Whiskey barrel water garden

[ShawnInfirmity]

@bettasngoldfish, That's for the reminder about the potential issue(s) and I think I'm either going to place a stone or brick on top of the pump casing to hold it down/in place or put a brick under the pump casing so if it falls over it won't drain the whole pot.

As far as the fish go, I am most likely going to wait until the plants grow quite a bit so the fish will have some shade from the leaves/pads. Since my house is two stories (and the barrel is in my front flower bed) this helps block the morning sun so it doesn't get direct/overhead sunlight until about 1:30 pm and by the time the sun is going down in the evening at around 5:30 pm it will have received about 4 hrs of direct sunlight. I was hoping that would be the best spot so it wouldn't get too hot but it would be enough sun for the lilies to actually bloom? The lilies I have in my backyard pond have never bloomed and I always assumed it was because they don't get enough direct sunlight.

 

[callingcolleen1]

you could put Guppies in there!!

 

[ROW FISH]

making it a tropical pond would be great. you could even get a little cheap heater for the winter being that you are in tx. and just cover for the hard freezes.

 

[Panzer13]

you could put Guppies in there!!

True but guppies breed like rabbits and that could lead to over crowing fast.

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

True but guppies breed like rabbits and that could lead to over crowing fast.

I'm probably just going to stick with minnows since they are readily available and inexpensive. If the container was larger I might be tempted to throw a couple of goldfish in there, but it's only 20 gallons and has about 5 gallons (4 inches) worth of pea gravel on the bottom.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

@bettasngoldfish, That's for the reminder about the potential issue(s) and I think I'm either going to place a stone or brick on top of the pump casing to hold it down/in place or put a brick under the pump casing so if it falls over it won't drain the whole pot.

As far as the fish go, I am most likely going to wait until the plants grow quite a bit so the fish will have some shade from the leaves/pads. Since my house is two stories (and the barrel is in my front flower bed) this helps block the morning sun so it doesn't get direct/overhead sunlight until about 1:30 pm and by the time the sun is going down in the evening at around 5:30 pm it will have received about 4 hrs of direct sunlight. I was hoping that would be the best spot so it wouldn't get too hot but it would be enough sun for the lilies to actually bloom? The lilies I have in my backyard pond have never bloomed and I always assumed it was because they don't get enough direct sunlight.

I'm not sure how much sun the lilies need as my own pond is in a heavily shaded spot and I don't have much luck with them blooming for me. I moved all my lilies to an above ground pond we built late last summer. It's in an area with more sun exposure and the water isn't as deep. I'm hoping to see some blooms this season but we will see.

I think you will just have to experiment and see what works for you. As for adding fish, I agree minnows are a much better choice than goldfish. Goldfish get way too big for something that size. I have some rosy red minnows (from the feeder tank at Petsmart) who have been fun to watch. They stay small (although larger than guppies)and are pretty active.

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

@bettasngoldfish , My original reply to you was supposed to say "thanks" for the reminder, not "that's". I'm sorry if it seemed poorly worded..

I have several rosy red minnows in my backyard pond with a few of the darker "wild" colored minnows as well. I will either move some of the minnows I already have out to the barrel in the front or just go buy some since they are so cheap. I'll have to wait and see how the plants do, but I have seen some new growth already! The Pickerel Rush (first picture) and the two lilies (second and third pics) are starting to grow and send the pads up higher in the water column, but the one plant I'm most concerned about is the Iris Ensata Royal Banner. As you can see in the fourth picture it looks rather dead or dry with a greyish husk. I'm not that knowledgeable when it comes to pond plants so I'm not sure if that is what it looks like when it's dormant or if it is indeed a dud? Perhaps someone here has insight on how Irises look when they die or go dormant?

 

[ShawnInfirmity]

The plants are all doing really well and the Iris has even started showing some new green growth which is exciting. I’ll probably still wait until I have a few lily pads at the surface to provide some shade before I add any minnows, but it shouldn’t be too much longer now.

 

[Panzer13]

Looks really nice man!

 

[haver79]

I love my whiskey barrel pond. I have the insert like yours. I usually put a lily in there in a pot. Takes up a lot of space in the bottom but works for me. I have put fry in there before they have done fine. I'm sure yours will be beautiful.

 

[cas]

an above ground pond we built late last summer.

Not to get off topic, but I don't think I ever saw a picture of this pond Maria.....

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I don't remember if I shared a picture on the forum.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

 

[cas]

Nice!

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Nice!

Thank you