patio barrel pond ?'s

[boostdog]

OK this is my 1st post..i have been lurking on this board for awhile, learning and reading alot. i have some ?'s now as i just bought and put together a barrel type patio pond that's roughly 10 or so gallons and will get about 4-5hrs of direct light a day.

I bought a small water feature from lowe's that came with a small 60gph pump. i want to add some plants and maybe a fish or 2 and wanted to know what kind of plants/fish would do well in a setting like this? keep in mind I live in Arkansas as well and we get all types of weather. i just put it together yesterday and it's really nice so far. total cost with tax 103.27 and it's worth every penny!

thanks in advance!

Bryan


edit: also i am looking at this as a plant kit - http://www.azgardens.com/p-494-whiskey-barrel-or-small-patio-water-garden-package.aspx

what do you think about the type of plants they are offering and the price?

 

[newbieincalifornia]

The plant package seems like a good price for the list but what condition will the plants be in when you get them? That is the question... what quality will you get for your 35 dollars pluse S&H... I would prefer to hand pick and pay the price because you never know what your getting with those plants. Parasites? disease for the plants and or the fish? Snails? That I must say will eat your plants more than the algae. Do not put goldfish or koi in a pot... That is WAY too small and will be a problem before the fish dies. Mosquito fish (guppy's) would do well. Maybe 4.

 

[boostdog]

ok i'll keep that in mind. i was going to purchase locally but none of the garden centers have any. we got hit with a huge ice storm this past january and it killed alot of the crop on our locally owned centers.

thanks

 

[newbieincalifornia]

My favorite store provides most of my plants but I also am finding a lesser known resource. Local ponders. A lot of local ponders will either trade or sell their extras. Most are better quality than you could find from a grower because of the smaller scale they work with the individual plants get better quality of care. I met up with a few of my fellow local ponders (this way is greener than buying or ordering also because there is little or no transport. That means less gas used to move it! Good for the pocket book GREAT for the environment) I found my neighboring ponders on Craigslist and a few on freecycle (a yahoo group dedicated to recycling and reusing) Good luck and enjoy ponding... It's addicting!