Simple DIY mini pond anyone can build || Walstad style mini pond with floating plants and fish
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Simple DIY mini pond anyone can build || No Filter Walstad style mini pond with floating plants
I had an old tub lying around in the terrace of our house here in my hometown. My mother used to use this to store garden soil. It was lying unused for a while so I thought of using it to make a simple pond with fish for my mother. I decided to build it with whatever materials I could find here and keep it very simple, inexpensive and low on maintenance so that my mother can take care of it after I head back to the city. I applied the Walstad method and laid down an initial layer of garden soil rich in nutrients. Next I topped the soil with a thick layer of river gravel. I also zip tied two pieces of driftwood and placed it in the middle of the tub. I also placed a broken terracotta pot which will act as a hide for the fish. I filled the tub with water and proceeded to add some more rocks and pebbles. I planted some Cryptocoryne wendtii and Hydrocotyle tripartita. Next I attached a bunch of Pothos and Philodendrons to the driftwood and finally added some floating plants like Amazon frogbits, Common Salvinia and red root floaters.
The guppy fish was added after a few weeks once the system had settled down.
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The urban nemophilist lives in the city but his heart and soul lives in the forest and wherever there is green.
The celebration of colours, the ambient sounds, the mystic scent and the fascinating wildlife that make up the forestlands and waterbodies of our earth is the elixir of his life.
The urban nemophilist attempts to capture all of this through his green art and sustainable gardening activities while his sketching and music sets up the mood for what is nature-appreciation at its best.
His goal is to create awareness on conservation of nature and wildlife through is art and sustainable initiatives.
Terrariums | Aquascapes | Dish Gardens | Bonsai | Gardening |Sketching | Music | Nature Walk
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Music :
Sleepy Hollow by E's Jammy Jams
RUclips audio library
#theurbannemophilist #minipond #fishpond
Check out my terrarium building course (A to Z of Terrarium Building) here
ruclips.net/p/PL2B6lN6qObdqpxnaF3u30ETDgYVID3PlI
It looks beautiful! What’s the size of pond container? @The Urban Nemophilist
Hi sir I am a big fan of your content. How can I join your work shop, I have tried to mail you but I failed. Please do something. Thank you😊
I've been watching planter and patio pond videos all morning and this is the best one!
Thank you
This man is my hero ... he is amazing.
This is simply awesome. You have created a beautiful mini ecosystem 👍🥰
Thanks a lot 🙏
Wow. This indeed is simple. I will be trying it soon.
Thanks. Sure go for it. All the best
Japan is full of such mini ponds, I always wondered how they do it without filters and water circulation. Thanks to the comments, i now know. There is also a village here along a river that feeds into lake Biwa and the way they managed to clean up their water is similarly inspiring. They have little covered “wash houses" along the river, where they wash their dishes etc with the running water from the river. But before it gets returned back to the river, the water passes through several basins were fish catch and eat the leftover food scraps. The river bed itself has some specific species living there that they use as cleanliness indicators to monitor the state of the quality of the river as it passes downstream. There’s a nice documentary on it.
Thank you for sharing. The Japanese people have mastered it long back and I have huge respect for them. Whatever they do they do it so well in a very inspiring way.
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
Enjoying the Beautiful Nature & Taking Good Care of the EARTH
🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿🌿
Could you kindly share the link to the documentary? Thank you for the knowledge
can you share the link plz.. love to watch such documentary
Yes pls
Hermoso. Intentaría ponerle algún sistema de re circulación de agua con algún filtro. Así los peces no mueren
Thanks. This is a Walstad style setup so no filter has been installed. Only water changes. You can read the book by Diana Walstad or study more about this natural system on RUclips.
beautiful idea very interesting
Thanks
Nice, and fresh 🎉❤
You did a good job.
Thanks
Georgious 👌
Thanks
So relaxing video ☺️
@5:37 Hello, nice video.
