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Ponds are a new interest of mine. I'd like to build one in my backyard some day, so I started out with a half-barrel pond on the kitchen patio, and then added another in the back yard, and now I've graduated to a few (six at the moment, but two will soon be disbursed to friends of mine) small ponds in my back yard. My full name is Jeffrey Valjean Cook and I live in Santa Monica (Los Angeles), California. Here is a link to Jeff Cook's Home Page.
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This page discusses all aspects of building a half-barrel pond. My inspiration came from reading the newsgroup rec.ponds and from Pete's Pond Page. For real-time ponds on video, see the Home Page for International Waterlily Society. Another pond page discovery is PONDSIDE. Yet another is the Austin Pond Society Home Page. For information on Koi see the Web page for the Associated Koi Clubs of America or take a look at Keith Wolfe's Koi Information Korner.
A recent pond link acquisition from South Africa is The Pond Professor, which is all about ponds, pumps, and crystal clear pond water. This site makes mention of a book called "The Complete Pond Solver" that is of great interest to me. I look forward to reading it and reporting on it at some time in the future.
Constructive comments are welcome, send them to Jeff Cook. Someday I'd like to add some graphics to this page.
Some topics to consider before making your half-barrel pond:
Some more topics of interest:I chose a whiskey half-barrel for my miniature pond, because of its rustic good looks. I purchased one at a home improvement store for $16. If you decide to use a wooden half-barrel, the next decision is whether or not to use a liner. I had previously been advised that, without a liner, a half-barrel pond might get microbiotic and/or chemical contamination from the interior of the barrel, so a liner was desirable. So, for my first two ponds, I purchased a 5'x5' black plastic liner from a garden supplier for $20, inserted it into the barrel, filled the barrel with water, and trimmed off the excess liner just below the top edge of the barrel.
However, I have since come to the conclusion that a liner is not necessary and may be omitted if one has the patience to properly prepare the half-barrel beforehand. I have now populated five barrels without liners, one of which has been supporting plants and a goldfish for many months now, and the other four of which seem to be thriving, with blooming water hyacinth, water iris, and water lilies, and with lively mosquito fish populations. A technique for preparing these linerless barrels is given in the section below.
If you do not wish to use a liner, which certainly cuts down on the expense, you must first prepare the barrel to remove the majority of the contaminants left over from the barrel's former contents, probably either wine or whiskey. A way to do this is to fill up the barrel and then throw in a few water hyacinths whose roots will provide a rudimentary filtration system. Empty the barrel out and refill every couple of days, or at least often enough to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching, retaining the water hyacinths. I have done this process for an entire month, but I was being conservative. If you can no longer smell the old contents, then I presume that the barrel is ready to stock.
The initial stocking of the barrel is of primary importance, in order to get the proper bacteria going so that a stable ecosystem can develop. It has been suggested that the simple use of plants from existing ponds, even those bought from the nursery, coupled with chlorine-free water, is sufficient to start up a small pond. But in my experience, this alone can result in an infection characterized by white oily-like surface sheen, white tendrils in the water, and an obnoxious sulfur-like smell. I have been told that this is due to a paramecium infestation. I have seen a barrel with such an infection completely recover naturally, and I have eliminated such an infection in other barrels by starting over by emptying, refilling, and then adding beneficial bacteria. In my opinion, a good way to ensure proper start-up is to supply part or all of your water from an existing barrel or pond. Alternatively, one may purchase beneficial bacteria from an aquarium supply shop and use it for start-up. I have tried both methods with success. Also, I like to drop a large piece of lava rock into the bottom of the barrel, to ensure that the bacteria have a large surface area on which to grow.
I use filtered water (no lead, chlorine, etc.) when topping up to account for evaporation; chlorinated water may be used if preceded with a chlorine neutralizer. It has recently come to my attention that topping up with filtered water may eventually have an adverse effect on water quality, due to increased concentrations of the substances that are not removed by the filter, such as salts. If this is a concern, which I must admit has never been a concern of mine, then occasional water changes are recommended. For example, one could periodically siphon (or use a pail) and remove 25% of the water volume, and then replace it with unchlorinated water.
The soil-rooted plants should be planted in individual containers and fertilized appropriately (water lilies, especially, require frequent fertilization). Bog plants should be placed so that their root tops are within one inch of the surface of the pond, above or below. To help prevent algae growth, plants should cover 75-80% of the surface of your pond.
It is rumored that a pond will support one inch of fish for every 5 gallons of water without requiring oxygenation or filtration. If you see your fish "gasping" at the top of the water (low oxygenation), or you intend to put a lot of fish in a small space, then your pond will require mechanical filtration and aeration. But regardless, it is inappropriate to put large fish in a small space like a half-barrel pond. And even goldfish can eventually outgrow a half-barrel pond.
Notice: Please do not put koi in a half-barrel pond. They will soon outgrow their container and they tend to devour plants.
Notice: I have been informed by various sources that combining mosquito fish and goldfish can be fatal to the goldfish. The reasoning behind this is that the fast, energetic mosquito fish will deprive the goldfish of food and they may even disable the goldfish through aggression. However, my small ponds contain both mosquito fish and goldfish, some for three years now, and the goldfish are thriving and have produced offspring. Perhaps the problem only occurs when the mosquito fish population far outnumbers the goldfish population. I only keep two goldfish and a few mosquito fish in each barrel.
Designs for a simple aerator/biofilter will be upcoming here. According to a post on rec.ponds the book "Practical Koi Keeping Volume 1" contains a wealth of information for do-it-yourselfers including several biofilter designs, with drawings. It is apparently available from AKCA, PO Box 28027, San Diego, CA 92128 (619) 487-4143 voice or fax.
Plants need fertilizer. Fish need food when you overstock. Filters require periodic cleaning. To minimize maintenance, I keep the plant load high and the fish load low, and do not filter, so all I have to do is feed the plants periodically.
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