Making an outdoor nano pond

[Morganna]

Hey y'all!
Yes, I'm looking to build an outdoor pond about 15 gallons (I haven't confirmed, just guessing). I have the container, a metal oval tub, that I plan to line with pond liner. I have extra gravel and sand, and plenty of aquarium plants that I can put in, mostly crypts, java, rotala, and salvinia minima. Probably some pothos cuttings too. Right now, I don't plan on a heater, filter, or aerator, basically nothing electrical. Walstad approach, if you will.
And my main question was whether it would be feasible to put livestock in there. Maybe not fish, since it is a small space for there to be no filter, but could I do shrimp or snails? Or any ideas are good too.

 

[10 Tanks]

Hey y'all!
Yes, I'm looking to build an outdoor pond about 15 gallons (I haven't confirmed, just guessing). I have the container, a metal oval tub, that I plan to line with pond liner. I have extra gravel and sand, and plenty of aquarium plants that I can put in, mostly crypts, java, rotala, and salvinia minima. Probably some pothos cuttings too. Right now, I don't plan on a heater, filter, or aerator, basically nothing electrical. Walstad approach, if you will.
And my main question was whether it would be feasible to put livestock in there. Maybe not fish, since it is a small space for there to be no filter, but could I do shrimp or snails? Or any ideas are good too.

Hello. You'll need to come up with a way of getting oxygen into the tank water, unless you plan on removing and replacing most of the water every couple of days. This can easily be done with a small tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[davros]

15 gallons doesn't seem like much mass to moderate temperature swings. I don't know what it's like on a galaxy far far away.

 

[speakerman3]

I'm working on an outdoor 100 gallon tank with a sponge divider (Hamburg-Matten) filter close to one side that has a powerhead pushing water into an above-tank planter that runs the length of the tank and returns water on the other side. I am planning on using soil-less media and including another sponge before the return to keep the water clear.

Even 100 gallons isn't much to fight temperature swings, but I'm hopeful that it will suffice for shrimp, medaka, and some gobies.

If you have room, you can often find cosmetically-challenged tanks online for cheap--that was the case with this 100.

Good luck with your outdoor pond adventure.

 

[Uberhoust]

I don't know about 15 gallons, that is likely too small and as @davros suggests the temp will be too high to too low. I run two 200 to 250 gallon stock (think cows) tanks in my back yard without any electricity, filtration, or any special treatment other than a cleaning yearly. One tank has two feeder gold fish in it that are now 7 years old, I thought they all got eaten but found them last week, and the other has some Rosy Red Minnows (fat head minnows) these have been going in ponds for 10s of years. The ponds have water lillys, native bog bean, sundews and other plants I have collected. The fish live most of the year without intervention, though predation keeps the minnow population down. All plants are in pots within the pond.

For a 15 gallon I would suggest you keep some sort of display plant but don't have fish. Inside I keep a dwarf papyrus in a container that is about 15 gallons, it is fast growing but would not do well outside in a temperate climate. Another plant that might do good is the Umbrella Grass (Cyperus alternifolious). If you have a really small water lily like the Helvolas that might work if the container is a little wider than tall.

Don't worry about the oxygenation unless you have a really tall narrow container without a lot of surface area, mine don't get any aeration, except if the water freezes over in the winter, then I put an airstone in to ensure the ice doesn't prevent O2 exchange.

 

[Morganna]

Hello. You'll need to come up with a way of getting oxygen into the tank water, unless you plan on removing and replacing most of the water every couple of days. This can easily be done with a small tank.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

I've been trying to do research to see what all my options were. I was leaning towards water changes, and no filter, especially with all the plants I plan to do. If the container ends up getting situated near enough to an outlet, I will definitely get a filter.

15 gallons doesn't seem like much mass to moderate temperature swings. I don't know what it's like on a galaxy far far away.

I have a spare heater. So, again, I could use that if I can get it situated near a power source....
Hmm, I guess I'll have to move to a more relatable location...was trying to make a Star Wars reference. Oh well.

