Mechanical Filters in Small Ponds

 If you have a small pond such as my bathtub pond that holds under 50 gallons you may be wondering how to keep it clean without spending all sorts of money. Forget about those expensive UV lights and a large filters and just buy a small mechanical filter to house your small pump and you are all set! 

In my little 35 gallon bathtub pond I use only a fountain pump set inside a mechanical filter. The mechanical filter along with one or two plants ensures the water in this tiny pond stays clear and that is key in ponds. I was always trying to get the water clear and worrying about this and that when all along the solution was a small mechanical filter. I finally invested in one and love it! These generic filters can be used for just about any type of pump and really help to keep the water clear and clean. Mechanical filters can be found at any big box store. Just be sure your pump will fit in the box and put it in the pond for some clean water....


in the garden....

 Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Transferring Baby Koi to Another Pond In the Winter

 Last fall my friend Naomi gave me two baby koi. I was not really certain about taking the baby koi because at the time my only pond was a 50 gallon cast iron bathtub. The bathtub pond has served me well for nearly eight years and is the home of one six inch goldfish. I have loved this little bathtub so much that it gave me the courage to give a big pond a try which brings us back to the baby koi. I told Naomi all I had was the bathtub pond and I wasn't sure if the koi would survive there. Supposedly koi need a large pond and very clean water. While my bathtub pond has its own ecosystem and clean water it certainly is not a big pond.  Nonetheless I put the small black koi into the bathtub pond about six months ago and did not expect much from them. I do not feed my fish and paid little attention to the now three fish in the bathtub pond. I would occasionally check the bathtub to make sure there weren't any floating fish but that was about it. Wonders of wonders the koi not only lived but even grew a few inches. They are even slowly beginning to get their colors as they grow. Naomi is very unhappy that these koi have taken so long to get their color but perhaps that is common? Maybe these koi won't get pretty colors at all but they are indeed koi as Naomi has no goldfish in her pond-only koi. Enter the new large pond and the need for a new home for the two baby koi.


Once I finished digging my big pond and found the leaky area (a low spot in the liner) in the pond I let the pond sit for a few days in order to give it time to clear up and to begin establishing itself. An important part of my large pond (and small pond too) is the fact that I have some plants growing in the ponds. I find these are the best filters for any pond and simply love the ease of care of these plants. So, before moving the baby koi into my front pond I planted some horsetail rush and native irises in mesh pots. I believe these helped to clear up the new pond just as much as the mechanical filter did. I swear by plants in a pond when, after a couple of years of pea green water I finally added some plants to my bathtub pond. After I added the plants I never had pea soup ever and have not had to add an additives to the water either. After a few more days with the plants in place it seemed like the pond was ready for the baby koi to be moved into it from the bathtub pond. 


I was able to move my baby koi from the bathtub pond to the big pond mainly because the koi are already acclimated to the temperatures in both ponds; which should be the same since they are both outside. Since I do not feed my fish I knew there was no danger of the koi being full of food and being placed in cold water where the food could slowly harm the koi. If I purchased koi from a store during this time of the year the fact that the store would feed their koi and the water in the store would be warm could cause a major problem with any koi I purchased and put into my pond. You are not supposed to feed fish when the water temperatures drop to a certain level because the fish slow down their metabolism and kind of hibernate when the water is very cold. Going from a high metabolic rate in the store to a cold outside pond in the wintertime would mean the food the fish had eaten would just kind of sit in the stomachs of the koi and that would not be a good thing. Fish do not need food in the wintertime at all and in fact I usually don't feed my fish at all-winter or summer. I do plan to start feeding these koi come spring though because I'd like to be able to interact with them. The goldfish in the back is easy to see in the small pond but in the large pond I can barely see these baby koi. Coming up to feed will be essential if I wish to see them up close. 

After catching the baby koi in the bathtub pond I was able to see them up close. Something I relished. In fact, I took a great opportunity to snap some photos of my baby koi up close and I also held both of them in my hands. Fish are so cool and these two are no exception. Up close I was able to see that these koi appear to be changing colors and I do hope they get some great koi colors but if not, that is okay as well. They are great additions to my big pond....


in the garden....


I have not yet named these koi and would like some suggestions. Any suggestions for names for these two koi will be considered. Thanks.



Words and Photos Property of In the Garden Blog Team, In the Garden

Bathing Beauties in a Bathtub, Puddle and Farm Pond

From In the Garden

Bathing beauties in a bathtub, puddle and pond? Let me explain. Two times a year Mr. Fix-it and I must tend to our swimming pool. Once in the spring to open it up, and once in the fall to close it down. Part of closing the pool requires draining some of the pool water. The excess water drains onto the lawn where it can pool and form puddles like it did on this day. I was struck by how many robins were taking advantage of the puddles formed from the pool water to bathe. They looked like they were having fun as you can see below.

