I'm back, with a small pond build in the works!

Hey all, it's been quite a while since I've been around these parts and I missed AC too much. I'm working on a 50 gal pond build for the patio, just in the planning stages now, to replace a trashcan pond my pair of tosakin are currently occupying. A trio of shukin are on their way next week, too.

Here's the plan:

The basic structure, built of 2x4s. We might pare it down a little in the actual build, it's pretty beefy for such a small pond. When it's all done it should be about 50 gallons, perfect for 5 small-breed goldies. I'll be adding plants as well, mostly dwarf species to keep it in scale. They will be in hanging baskets on the sides.



And here's how it should look all finished. The inside of the box structure will be lined with ply, then felt, and finally a 20mil pvc pond liner. The liner is stapled to the upper horizonal supports and the top boards nailed down on top of that for a clean look.
The shelf on the side will house the filter, cords, etc.




The outside will be painted white, with the top boards stained wood - clearcoated, of course, to seal the water out.

And here are the occupants, baby tosas:







And blue shukin babies:







Any thoughts on the build so far? As we start the construction I'll be updating with photos.

Thanks guys! I'm really excited about the build.

The drawings were done with Google Sketchup 6, which is SUPER useful for things like this where I need exact dimensions and the ability to move components around. Also, its a free download, and that's the best, haha!

Tosakin and shukin are more unusual - both are direct from breeders. The tosakin came from Paul at Ranchumaniax.com, they're babies from Thai parents. As adults, the edges of the tail fins will curl up toward their heads, forming an almost complete circle. They're very pretty! Shukin (or tsugaru nishiki, the Japanese name) are longfin ranchu. They don't develop much headgrowth, but as adults those tail fins are absolutely stunning. Worth a google search.

Jackie, I'm so glad to hear my ottos are doing well! The fat little fellows, they're so cute. How are your tanks?

Thanks Jennie Beth! The pond will run all year long, although I may bring the fish inside for the hottest months of the summer, as the pond will be in full sun. I'm not sure if that will be a real issue once it's fully planted.... we'll have to see.

No cats, dogs, kids, coons, herons... None! It's on our patio, second story above garages, no attached neighbors, no outside cats in our condos. Not even any big birds to speak of, just finches, sparrows and a couple crows. Right now, since there are no floating plants, I have netting over the top just in case. Once it's planted I won't worry about that.

Yes, the plants will hang in the water, rooted in boxes attached to the inside walls of the pond. The plan is the have dwarf horsetail rush, dwarf golden sweetflag, marsh marigold on the "far" side of the pond and dwarf clover, pennywort and water poppy on the near side of the pond as foreground cover. The middle will have a dwarf lotus for some surface cover. None of the plants should grow over 15 inches tall - I'm trying not to have my little pond overtaken by plants!

I'm so excited about the dwarf lotus! It's a Xiamen Dwarf Lotus, google for pictures.