Simple & beautiful ❤
Thanks
Impressive & beautiful, thank you. May I ask how to prevent Mosquitoes from laying eggs in this setup ?
Thanks. Keeping livestock like guppies will help prevent mosquito larva
Absolutely beautiful and inspiring! I plan on doing similar to this in the spring and I have two questions:
1. Do the fish need a filter?
2. Where should it be placed: sun or shade?
Thank you so much….for everything!😊
Thanks. Place in shade. If you use the Diana Walstad method then no filter is the way to go.
Excellent…Thanks again!
Amazing video and quite helpful for ppl wanting to setup ponds. Is there any periodic cleaning activity needed and if so, how frequently?
Thank you. Yes water changes, waste siphoning and trimming of plants.
Very nice 👍👍🙂
Thanks
For best slomo results watch in 2X speed! Your welcome!
I subscribed to for a future videos thanks for sharing
How do you store in freezing temperatures? Would a greenhouse be okay?
I don’t face that issue in the tropics where I live. But I suppose a greenhouse and using a heater would be the answer.
I wanna make one so bad rn 😂
How do you maintain it, as in don't you have to change water/ do some cleaning of the tub every now and then??
All questions answered in detail in the comments section.
How do i protect it from spilling when it overfills with rain? Or do i just put it in a spot where it won't get rainfall?
You can place it under a shade. Normal rain will not be a problem. Heavy rains can wash away fish and floaters. Or cover it with a plastic sheet during rain.
How can it stay well without any surface agitation or filtration? Especially with covering the surface with those plants that stop the sun from feeding the plants underneath..
The surface plants is preventing an algae bloom from direct bright light. It is essential. I have explained the setup in details in description and some of the other comments. You can also read up about the no filter Diana Walstad method on the internet to know more.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Thank you for the very fast comment and sorry if i repeated some questions..
@@mihaimimi3965 no worries
I think I will copy this.
Do you have to regularly change the water like in an aquarium?
Yes
Good job! How do you deal with water snails?
You have to address it right from the start. If you buy tc plants they are mostly free from hitchhikers. Pond kept on terrace where chances of infestation is less. Incase of pond snail infestation assassin snails can help eradicate the colony if its a small one. Other snail eating fish can also help.
Very innovative..kobe obdi acho?
Thanks
Very nice~
Do you hav this as a stand alone set up or is it incorporated in a seating area?? I am looking for ways/ideas to incorporate one on my porch with seating to enjoy. Ty
Thanks. Stand alone
Sir from where yo get that floating plants...i have search every aquarium...they do not have them
I bought these plants at an aquarium shop in Bangalore. These are very common. You should be able to get it from online aquarium shops as well.
Can you do this to a koi pond?
Yes but has to be on a much much larger scale based on housing space needed for Koi. In that case a filter may be needed as manual water change for very larger ponds will be an impossible task.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist ok thank you 😁 i got a artificial pond from an old salmon breeder. So i will try this method 👍😉
Do we have to put any fiilter in this mini pond?
You can and it will be good to have one too. Here I tried the no filter Walstad method and hence did not use one.
Hello sir
I have a question.can i add any aquatic plant in it?
Yes
Is direct sunlight required
Direct sunlight will result in algae issues.
Can someone please tell me if this attracts mosquitoes?
Guppies will feed on mosquito larvae
@@TheUrbanNemophilist thank you very much for replying! I'm very interested in starting my first outdoor pond.
Hey what do you feed the fishes?
Mostly they get feed from the ecosystem in the form of mosquito larva, algae and other water insects. But they are also fed with flakes and micro pellets to fulfil their dietary needs.
How to clean this?
Depends on what you would like to clean.
It got to almost 99°F in Virginia. Even in the shade, I lost all my fish. I had comet goldfish. I lost none of the plants. What type of fish is heat tolerant for the summer? 🐀🐾
I think guppies may work
Rice Fish, aka Medaka are supposed to be very hardy for a broad range of temperatures.
