my bathtub pond outside project
01-25-2024, 10:40 AM
so i wanted a water feature outside besides all the birdbaths...
we had a leftover cast iron tub so my husband set it in place this past summer, 2023.
hes got a small water fountain out front of the house and so this one is mine. to do MY WAY.
https://imgur.com/a/5K46ulm
NO ELECTRICITY is my utmost requirement.
can i have a fish pond without any water pumps or filters that run on electricity?
it has to be true since water and fish have been around FOREVER right?
so i did a little bit of FATHER FISH and put leaf muck from the front water fountain into mine, just a couple handfuls.
inoculation he calls it.
i then took a bunch of dark dirt from the compost, about an inch over the whole bottom.
then two inches of straight sand which i have plenty of right on top of that dirt.
it all settled nicely so i added whatever plants i had that i knew would grow sitting in water and soil.
the CANNA LILIES and SPLIT LEAF PHILODENDrON was all i had but they filter the water.
https://imgur.com/a/K5LBJIv
it sat for several months and in December, my daughter bought an ounce of minnows from a bait shop and we just dropped them into the tub.
they were tiny little things.
the water was murky and you could only see the top four inches down into the water.
we never saw those fish again.
last night i decided to do a water change...
surprise! all those minnows are fat and much bigger.
we put them into a big plastic container with their old water and tomorrow ill slip them back into the new water.
https://imgur.com/a/veTcfEu
we didnt scrub off all of the green nor did we use any chemicals to clean the tub.
we just used sand to scrub with.
https://imgur.com/a/IuoF3ax
filled the tub back up with water with none of the muck or dirt.
the old water they are in now will also help inoculate the new water.
https://imgur.com/a/LDf6DgL
i can feed them if i have to but im just really happy they lived with nothing from me whatsover with no filtered or aerated water.
they were THRIVING!
nature! gotta love it.
we had a leftover cast iron tub so my husband set it in place this past summer, 2023.
hes got a small water fountain out front of the house and so this one is mine. to do MY WAY.
https://imgur.com/a/5K46ulm
NO ELECTRICITY is my utmost requirement.
can i have a fish pond without any water pumps or filters that run on electricity?
it has to be true since water and fish have been around FOREVER right?
so i did a little bit of FATHER FISH and put leaf muck from the front water fountain into mine, just a couple handfuls.
inoculation he calls it.
i then took a bunch of dark dirt from the compost, about an inch over the whole bottom.
then two inches of straight sand which i have plenty of right on top of that dirt.
it all settled nicely so i added whatever plants i had that i knew would grow sitting in water and soil.
the CANNA LILIES and SPLIT LEAF PHILODENDrON was all i had but they filter the water.
https://imgur.com/a/K5LBJIv
it sat for several months and in December, my daughter bought an ounce of minnows from a bait shop and we just dropped them into the tub.
they were tiny little things.
the water was murky and you could only see the top four inches down into the water.
we never saw those fish again.
last night i decided to do a water change...
surprise! all those minnows are fat and much bigger.
we put them into a big plastic container with their old water and tomorrow ill slip them back into the new water.
https://imgur.com/a/veTcfEu
we didnt scrub off all of the green nor did we use any chemicals to clean the tub.
we just used sand to scrub with.
https://imgur.com/a/IuoF3ax
filled the tub back up with water with none of the muck or dirt.
the old water they are in now will also help inoculate the new water.
https://imgur.com/a/LDf6DgL
i can feed them if i have to but im just really happy they lived with nothing from me whatsover with no filtered or aerated water.
they were THRIVING!
nature! gotta love it.