I'm new to this, here is my first pond! Also: Hi, I'm Jules in Vermont.

[Phaewryn]

I've just finished building my first pond! I'm in Zone 5 in Southern Vermont. My pond is built into a steep hillside, and holds 65 gallons (but not 100% level so likely not holding that much in reality). At the top level, I have a small Danner Proline 1000 waterfall box which contains misc. biomedia and carbon which falls roughly a 1 foot drop into a 9g Maccourt connecting pool which I have altered into a waterfall pool which then drops a near 2 foot drop into a Maccourt 3-tier 5g cascade, which flows into the 65 gallon kidney-shaped pond (I purchased the pond locally and do not know the brand). It's driven by a Tetra Pond 1200gph pump with a Tetra box filter in the pond to which I have added filter floss and carbon to increase the ability to clear the somewhat muddy water due to the state of construction ongoing around the pond (and thunderstorm season). The pump is split between the falls (75-85%) and a small TotalPond fountainhead (15-25%) I rigged up on a valve with a tee splitter in the main pool. I've treated the water the same as my indoor aquarium, with beneficial bacteria (Seachem Stability) and Seachem Prime, though I doubt it's fully cycled at this point since I just added fish yesterday after doing a week of starting the biofilter. I've added no plants, but did dump some of my fancy guppies from my indoor aquarium in there, not expecting them to survive the winter, of course. I've just thrown an aquarium heater out there for now. They are not fish I care about, just ones I would give away for free anyway (which if anyone is interested in taking, can have).

Here's a video I made about a week ago when I was just finishing up setting the parts down, getting it running, and prior to getting the landscaping going:

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10212058050607147

(it also has a bit of rambling at the end which sort of is a good intro to who I am and there's a bunch of photo comments which show the build process)

 

[j.w]

Cute little pond and you can always bring them indoors like @callingcolleen1 does and some even survived outdoors and she's in freezing cold Canada!

 

[Phaewryn]

Cute little pond and you can always bring them indoors like @callingcolleen1 does and some even survived outdoors and she's in freezing cold Canada!

Thank you. I only put the guppies out there because the indoor tank is overpopulated. I'm hoping that I can convince someone to take some before it gets too cold. If not, then I'll just let them freeze as there is no space in the indoor tank for them (easier than giving them the hammer of release - for me, at least). Maybe next year I will toy around with putting a fish that eats guppies out there: that would solve a problem.

I'm wondering if I should bother with any plants this late in the season, as I have no place to store anything indoors over the winter? I know a place I can dig up some cattail-looking plants on the side of the road if I need them for biological purposes for the 1.5-2 month's of autumn we have left this time of year.

 

[callingcolleen1]

That's a cute pond with lots of potential, for beautiful landscape and fish. New ponds are so exciting!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Never to late to get Hardy plants that you can enjoy next year too

 

[Phaewryn]

That's a cute pond with lots of potential, for beautiful landscape and fish. New ponds are so exciting!

Thank you! I'm hoping to have it mostly be moss and rock, but I might have too much late day sun and those plans might have to be modified as the moss I've transplanted so far seems to be struggling. I might have to acidify the soil a bit more and re-try it in the spring.

 

[Phaewryn]

Never to late to get Hardy plants that you can enjoy next year too

I'm open to suggestions/recommendations for cheap/hardy plants. I know absolutely nothing about water gardening, and have a limited plant budget with all the stone I've had to purchase.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I'm open to suggestions/recommendations for cheap/hardy plants. I know absolutely nothing about water gardening, and have a limited plant budget with all the stone I've had to purchase.

Look around your area and see what types of pond plants still available. They can be planted in larger baskets and put on pond shelf. Plants will root good and come back next year. Grasses and Harty cattails, iris and Rushes suited to your area might still be available on sale.

 

[callingcolleen1]

There are lots of plants that you could choose to plant in and around your pond. Just look at the Hardy zone level or Google it before you buy and see if it's suitable for your area