Thinking of letting my 8 year....

[sentrek]

old son build his own small above ground pond, with my help of course. I am thinking of using like maybe an old shop sink, a old hand wash tub, maybe one of those ice cream freezers at the store with the sliding doors on top. Something that is like stand up height and can be up on the main patio out of the weather since it will be pretty small. My concern is how well would it do if it is always under a roof where it wouldn't get any direct sunlight? Maybe I can put it on the end where it would get some late afternoon sun. I need him to start learning some responsibility and he sure does like watching the fish in my pond.

 

[HARO]

Six years ago I did a seminar for a 4-H group here (all girls, from 8 to 12) on water gardening. Between the store and myself, enough plastic tubs (half-barrel size) were donated so that each family got one. The girls really got into it (one litterally) and by the end of the session each had a definite plan as to what she would do with her 'mini pond'. Several of those girls still come into the garden center every spring, and are probably hooked for good. Your son is at the perfect age to develop an interest, it may as well be a good one!
BTW, the large tubs retail for $20. here, and are a good starting point. Any large container will do, as long as it can be made to hold water. If you place it on a deck, raise it up on bricks to prevent rot. As for sun or shade, experiment. Don't overdo the fish. A couple of goldfish or some minnows caught locally will keep his interest, and a small water change every week or so will keep the water clean. Good luck with your project; I started out the same way, but without parental help!
John

 

[gardengimp]

My friend's 5 and 3 yo have a 100 gallon or so preform in their front entry. The kids caught 'minnows' out on a canoe trip for the pond. They do water changes with rain water. I think the minnows are really gambusia (mosquito fish). Their pond faces east and is under heavy shade, it does quite well. The kids come over to my house and first thing they check on is the goldfish in the pond. They are very good around my much bigger pond. Her JRT, not so much, he wants to go fish hunting.

 

[Neo]

I like this Idea, My Son is 7 and I have thought about letting him have some control over a small 30 gallon tub garden I have going. If it goes well maybe I would let him have the 110 gallon with goldfish. He helps me now with our large pond but not always willingly. :FIREdevil: Maybe if he was under the impression it was all his it would hold his interest better.

 

[sentrek]

Thanks guys, yeah I think I am going to go for it. Everyday I get home from work first thing out of his mouth is, "hey daddy, you wanna go check on the pond?". And I think he gets a real kick out of saying "shubunkin". I haven't told him yet, still looking for something to use. I am leaning more and more towards a small chest freezer, remove the lid, drop in a liner, cover it with paneling of some kind and pretty much instant pond. I think the insulation would help keep the smaller amount of water from freezing in the winter since it will be on the patio out of wind and stuff.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I would've loved to have a pond at 8 yrs old. I used to sneak over to a neighbors yard to catch frogs at their small pond. My life long love of nature only fueled it more.

Its good to teach kids certain things about wildlife and plants, so they learn to respect it, because too many people these days destroy it without even thinking twice.

 

[sentrek]

OK, I am on to plan "C", I can not find a freezer the size I want and after measuring my wifes suv last night I realized even if I do find one It is not going to fit without laying it on its back, and I am not risking some nasty funk leaking all over her brand new car..noway nohow... not happening.
So, with that said, I am thinking of just building a simple 2' x 4' framed box and put an acrylic window in it. Just off the top of my head without drawing it up yet I am thinking the window will be roughly 30-32" high and about 48" wide. If I use a channel to capture all 4 sides of the acrylic and to secure it in place I should be able to get away with 1/2" thick acrylic don't you think? I think total inside dimensions of the pond will be about 36" deep, 30" wide, 60" long, so about 280 gallons. Anyone have experience in this area?

 

[sissy]

old claw foot bathtub works great for that already a hole for a bottom drain and you could use the spigots for the water to come out

 

[sentrek]

Thanks, I have considered that and looked at a few, but really wanting something a little taller.

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I think it would be better for him to build an in ground liner pond. for that small size you could probably pick up some free used liner from a roofing outfit, or you could just use PVC liner material or even heavy duty black plastic. Small above ground ponds are subject to large temperature swings, but in ground pond temps are moderated and buffered by the ground temperature, which is easier on the fish. The last thing you want to see is all your son's fish floating belly up after a hot day. That might be a little discouraging.

 

[Koigal50]

If you are say 36" (3 feet) by almost 3 feet x 60" (5 feet) I think that's more than 280 gallons. Have you every been to Whiz Q Stones, The have many ponds on display and some you build with rubber liner and block or pavers. It's in Fort Worth, it's worth the trip to get better ideas.

 

[sentrek]

I think it would be better for him to build an in ground liner pond. for that small size you could probably pick up some free used liner from a roofing outfit, or you could just use PVC liner material or even heavy duty black plastic. Small above ground ponds are subject to large temperature swings, but in ground pond temps are moderated and buffered by the ground temperature, which is easier on the fish. The last thing you want to see is all your son's fish floating belly up after a hot day. That might be a little discouraging.

Thanks, But I am out of space in the yard for another inground pond but my covered patio is 12' wide by about 22' long and all I have out there is the table, thats why I thought putting it up there would make the most sense for him. One of the reasons why I wanted to use a freezer is because it should be well insulated, I thought would help control temp swings since it would be out of the direct sun and wind, rain, ect. Even if I end up building something I was planning to insulate it as much as possible. Do you think tempature swings would be that dramatic if it is out of the weather, insulated well, and the back side is up against the interior garage wall?

If you are say 36" (3 feet) by almost 3 feet x 60" (5 feet) I think that's more than 280 gallons. Have you every been to Whiz Q Stones, The have many ponds on display and some you build with rubber liner and block or pavers. It's in Fort Worth, it's worth the trip to get better ideas.

Thanks, I never heard of them but i checked there hours, and unless I take a day off work I will never be able to go as they close at 4 on saturdays and not open on sundays. as for 280 gallons, 36" deep, 30" front to back, 60" wide comes to 281 gallons, if i make it 36" front to back i think it comes to 330 or so.

At this point I am not exactly sure what we are going to do yet.

 

[HTH]

I think plan C can work in the Dallas area Maybe add an inch or more of foam board insulation to the plan and a 250 watt aquarium heater or two that you can use if it gets too cold. Also build an insulated cover for when you have to heat. Place it in the shade or rig shade for it in the summer. Don't overstock it and you should be fine. Paint the outside white. May even be overkill.

Several people have framed above ground tanks, search the web for ideas. Same goes for the viewing window which I think would be great.

 

[Dave 54]

We kept koi indoors for 22 years with very little colour loss, a small pond on the Patio wont be a problem as far as I can see.
You could under supervision involve him in the main pond however strict rules must be put into place meaning he cant go near it un supervised.
Or you could put in a safty system that would stop him to falling in, infact the one here in the UK I'm thinking about can support an Adult see link :-

http://www.pondsafety.com/

rgrds

Dave