|
|
Post by lesfromlakeshore on Mar 20, 2016 16:21:12 GMT -5
For you experienced container gardeners what are some of the issues us less experienced people should look out for . For example is algae an issue . What about water changes , are they necessary or do you just top up what evaporates ? How about temperature control . Just looking to avoid as many errors as possible. Thanks....
|
|
|
|
Post by guppyguy on Mar 21, 2016 15:51:10 GMT -5
There is certainly a few things to watch for. To avoid many issues try to have the container pond only receiving morning sun. 4 to 5 hours of partial sunlight in the morning is fine and the rest of the day the pond does best in shade. This avoids some of the bigger issue that to much sun will cause such as the water heating up to fast and big temperate fluctuations. The water tankes longer to cool off at night than it does to heat up in the sun. In the shade the water temp will only go up to the surrounding air temperature. Algae will also be much less of a issue and with to much sun the entire pond can become nothing but green hair algae. I never use substrate in my container ponds because I need to be able to clean out all waste from the bottom. This is just my preference of course, as I do not use power filters, but I use lots of floating plants that filter the container pond naturally. But I also do 50% weekly water changes and just used a 1" diameter piece of tubing to vacuum all waste from the bottom of the pond. Top up's were needed every other day due to evaporation. Fast growing floating plants and plants that pull nitrates out of the water are some of the best kinds to use and keep water quality up between water changes. Such as hornwort, stargrass, salvnia, duckweed etc. I also kept a floating thermometer in the pond to keep a eye on the surface temperature. But it stay about 5 to 7 degrees cooler at the bottom of the pond. I was using a 3 foot deep plastic can for my pond and sunlight could only penetrate through the top since the sides were dark green plastic. This helped keep the bottom of the pond cooler where the fish would go when temps in the outside air hit the upper 90's on hot summer days. This is important as most fish need a cool bottom to retreat too and I find fish species that can tolerate the temp swings with do best in these container ponds. Many live-bearers that lives in shallow water naturally can and will do just fine for a example. The enjoyment of having a outdoor pond is great a new aspect of the hobby and seeing fish in natural sunlight really shows there colors.
|
|
|
|
Post by lesfromlakeshore on Mar 21, 2016 18:21:12 GMT -5
Thanks , I will keep some of these points in mind when setting up mine .
|
|
|
|
Post by phish on Mar 21, 2016 18:32:39 GMT -5
How do you deal with animals and birds going "fishing" so to speak?
How about birds taking a bath and pooping in the container? I had a fountain that used to pump water out of the pedestal sink and out of the lions mouth back into the sink and that thing would get so filled with bird dropping, the water would become so digusting and the pump would get clogged up pretty fast. I just stopped using it as a fountain as I got tired of trying to keep it clean and running.
|
|
|
|
Post by guppyguy on Mar 21, 2016 18:54:33 GMT -5
How do you deal with animals and birds going "fishing" so to speak? How about birds taking a bath and pooping in the container? I had a fountain that used to pump water out of the pedestal sink and out of the lions mouth back into the sink and that thing would get so filled with bird dropping, the water would become so digusting and the pump would get clogged up pretty fast. I just stopped using it as a fountain as I got tired of trying to keep it clean and running. Well the pond stands tall at 3 feet and I have never had any animals issues. I have the odd bird sit on the lip and grab a drink but there rear end is hanging over the outside of the pond, so no poop issues. It is way too deep for the bird to bath in it. It also sits on a outside deck. |
|
|
|
Post by gabor129 on Mar 21, 2016 20:06:42 GMT -5
Well I am almost the complete opposite to Glen! I like having a bit of algae in my containers, as it contains beneficial organisms that newly hatched fish eat! I usually keep my containers by the house under the canopy. They still get 6-8 hours of partial sun, and the side of the container is always getting light! I set up my containers like any other tank. I work with egg layers , and Livebearers alike, and for me a substrate is a must! I also use a lot of floating plants along with a few rooted ones! FYI I'm looking for dwarf lilies for this reason, just in case anyone has some... As for topping up, I do it when I water my garden, I usually drain 25% or so of the "fish water" right onto my raspberries almost daily. ( I get very large raspberries.) for animal interaction, I had a drowned rat, a sparrow, and several raccoons visit the containers. I use a Rubbermaid round bucket, right by my elevated garden so it is not surprising that some animals find their way in. My mother in law had her goldfish taken by a crane bird. Would not believe it but she has pictures!
|
|
|
|
Post by gabor129 on Mar 21, 2016 20:08:52 GMT -5
That is the reason for my fancy gold fish "pond" going inside my ex rabbit hutch!
|
|
|
|
Post by guppyguy on Mar 22, 2016 10:30:12 GMT -5
It just goes to show there are different ways to be successful with your container pond. But having options is always a good thing. But finding a dead rat must have been a surprise. lol
|
|
|
|
Post by gabor129 on Mar 26, 2016 17:06:44 GMT -5
Well it was an interesting experience!
|
|
