Sliceofnature Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 Im currently setting up my first mini pond to house My leopard danio fry when they outgrow the tank their current tank. My goals are to run filtration solely off of solar power and to use the pond as a sort of low tech aquaponic system also to grow some peppers, herbs and veggies. To start i’ve sourced a 3/4 wine barrel. I believe it holds between 55-60 gallons Ive added a couple of old bookers bourbon boxes for planters also and have drilled holes in the bottom so that they drain back into the pond. I also added the pvc spigot set up at the back which will aid in water changes as well as draining in case the pond starts to overfill during heavy rain. The spigot should also allow me to use the pond water to easily water other nearby planters. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 (edited) Ive ordered a few goodies to get the pond started, the first of which arrived today! This solar powered water pump was just $20 on amazon. Its very small and basic which is fine for my purposes. Its mostly ornamental, tho it should provide some extra aeration on the sunniest/hottest days. As you can see there was already a little tear in the coating on the solar panel which is not a great sign but well see if it works. Edited July 22, 2020 by Sliceofnature 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 The pump is working well so far. It came with a few different nozzle choices which really came in handy. I Just need to make sure i pick a nozzle that doesnt work too well and end up spraying all the way out of the pond and draining it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 I've always wondered, do the wine barrels release much by way of tannins into the water? Do you have to compensate for reduced pH or anything like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 5 hours ago, Bill Smith said: I've always wondered, do the wine barrels release much by way of tannins into the water? Do you have to compensate for reduced pH or anything like that? Yes, at first at least. I filled it about a week ago and the water was dark within an hour. Ive done a few water changes since and today i did a 100% water change. Havent tested PH yet but when i do ill post it. My water comes out of the tap around 7.5 so im not expecting it to drop too low, but well see. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted July 22, 2020 Administrators Share Posted July 22, 2020 Looking good. I love the planters add on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted July 22, 2020 Share Posted July 22, 2020 10 hours ago, Sliceofnature said: Yes, at first at least. I filled it about a week ago and the water was dark within an hour. Ive done a few water changes since and today i did a 100% water change. Havent tested PH yet but when i do ill post it. My water comes out of the tap around 7.5 so im not expecting it to drop too low, but well see. I love the look of whine barrels and the planters. I was curious about the tannins too. Curious to see how this plays out 😃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 22, 2020 Author Share Posted July 22, 2020 More solar powered goodies arrived in the mail today. This solar air pump has an internal battery so that it can hopefully run 24/7. It has an intermittent setting as well as a setting that only runs it at night. I think the night setting may be handy in overcast weather where it will store energy during the day and only run the pump at night when its most needed. I used some spare sponge filter pad and a plastic bottle to make a filter also. I think its going to work pretty well actually. I just need to top it off with a few more bio rings. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 23, 2020 Author Share Posted July 23, 2020 Also got some solar lights set up today. So far theyve exceeded my expectations. Especially considering the price. I think they were $26? They are waterproof so im wondering if i should mount them underwater to avoid glare on the surface. What do you guys think? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 28, 2020 Author Share Posted July 28, 2020 (edited) The expanded clay media i ordered finally arrived so i was able to plant the peppers and lettuce. I may be adding a drip system to the planters, im gonna see how this works out first. Submerged i have jungle val, some Moneywort and a dwarf aquarium lily from aquarium coop. So far the jungle val is t doing too hot, im hoping it makes it. Edited July 28, 2020 by Sliceofnature 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Cory Posted July 28, 2020 Administrators Share Posted July 28, 2020 Looking good. It'll be fun to see the peppers and such. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted July 28, 2020 Share Posted July 28, 2020 1 hour ago, Sliceofnature said: The expanded clay media i ordered finally arrived so i was able to plant the peppers and lettuce. I may be adding a drip system to the planters, im gonna see how this works out first. Submerged i have jungle val, some Moneywort and a dwarf aquarium lily from aquarium coop. So far the jungle val is t doing too hot, im hoping it makes it. Nice pepper pots! 😉 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 29, 2020 Author Share Posted July 29, 2020 It became apparent today that i needed some sort’ve drip irrigation in this heat. About an hour or two after soaking the planters they felt bone dry. So i rigged something off of the same water pump i had running using some air line tubing, And vacuum connectors. So far it seems to be working surprisingly well. