How To Build A Half Barrel Water Garden Pond With Or Without Pond Liner
The following article is a definite must read if you are planning on building a small garden fish pond. The article itself centers around building a half barrel pond using mother nature as the biological filter system.
The principles however are the same for any small pond with only a few small fish. Much of the information on this page is thanks to Jeff Cook, based in Santa Monica, California.
Before starting the half barrel pond project it worth giving some consideration to the plant life and animal life that the pond will be home to.
Strangely enough a half barrel isn't needed in order to construct a half barrel pond! It is quite possible to use a rigid plastic barrel liner, clay container or even a concrete container.
Many people tend to go for the rustic look afforded by a wooden half barrel merely for aesthetic reasons. What you will need to decide is whether or not you want to line the barrel using a Suitable Pond Liner.
It is not essential to do so but unless you want to spend additional time preparing the wood so that it does not contaminate the pond then it is a quicker and easier method.
Place the liner inside the half barrel, fill with water and trim off excess liner, slightly below the top edge of the barrel. A pond liner measuring 5 ft x 5ft should suffice in the vast majority of cases.
If on the other hand you want to do away with a rubber pond liner or pvc plastic liner in order to save some money then try the following alternative.
Firstly prepare the barrel (usually a whiskey or wine barrel) by filling it with water and throwing in a few water hyacinths, whose roots act as a filter system. You will need to empty and replace the water, along with the water hyacinths every few days.
Continue to do this for a couple of weeks or until you can no longer smell the old contents. This will also help to prevent mosquito larvae from hatching. This is particularly relevant to warmer climates such as those in the warmer US states; not so much of a problem for us cold weather Brits.
Whether you chose the easy option (using a rubber pond liner inside the barrel) or opted to save money and prepare the pond using the method above you are now ready to prepare the half barrel pond for future habitation by fish and plants.
As with any pond the colonies of natural nitrifying bacteria need to be present, in order to break down ammonia compounds produced by your fish and other aquatic life, such as frogs, toads etc. The bacteria will need a fairly large surface are on which to colonize and grow in number.
A piece of lava rock will do but I would recommend Supra Pond Filter Media. This low cost bio media has a large surface area and is a fantastic product with over 100 times the surface area of plastic coils.
Recommended Plants To Use In A Half Barrel Pond
To achieve a balanced ecosystem the following aquatic plant varieties are good to go with
- Pygmy water lilies, hardy or tropical lilies
- Oxygenating plants
- Floating plants such as the water hyacinth, water lettuce or duckweed
- Tall bog (marginal plants) such as rushes, Canna, horsetail, lobelia, reeds and cattails.
A word of warning - Duckweed grows rapidly and will quickly try to cover the entire surface of any small fish pond unless controlled. You can either remove some of it by hand or let your pond fish eat it; goldfish like to nibble at it.
Please note the following ...
- The plants that need to root in soil will need to be planted in plant crates and fertilized as and when required.
- Water lilies usually need more fertilization that most other pond water plant varieties.
- Marginal plants (bog plants) need to be situated so that the top of the root system is either an inch above or below the pond surface.
- In order to prevent suspended algae from taking over your pond and turning the water a green/brown color you will need to ensure that aquatic pond plants cover between 75% and 80% of the pond surface.
Should I Add Snails To My Half Barrel Pond?
This is entirely up to you but they do have a purpose in so much that they act as a clean up crew. The choice of snail will need to be carefully selected as some species eat plants. The apple snail is one such example.
Seek advice from someone in the know regarding this matter.
What Fish Types Are Ideal For A Half Barrel Pond?
Just before you add any fish it is important to allow the eco system to form properly. In most ponds this will mean that the nitrifying bacteria colonies will need to establish themselves on the pond filter media.
In the case of your natural half barrel pond where you are using plants as a type of Veggie Filter (bog filter) instead of a biological pond filter it is still important to allow the nitrifying bacteria colonies to form on the Supra pond filter media or lava rock.
his normally takes anywhere between 2 to 4 weeks to occur naturally. As a large population of fish increases the amount of ammonia produced it is important to only add a few small fish to your barrel pond.
The mosquito fish is one such species. Also known as Gambusia they will prevent your pond from becoming a mosquito breeding ground.
The good old goldfish will also eat mosquito and their larvae given a chance.
Note: A rule of thumb for adding fish to a small pond, including a barrel pond is that 1 inch of fish should is about right for 5 gallons (US) of water without the need to add a biological pond filter or oxygenator.
Having said this it is not a good idea to put large fish in a small space such as a barrel pond. Even gold fish can soon outgrow their new home.
Koi carp are a definite no no for any small pond (grow too big, too quickly), particularly those containing containing aquatic plants. Koi eat them and dislodge them.
Maintenance Schedule Required
A 5% water change per week is a good idea. It is important to remember however that tap water contains chlorine, which is detrimental to fish life. When replacing the water use a dechlorinator product or attach a water filter to your hose.
Remember the following from previous articles ...
Aquatic plants require fertilizer, fish require food and biofilters need periodic cleaning.
In a natural eco system such as the half barrel pond article discussed here it is imperative to keep maintenance to a minimum in order to avoid water quality problems maintain a high plant load and a low fish load.
This apart from feeding your plants aquatic plant food will allow mother nature to maintain the eco system.
Should I Use A Biological Pond Filter In My Half Barrel Pond?
A Bio-mechanical pond filtration system isn't required in a half barrel pond unless you overstock. If you want to support a lot of fish and other aquatic life such as frogs, snails etc then you will need a Pond Air Pump and biological filter to keep them alive.
My personal opinion in the vast majority of garden ponds is that it is better to be safe than sorry and all ponds will benefit from as much oxygen as possible, either from a waterfall, fountain or pond aerator.
A Biological Pond Filter is a must have in my opinion unless you have a few small fish and a natural system such as the one in this article.
All ponds whether large or small will over time form a layer of sludge and debris on the pond floor. This is a build up of organic matter. The build up encourages harmful bacteria to develop as well as increasing ammonia levels.
The only product I recommend to be added to a pond is called Viresco. It is natural, and effective in clearing algae and organic debris build up in ponds.
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