I really want to build a mini pond with fish in my garden. But I'm not sure how to change the water & how to clean the fish excrement. Will someone please tell me?
You will need to use a siphon for water changes and gravel cleaning.
Can I keep Betta in this setup?
You might be able to keep as long as you meet their housing requirements. Pls do more research on the web.
how to get rid of mosquitoes ?
Add some guppies
In meinem Miniteich sind dann gleich fünf !!! Vögel ertrunken !! Ich habe so geweint ! Ich habe dann ein Gitternetz darüber gespannt. Soetwas passiert mir nicht noch einmal. Es wäre schön, wenn man auf diese Gefahr hinweist. Das war ganz schlimm für mich.
Sorry to hear. Never happened in my pond
How to maintain algae?
Algae is a function of bright light and unused nutrients. Floaters help control light. Heavy planting takes care of excess nutrients. Water changes need to be done as well. More details in other comments and in my other videos
What type of fish are they please?
Guppies
Is it ok to use plastic tubs for guppies?
Yes
Nice video but back ground music 🎶 is not nice sorry
Thanks. I really like the music. It has a lot of major seventh chords with ambient keys that almost feel like a dream pop track. The time signature also fits my video very well. However i do understand that musical tastes can differ from person to person.
There is no greater beauty or charm than what we can find in nature!! Inner peace ❤
feels Japan...
So true! @AMRUTA14
Mosquito does not lay eggs where fishes are there
The trick is to never feed the fish so that they will eat all mosquito larvae.
Worlds slowest video
Yes slow but very enjoying... Asmr
Speed is important for a lot of things. But for many things, slowness is a virtue too.
Play at double speed?
@@lydiaahubbell8545 I did!
use 2× speed
Going back to basic nature and simplicity is always charming and rewarding. This is inspiring.
Thank you
Ooh, I love how calmly and gently this lovely little pond was put together. Very meditative and beautiful. Thank you. 😊
Thank you 🙏
Lovely pond and peaceful, informative video. Thank you. I loved the idea of adding pothos. Even though I always have some propagating in a vase, I never have thought of adding them to my patio ponds.
Thank you
That was such a clever and simple way to add height.
Simple and beautiful. Do you need to feed the fish or add nutrients for the plants? Or is it a self contained ecosystem? I've never had a water garden, but I'm starting a small one this spring, and hopefully a pond next spring. I'd love to hear more on how to maintain them.
Thanks. Feed fish but less frequently than aquarium. Nutrients once in a while.
👌👌👌... I too tried this .. after few months lots of algae growth n floating plants overgrown 😨 ... fishes died ..I think I should have fixed oxygen filter pump
That is really unfortunate. This is a lo tech walstad method hence no filter. You can get algae with filters too. The key is to avoid direct sunlight, having floaters, aquatic and terrestrial plants, initially 60% water change every alternate day and housing only hardy fish like guppies. Nerites can do a good job of feeding on algae. Having said all of the above one can still face algae issues. They are part of an ecosystem.
Please also specify how to upkeep this pond, soon after few days the water gets turned,
After how many days should we change the water and how often should we feed the fish or not(are they getting food from the vegetation ?), Is it best to keep this pond in shade or in direct sunlight, where i am from summer is hot 45'c to 48'c, and winter is cold 2-3'c. Thanks for this information video
Initially 60% water change every alternate days. Once the Walstad ecosystem settles down in a couple of months weekly once water change should be sufficient. Keep in shade. Guppies can get feed from larvae however add flakes whenever needed. Add more plants both aquatic and terrestrial for better balance. Add lots of floaters to to filter light and prevent algae.
Awesome! Awesome. Such artistry. Never imagined how beautiful this would turn out. 👍👍👍
Thanks Paul Avish
This is so therapeutic to watch. Makes me want to try my hand at making one too.
Thank you. Yes do make one. It is indeed fun and very rewarding to make one and see it thrive.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist I’d love to see a video on how you maintain the water - even with plants, the water would have to be changed, I think?
