Bath tub ponds (forum)

Hayden starts with ...
Hi, has anyone made a bath tub pond??? What plants grow well, did u add fish or put in a water Gurgler Thingy. Does a bath tub still need lining??? Any problems you had??? I want to sit a bath tub above ground and grow lotus and maybe have some small fish would that be fine in a bath tub. Do lotus need soil in the tub or can I just fill the bottom with pebbles and put the lotus in a pot in the water. Thanks.

Time: 31st October 2010 10:15pm

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About the Author Hayden1
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allybanana says...
Lotus loves it rich at the bottom, yes you can have them in pots in the pond but they seam happier in rich soil on the bottom. My sister and I set up a lotus pond at her place in Canberra in a garbage bin and we put in a few shopping bags of Kangaroo poo in before planting the lotus. The leaves and flowers spilt out over the top of the bin in the first year and it flowered for ages.

Gold fish will dig up the roots so if you have them you will need a decent layer of pebbles over the lotus and other plant roots.

The worst disasters I have seen is were people have created frog ponds and get some surface azolla of duckweed accidentally or deliberately thrown in, as a result it covers everything and turns the water foul. If you have gold fish they will eat these weeds but if you want frog breeding keep it away. I know some permaculturalists love this pond plague as it fixes nitrogen, but you only need to have a busy month and forget to remove it and the pond goes eutrophic/ robbed of oxygen.


Time: 1st November 2010 11:12am

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snottiegobble says...
Bath tubs make excellent ponds but it is important not to rely on the original plug not to leak because it will deterioate over time .Cut a circle of plastic to fit over the hole & silicone it well. best to put water in & change it a few times to allow the silicone to detox before introducing fish. Best ones to control mozzies without eating the plants are native pigmy perch,& galaxias. Some of the aquarium semi-tropicals are also very good such as white cloud mountain minnows ( blonde ones are now available), rosy barbs, & zebra danios.
The mountain minnows will even survive a Victorian winter outside provided the pond is in the ground.

Time: 1st November 2010 12:14pm

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Hayden says...
Thanks all!!!

Time: 1st November 2010 4:39pm

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Julie says...
I put ribbon/eel grass (Vallisneria spiralis) in my pond to naturally oxygenate it. Got it from a friend, but pond places have it on sale. It grows on the bottom of the pond.

I never have any problems. Like snottie, I have pygmy perch to eat the mozzie larva. Goldfish and carp wil eat the frogspawn as well as plants.

Time: 1st November 2010 8:44pm

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About the Author Julie
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snottiegobble says...
As Julie says vallisneria is excellent for ponds & it will quickly cover the floor of the pond if you provide a base for it to grow out of. I usually put down a clean potting mix ( one without added chemicals) then yellow sand or gravel on top prevent discolouration of the water. When planting it is easy to poke the roots through to the potting mix without much disturbance. Always fill your pond with a hose running into a bucket sitting in a larger bowl so not to disturb the planted bed.
If contemplating a plant with high nitrogen needs like lotus it would be safer to introduce ordinary water lilies
to prevent a nutrient density that may be unlivable for frogs, fish, watersnails etc.

Time: 2nd November 2010 1:22pm

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Hayden says...
Do water pillows need any fertilizer and if so will adding fertilizer hurt any fish If I decide to add any.

Time: 3rd November 2010 8:25pm

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Hayden says...
Lillies not pillows sorry

Time: 3rd November 2010 8:25pm

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Julie says...
I put cow manure in with the mix, as recommended by a book on pond plants. The whole pond turned green! It did clear eventually. but I wouldn't do it again.

BTW, My pond isn't huge - it's round, about 2m across(?). The water lily completely took over after 2-3 years and it was hard work to remove it. I would only plant these if you have a big pond.


Time: 3rd November 2010 8:48pm

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Hayden says...
Some lilies grow to different sizes and the non tropical lilies have smaller leaves and stay smaller. Plus they are more resistant to non tropical weather.


Time: 3rd November 2010 8:56pm

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Hayden says...
Missed a bathtub lying I'n a front yard today. Was just about to pull up after driving by several times throuought the day to ask about it but it had been sold before I finally decided to ask! :( maybe next time.

Time: 8th November 2010 9:54pm

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amanda says...
Salvage yards usually have heaps Hayden :)

Time: 9th November 2010 10:05am

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Frog Girl says...
Julie - can you advise where I can buy pygmy perch in (around Hornsby/ Sydney please.

Time: 13th March 2011 9:26am

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Julie says...
Frog Girl, I am in WA, so I have no idea. I got mine from a friend - they were a bit hard to catch! Maybe someone here can help?

Time: 13th March 2011 9:44pm

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snottiegobble says...
Frog girl, I had some for a while that I caught from a dam in Victoria with a net. They needed live food though to survive as they refused fish flakes..


Time: 14th March 2011 12:57am

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Julie says...
I assume mine live on supply and demand. They eat the mozzie larvae and breed. I also throw in the occasional caterpillar etc.
My little granddaughter likes to feed them (rarely) and they will eat a bit of fish food. I don't give it to them - they have to feed themselves!
SG, have a look at a short video on youtube, where a guy breeds soldier fly larvae for fish food. I would like the contraption he uses, but no idea where to get it. The larvae crawl out on a little ramp into a bucket! Would like your thoughts on it - you seem to be an inventive kind of guy!
I Googled 'black soldier fly, and it was one of the first to come up.

Time: 14th March 2011 10:22pm

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rocketfrog says...
We are recent pond builders (last 2 years) in queensland, central. watching what goes on.




Time: 27th October 2011 8:41pm

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rocketfrog says...
just about to fill our bath pond. have plants for it. deepest spot about 800mm and shallowest about 150mm. have had mostly filled all wildlife seemed very interested. few repairs then refill.

Time: 27th October 2011 8:44pm

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Julie says...
rocketfrog, when I built my pond, I was careful to put in some large rocks so any lizards etc could climb out if they fell in. I have a sort of 'stepped down' edge rather than a sheer drop - if that makes sense. Hard to describe!

Time: 27th October 2011 9:48pm

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