water, but rather to melt enough ice from the surface to allow the exchange of air between the pond and the surrounding atmosphere, permitting the escape of toxic gases like carbon dioxide and ammonia.



The predominate reason for failure of a de-icer is the build-up of excessive lime scale deposits on the base housing which can cause "hot spots" and uneven heating. To prevent the build-up, periodically clean the metal of the unit with a mild vinegar/water solution and a nylon scrubber.



You may notice that the fish are congregating around the de-icer on cold days. This is not harmful to them. Fish are "cold blooded" and have a body temperature which corresponds roughly with the temperature of the water they are in. Naturally, fish are attracted to the warmer water in winter, but will not be bruned by the de-icer since they are sensitive enough to temperature changes to avoid it.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I want to build a garden pond from a stock tank, the type used for watering cattle and horses. Getting the stock tank is not the issue.

What do I need to do to keep the pond healthy? Do I need an air filtration system? I see some of the ones online have a water feature where the water seems to be recycled.

Also what type of plants, I live in central Iowa and we're supposedly zone 5B here but a smart person plans for Zone 3A because we can have brutal winters with very late cold Spring/Summers.

Also if I put koi in my pond will I have to bring them in for the winter, and if so how do you keep them from dying, i.e., shock, etc.?

ETA I found this website (heavy on the images which are beautiful btw so takes awhile to download), but would love more real world experience suggestions! http://hedgerowrose.com/raised-beds-container-gardens/2014/11/10/making-a-stock-tank-fish-pond/

 

[Cardinal]

Yes, if you are going to be keeping fish, the tank has to have a filtration system. It's an oversized aquarium basically. If you use a heater and a top of some sort, I imagine you can keep the koi outside. Shouldn't be too hard to rig.

 

[packyderms_wife]

Yes, if you are going to be keeping fish, the tank has to have a filtration system. It's an oversized aquarium basically. If you use a heater and a top of some sort, I imagine you can keep the koi outside. Shouldn't be too hard to rig.

after reading about pond sizes I'm going to go with the feeder gold fish, comets, they don't grow as fast or poop as much as koi do.

I am confused about the filtration system though, I'm seeing there are people who use them and some people who don't and swear you don't need one, just O2 creating plants. Thoughts on that?

ETA interesting blog post here, like my previous links doesn't say anything about a filtration system. http://www.theredneckhippie.com/2013/04/easy-water-gardening.html

 

[CnMO]

I'm going to put in a backyard fish pond this spring.

the plastic black Rubbermaid type water tank is what I have to put in. deeper than the ponds you buy.

You can Put a solar pool, or pond blanket cover over the tank to keep water warmed up.

going to try blue tilapia fish, they need warm water to spawn, basically trash bottom feeding fish from Africa. They live on green algae , and pond scum..

I never eat tilapia, saving that for shtf.

But these fish spawn every 4-5 weeks, and produce 200-1000 eggs. Not like crappie, or bass, or catfish that only spawn in spring.

Will have to bring in during fall and winter, put a few in aquarium during cool months to keep the stock going.

 

[Kathy in WV]

Im in WV in zone 6b. I have the black Rubbermaid type stock tank I use as a fish pond. I asked hubby to bury it halfway so I can see down into it while sitting on the porch. If you put a lot of plants in the water it will stay fairly clear and will clean the nitrites etc out like a filter. Water lettuce, iris, any pond plant you like can be used. I have cattails wild iris etc. I accidentally killed my fish by exchanging too much water one day this past summer. Until that point the pond had been self sufficient. I really screwed up. It was really hot weather and I felt like the fish might need some cleaner cooler water so drained half out. They all were dead or dying by the next morning. Broke my heart. I had feeder goldfish and koi. They were trained to come up for food when I tapped the side. They had grown to about 7 or 8 inches long.

Use the stock heater all winter to keep the ice open. The galvanized tanks grew pink algae every time I used one for a pond.The black plastic hasn't done that.

 

[Horn]

after reading about pond sizes I'm going to go with the feeder gold fish, comets, they don't grow as fast or poop as much as koi do.

I am confused about the filtration system though, I'm seeing there are people who use them and some people who don't and swear you don't need one, just O2 creating plants. Thoughts on that?

ETA interesting blog post here, like my previous links doesn't say anything about a filtration system. http://www.theredneckhippie.com/2013/04/easy-water-gardening.html

By some of your comments I live about 60 miles east and a bit north of you. (My daughter is going to school there)

I have a couple of large tanks from my commercial turtle days. Most years I add two or three dozen wal mart feeder gold fish to the tank (there is a turtle or two in there too) When the turtles are gone I leave the fish and most years they make it just fine and I have a couple of 4-6 inch fish when the ice melts. I don't filter at all and rarely change water if when the turtles are not in the tank, When I do I use well water so no water treatment is needed.