As usual, your composition is balanced and striking. I'm assuming you only added male guppies. It will be nice to see how it looks in a few months. Will you keep the immersed plants trimmed or let them go natural?
Thanks. The fish store confirmed all are male guppies. I would prefer to have the emerged plants trimmed.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Why are only males preferred? Is it to prevent breeding and overcrowding? How many males would be safe to keep in a container this size?
I did this last year and it was so beautiful. The fish would just feed on insects falling into the tank.
But then there was an explosion of string algae that kept coming back and all the fish got tangled in there. :(
@Rowena McGregor maybe... when there's no open surface there's no insects falling in though and less gas exchange.
Very nice - I'm looking for something like this for a damp corner of the garden (it's caused by overflow from a rain gutter which is too high up for me to mend). So I thought why not make use of the 'free' water supply!
I tried to make a pond a couple of weeks ago, but the water got really muddy. Guess it's because of the soil I used - regular potting soil. Next week I am getting now soil and some sand, and some gravel and small stones. I have a pennywort, and will be getting lotus seeds as well. Thinking about getting a couple of other small plants and also to propagate a moneyplant (on the side of the pond) inspired by this video. Even the tub I have is very similar to this one shown here. I hope next time the water will stay clear. Just wanna get some fish-friendly plant fertilizer as well.
That is exactly the one i want.
Regular potting soil will work, you just need to cover it with about an inch of sand. I just set up 2 small jarariums using potting soil & its working out fine.
Did you ever discover it was because racoons were washing their hands in there?
Simple but beautiful... Very relaxing video.... Thanks for sharing... ♥
Thank you 🙏
So good to watch everything perfectly trimmed and placed together. the floating plants are pretty. beautifully done. oh and the tub upcycling was the best idea 💡 Did one similar to this a while ago with a new tub...not so beautiful like this one 🤪
very creative & peacful
just a little querry...
what about the fishfood?
or they survive in that surrounding automatically
Thanks. Fishes will need to be fed but they will get some food from the ecosystem too.
DID YOU ADD A HEATER OR FILTER? GUPPIES NEED HEATER AND THERE ARENT ENOUGH PLANT TO REPLACE FILTER
As explained in several of the comments this is a no filter Walstad style setup inspired by the Ecology of the Planted Aquarium by Diana Walstad. You could read the other comment replies or google it. Frequent water changes, terrestrial and floating plants support the ecosystem. I live in the tropics so cold is not an issue except during the short winter. Heat is a bigger problem to address.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Lucky you, I didn't see mention of the weather so I was worried about temperature. I'm slightly worried if the plants in the substrates will absorb all the fish poop but hoepfully the abundance of floating plants will help!
Absolutely stunning very well put together 🙂
Thank you
Is it possible to have this setup with no direct sun all year? Any plants that support this conditions? Thank you 🙏
Inditect light is preferred to control algae. Can be kept indoors under artificial lighting too. All these plants are supported
I always enjoy each of your videos.
🇲🇽 💓 🇮🇳👍👏🙏
Thank you
I am so inspired by this, thank you for sharing. Maybe it will help my mosquito problem here in Hawaii. Is this under a roof outside? I am worried about it overflowing when it rains. It rains a lot where I live
Thank you. Its in the open but in shade of trees.
Would like to know the size of tub and how it is doing now, update wld be great. It may not be perfect after this time or cld be better. How the fish are fairing etc. Please.
About 45-50 litres I think. This was build for my mother during my visit to my hometown about 2 years ago, Oct 2021 to be precise. I don't live there. Only visit once in a year. It was recently dismantled during the peak scorching summer. Surviving fishes and plants were moved to a tank indoors.
How do you keep the mosquitos from using it as a breeding ground? I really want to have a pond in my yard, but I think I would just be overwhelmed by mosquitos.
The guppies take care of it
Fish LOVE mosquito larva!