Then I looked just outside of our fenced backyard and saw Mr. C's cows bathing in the farm pond. These cows are raised as beef cattle. After talking with Mr. C. he says he raises them until they weigh about 1200 pounds then he sells them to a distributor who then ships these gals out west where they are kept in stockyards and fed well. Once they reach a weight of about 2400 pounds they are then processed and sold as Angus. Sorry if I offend anyone but this is life and I found this information interesting. I knew the cows were beef cattle but had no idea how the process worked in this area. Now I know.

Well there is but one picture left of a bathing beauty isn't there? And it is the one bathing in the bathtub-believe it or not. The first picture shows one of the residents of my bathtub pond. The frog is a Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris) and is usually camera shy. On this day it just must have known it was a 'bathing beauty' day because it stayed put and let me snap quite a few photos. You would think that pot of stones, horsetails and lilies was placed in the bathtub pond just for this frog! Note: Pickerel frogs emit a secretion from their skin that can be irritating to humans so I was most happy we did not handle this frog....

in the garden....bathtub pond.

Tad Took Over When I Wasn't Looking!

Having some big dogs in the house means some concessions. One concession I make for BJ, my golden retriever, is to provide him his own swimming pool. It is a cheap little plastic pool. BJ is a water dog but even if he wasn't, he gets very hot in the garden. I have found out the hard way he must have water to take a dip in daily. If he doesn't have his own water, he jumps in my bathtub pond. Trust me, those last two remaining fish don't need a 115 pound dog joining them in the bathtub.

Lately I have been buying a few plants for planting. Who hasn't? It is spring after all. To hold the plants over and for easy watering, I store the plants in a wagon in the shade right next to BJ's pool. When they need watering or cooling off, I place the plants in the pool. Some have spent a bit of time there. I must have been using BJ's pool a little too much because now I have tadpoles in the pool! Normally I empty and refill his pool every other day or so. Can you see the tadpoles in the picture above? I wasn't sure if they would show up. They are very visible when disturbed because they wiggle all over the place.

Poor BJ. Or is it poor tadpoles? I know BJ will get in this pool regardless of whether or not the tadpoles mind. Though, because his pool is kind of green now, he may just prefer my bathtub pond. Lookout goldfish....here he comes!

in the garden....

Simple Idea for a Garden Pond-A Free Bathtub

Ok, if you have been reading this blog all along, you know I love the different, the very inexpensive, the free, and I love whimsy! This next idea will not fit into everyone's garden but you never know. If you are wanting a water feature why not try a tub pond? Someone advertised a "Free Cast Iron Bathtub" in the Leaf Chronicle. Mr. Fix-it was nice enough to go and pick it up for me in his lightweight truck. I thought it would be a clawfoot bathtub, but it is not. Oh well. I am glad Mr. Fix-it chose to bring it home anyhow.

It took quite a while to figure out how to close off the drain and overflow holes, but with help from Kenny Pipes on Wilma Rudolph, we finally were able to close these holes. The decoy ducks floating in the pond were a great find at a flea market on Dover Road. I think it was Queen City Flea Market. I have about 20 of them and have used them in my garden. Plastic is good for lawn decorations because it doesn't rot and is maintenance free. The ducks also grace my potting bench and add a lot of charm to my garden.

I encircled the outside of the tub with broken concrete (free) and added some ferns. This batch of goldfish you see in the tub is my third set. They have lived in this tub for almost 18 months. I really had a hard time getting the balance right in the small tub, but once I did, the tub pond maintenance is almost non-existent. You can see how clear the water is now, but it took about a year to get it right. Mr. Fix-it said, "Get a pond test kit then you will know what is wrong." Makes sense. So I did. Turns out all the pond needed to get adjusted was a few fish and some aquarium salt. Aquarium salt is like a wonder potion for ponds and that is all I have used in my pond whenever it looks like it is getting out of whack. The only maintenance I only have to do is rinse the filter off once a week or so.

My family and I feed these seven fish once daily. We all love to do it as the fish are really interactive. They immediately come up to the surface to feed and we are able to pet them. It is especially fun to watch the fish eat mosquitos that venture too close to their domain.

So, if you are into the different, the free and the whimsical, why not try a small pond? Let your imagination and close at hand resources guide your vision.

in the garden....