I'm working on an outdoor 100 gallon tank with a sponge divider (Hamburg-Matten) filter close to one side that has a powerhead pushing water into an above-tank planter that runs the length of the tank and returns water on the other side. I am planning on using soil-less media and including another sponge before the return to keep the water clear.

Even 100 gallons isn't much to fight temperature swings, but I'm hopeful that it will suffice for shrimp, medaka, and some gobies.

If you have room, you can often find cosmetically-challenged tanks online for cheap--that was the case with this 100.

Good luck with your outdoor pond adventure.

I don't really have enough space for 100 gallons (don't think I could convince my parents to allow something that big anyway). Sounds awesome though!

 

[Morganna]

Also, with the material I've listed, I would be able to make this a seasonal thing, summers only.

I don't know about 15 gallons, that is likely too small and as @davros suggests the temp will be too high to too low. I run two 200 to 250 gallon stock (think cows) tanks in my back yard without any electricity, filtration, or any special treatment other than a cleaning yearly. One tank has two feeder gold fish in it that are now 7 years old, I thought they all got eaten but found them last week, and the other has some Rosy Red Minnows (fat head minnows) these have been going in ponds for 10s of years. The ponds have water lillys, native bog bean, sundews and other plants I have collected. The fish live most of the year without intervention, though predation keeps the minnow population down. All plants are in pots within the pond.

For a 15 gallon I would suggest you keep some sort of display plant but don't have fish. Inside I keep a dwarf papyrus in a container that is about 15 gallons, it is fast growing but would not do well outside in a temperate climate. Another plant that might do good is the Umbrella Grass (Cyperus alternifolious). If you have a really small water lily like the Helvolas that might work if the container is a little wider than tall.

Don't worry about the oxygenation unless you have a really tall narrow container without a lot of surface area, mine don't get any aeration, except if the water freezes over in the winter, then I put an airstone in to ensure the ice doesn't prevent O2 exchange.

Wow, thanks! That was helpful to read!
Yes, the container is longer than it is tall.
I guess for now, I'll stick to just plants, the ones I originally listed as well as something that might flower like a water hyacinth. If I get a bigger container (like the tubs y'all are talking about) I can dabble in fish. Thanks for the responses! Once I have it up I'll update. Thanks!

-Morganna

 

[davros]

You can improve things a bit by thermally coupling to the ground ie bury it., I cannot say how much of an improvement, somone might know these thermal co efficients to calculate...

 

[emeraldking]

You can still do a lot with a 15g tub as an outdoor pond. As long as you've got some plants in it and that the wind is able to go over the surface, there will be no need for adding extra oxygen. Unless, it will be really hot on that location. But I would go for small fish or shrimps in a 15g.

 

[threecharacters]

15 gallons will work fine. You will probably want a filter at that size if you want to keep fish. It'll almost certainly freeze if it gets below freezing and it's above ground.

When I visited Thailand, people kept Betta year round in large outdoor pots (big but probably not much more than 20 gallons), usually with some kind of lily growing in the pot. None of the pots had filters and I'm not even sure they did water changes or fed the fish.

 

[Ram419]

I would think with that small of water it wouldn't be deep enough to keep from freezing or being too cold for any kind of fish. But you can always move the fish out before it freezes.

 

[Morganna]

15 gallons will work fine. You will probably want a filter at that size if you want to keep fish. It'll almost certainly freeze if it gets below freezing and it's above ground.

When I visited Thailand, people kept Betta year round in large outdoor pots (big but probably not much more than 20 gallons), usually with some kind of lily growing in the pot. None of the pots had filters and I'm not even sure they did water changes or fed the fish.

I would think with that small of water it wouldn't be deep enough to keep from freezing or being too cold for any kind of fish. But you can always move the fish out before it freezes.

I agree with both of y'all about the freezing. Ideally, I'll just have it setup over the summer, and put in a heater to help it last a little longer in the fall. But I'd probably break it down in October and bring things inside. It would definitely freeze, and I honestly don't trust the container not to break if I left up in the winter.

If I put anything in, I think I'll stick to maybe a snail and some culled shrimp. I don't have the space to overwinter any new fish. Hopefully, this first, small setup will entice my parents into thinking that bigger one next year is a grand idea.