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Smith Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 Wow, this is truly an amazing project. You've inspired me to start up something of my own! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted July 30, 2020 Author Share Posted July 30, 2020 (edited) I had a bunch of expanded clay media left over so i decided to add some bucket planters for hydroponic veggies. Then used some more airline tubing to connect a second layer of drip irrigation to the buckets. So far its working out very nicely. Edited July 30, 2020 by Sliceofnature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSamsell Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 8 minutes ago, Sliceofnature said: I had a bunch of expanded clay media left over so i decided to add some bucket planters for hydroponic veggies. Then used some more airline tubing to connect a second layer of drip irrigation to the buckets. So far its working out very nicely. Very nice set-up. Neat & clean looking. 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faedother Posted July 31, 2020 Share Posted July 31, 2020 I love this project. It has a Art and Crafts style from the 1920s/30s to it with a modern twist. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted August 5, 2020 Author Share Posted August 5, 2020 I decided its time to finally introduce some of my juvenile danios into the pond, which over the last day or so has become host to a ton of mosquito larvae. Ive been monitoring temps in the pond to make sure swings arent too extreme as weather here has ranged from highs of 108* to lows in the low 60’s. Temps in the pond seem to be fairly consistent staying in the 70’s so far. @Bob & @Bill Smith were curious how the tannins might affect PH. Testing the pond water revealed that the PH (7.6) is the same as my tanks, which was sortve a surprise. I expected it to be lowered somewhat. GH is about 60ppm lower than my tanks at about 6dGH (tanks at 9dGH). KH is somehow higher than my tanks at 8dKH (up from 5dKH) which seems odd to me. While the danios were temp acclimating i noticed something move and couldnt believe my eyes! There was a tiny danio fry swimming at the surface! @Daniel heres another example of having fry where you’d least expect it. I didnt even have fish in the pond yet but somehow i still have fry 😂. I had added water to the pond from tank water changes, i must've sucked up some eggs or tiny fry in the process. Anyway, i moved about half of the danio out to the pond today and plan on moving the rest out in the next couple of days assuming these are doing well. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 I thought it would be lower too. And fry!!! Congrats Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RovingGinger Posted August 6, 2020 Share Posted August 6, 2020 How have you liked the solar lights and air pump? Do you mind posting links - I have very limited electricity available in my yard and those would be awesome additions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted August 6, 2020 Author Share Posted August 6, 2020 2 hours ago, RovingGinger said: How have you liked the solar lights and air pump? Do you mind posting links - I have very limited electricity available in my yard and those would be awesome additions. Theyre actually both working great. The air pump gets enough sun so far to run 24/7 with no issues and has multiple settings which is cool. The lights seem surprisingly well built and are impressively bright, they can even be installed underwater. Lights Air Pump 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted August 25, 2020 Author Share Posted August 25, 2020 (edited) Update: The pond is doing really well. Spinach didnt make it through the weeks of consistent 100*+ temps but everything else is doing well. The dwarf aquarium lily is growing very slowly but surely. And the Danios are growing up so fast! Edited August 25, 2020 by Sliceofnature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alesha Posted August 25, 2020 Share Posted August 25, 2020 This is just such a nice set up! It's got all the features that make eye-pleasing, yet it's perfectly functional. Can't wait to see how the veggies do and if the fish enjoy being outside. So funny that you have fry already!😄 Congrats on creating such a nice system. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted September 7, 2020 Author Share Posted September 7, 2020 Its 117* here today and the pond still hasnt gotten above 82* at its peak which is quite a relief. I will continue monitoring it regularly. Hopefully the water temp doesnt continue to creep up in the coming days. Im very impressed thus far with how consistent temperatures have stayed for such small body of water. The Danios are looking fat and happy. The adult hillstream loach pair has also been vacationing in the pond. I havent seen much of them but i can tell theyve been eating well based on the complete destruction of algae in the pond. https://youtu.be/A3fWqqkaPjY The veggies are also fairing quite well i think considering the hellish temps. The first peppers have started to appear which is very exciting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sliceofnature Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 Little update, The dwarf aquarium lilly Is thriving now.Also noticed this guy/gal has made a home in the pond plants. Can you spot him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now