A buried tank should take longer to freeze and if there is eneough volume or it is deep enough you should have pretty good survival of the feeders.

The Rosies that Walmart sells do not seem to grow much but were all still ok last warm spell we had and I could check them at the edges of the tank.

 

[Freeholder]

Have you looked into aquaponics? If you added a growing bed to your set-up, that would filter the water for you.

Kathleen

 

[packyderms_wife]

By some of your comments I live about 60 miles east and a bit north of you. (My daughter is going to school there)

I have a couple of large tanks from my commercial turtle days. Most years I add two or three dozen wal mart feeder gold fish to the tank (there is a turtle or two in there too) When the turtles are gone I leave the fish and most years they make it just fine and I have a couple of 4-6 inch fish when the ice melts. I don't filter at all and rarely change water if when the turtles are not in the tank, When I do I use well water so no water treatment is needed.

A buried tank should take longer to freeze and if there is eneough volume or it is deep enough you should have pretty good survival of the feeders.

The Rosies that Walmart sells do not seem to grow much but were all still ok last warm spell we had and I could check them at the edges of the tank.

Thank you, I'm hoping to not have to filter at all! If I get my stock tank soon enough it can fill up with our upcoming spring rains. Which plants do you have in your stock tanks? And where did you get turtles?

 

[packyderms_wife]

Have you looked into aquaponics? If you added a growing bed to your set-up, that would filter the water for you.

Kathleen

Not yet, I will put this on my to do list with a goal for next year! This is my first time doing a water garden and don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll probably do a smaller 15 gallon galvanized round tub this year, I have five of them, to see where I really want a water feature to be located in our yard.

The stories I've read from others, as to why they hated water gardening, was the feature was expensive to put in (an actual pond with all of the nice stuff) and it was in a really bad location. Well I plan to go cheap, no backhoes here just stock tanks, but the location I am concerned about. I have to raised beds created from rusted out stock tanks and it took me two years to decide where I ultimately wanted them to permanently live in my yard.

 

[Freeholder]

Not yet, I will put this on my to do list with a goal for next year! This is my first time doing a water garden and don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll probably do a smaller 15 gallon galvanized round tub this year, I have five of them, to see where I really want a water feature to be located in our yard.

The stories I've read from others, as to why they hated water gardening, was the feature was expensive to put in (an actual pond with all of the nice stuff) and it was in a really bad location. Well I plan to go cheap, no backhoes here just stock tanks, but the location I am concerned about. I have to raised beds created from rusted out stock tanks and it took me two years to decide where I ultimately wanted them to permanently live in my yard.

You are probably wise to do it in steps like this. It would be hard to move a full-fledged garden pond!

Kathleen

 

[Horn]

Sorry for the late reply.

Some filtering would be required if I were having the tanks for a center piece of a garden. The water can get kinda nasty, When it happens with mine I do a total water change and scrub the tank while empty. This is where having a well shines.

I have no plants in the tanks, They were for storing the snapping turtles prior to butchering. I still harvest one or two a year crossing the road. My daughter brought a small one home last spring, He had a great life and was quite fat when I released him in early fall.

If I catch a softshell turtle while catfishing I will sometimes keep him in the tank for the summer.

The Goldfish will eat the mosquito larva and other bugs all summer long and provide a meal to the turtle if too slow or unwise, I provided some cover for the fish via a plastic pepper crate which floats just under the surface and a couple of pieces of plastic drain tile on the bottom.

 

[WalknTrot]

The bigger you go for a tank, the more stable the environment will be. I wouldn't use anything less than a 150 gallon stock tank, even for a few goldfish.

If you set up some sort of aeration, either with a bubbler, a waterfall or fountain, the oxygenation situation should be good to go. Unless you overpopulate, I wouldn't worry about a filter system. Again, this is where a big tank and few fish will help you out. Goldfish are very dirty fish. Plan to siphon the crud from the bottom of the tank at least once/week and replace 10% of the water. Remember NOT to use chlorinated city water - it will kill the fish unless you let the chlorine off-gas first.

Floating duckweed is a good shade plant and water cleaner, doesn't require rooting, (no potted dirt in the tank) and grows fast but is easy to control. The fish like to eat it, too.

It would be good to have at least partial shade for the hottest part of the afternoon. If the tank is half-buried in the ground, it will help eliminate temp swings, and help you keep the ice down in winter (if you decide to use a stock tank heater). Stock tank heaters are expensive to run. You might think about moving the fish inside for the winter, or axe them in fall and start over in spring. Humane euthanization for fish is a few drops of clove oil in a small container of water and put the fish in the small container.