I used to catch them for my fish.
They go bananas
Hi... Your videos are always amazing.
From where do you buy the plants especially the floating once.
Will it be available in Mumbai or any specific nursery.
Thank you 🙏
Thanks. I bought the plants from a local aquascaping store.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Thanks you 🙏
Very natural ❤️ but I suggest that less floating plants would do great as the inner beuty of the pond would be able to see more 😍
Thanks. I would like to have less floaters too but this is the only way to filter the light and prevent rapid algae blooms since it is kept outdoors
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Yeah agree !!
What about winters? The temperature gets Below 10°C, wont the fish die?
It is recommended to keep the setup indoor under aquascaping lights in winter. Use a heater if needed.
So so beautiful. Ur video is so calming and inspiring. I will make one small pond now.
Thank you
I completely envy you for this. We had a similar "pond" in our garden with lotus and had put little fish in it. Unfortunately a stray cat or birds chanced upon it and made a feast out of the fish. I was heartbroken and never got the fish again. 🙁😞
Sorry to hear that.
Which fish you added? Does it need oxygen air pump and heater?
Try putting in hiding places fir fish like ceramic pots, rock arrangement? I've seen some ponds with chicken wire across the top, but doesn't look so nice.
@@livadebnath3429 Our gardener got them. It was tiny and silver. Locally, they call it GUPPY. Na, didn't need any pump or heater. We manually removed and refilled the water every few days. It was not huge, 3 * 3 ft in dimensions.
I like Water lilies But this is like a little River in your home
Anche io che piccola lagetto fuori hanno messo anche pesce tutti morti e adesso viene zanzare e vertetti tanti cosa posso fare grazie
You can start all over again. Follow the walstad process and cycle the tank with water changes for 3 weeks before adding livestock. Add lots of plants and floaters. Keep outside but in shade.
Ok grazie mille 🙏
How would a person perform partial water changes on these things? Would it be like as we would do on a regular fish tank?
Yes with a siphon tube
If you live in a cooler part of the world Axolotyls do well in temperatures between 16 = 22 degrees C. As long as you don’t put fish in with them as they eat at their gills.
A word to the wise. Re the cable ties. Nothing wrong with using them. Two things. The white are meant for indoors, the black (do check any packaging) are meant for outdoors and are UV resistant. Even that means direct sunlight and will fail given time. Also cable ties are pound rated, meaning the amount of force that can be applied before they break. More force = more money.
How the cable ties were snipped off in this video. Believe it or not as shown effectively created four? underwater knife blades. Having installed 10's of thousands and had more than a few bleeders, this is not the way to shorten them. And plunging your arm into the pond, beneath the surface growth could prove to be a very unpleasant surprise.
1) place the very end tips of your pliers on the cable tie tail at the base of the pull through.
2) rotate the pliers whilst gripping the cable tie tail until it breaks off.
Much safer and far neater.
Won't it all boil once the weather is hot? It looks beautiful but I wonder whether life can really survive in a plastic pond
Need to keep in shade in summer
How to avoid water surface become oily? Or is just normal
Normal but can increase if bioload is high, plants less and uneaten fish food in tank. Remove manually or install a surface skimmer
Bravo, beautiful! Respect from Russia! 👍
Thank you very much!
Надо подсказать китайцам , чтобы ещё зелёные и коричневые хомуты начали делать. Цветоводы часто такими хомутами пользуются , но их цвета слишком бросаются в глаза.
A real stress buster and treat to the eyes! I would love to know how do you take care of this pond? Specially water circulation to maintain the oxygen in water.
Thanks. Its a Walstad method (you can read about it on Google) so it is meant to function like an ecosystem. Only 40% water changes with an aquarium siphon once a week.
Very inspiring and beautiful pond but how to manage oxygen supply for fishes in such ponds
The plants take care of it.
Thanks
It looks beautiful! What’s the size of pond container?
About 50 lit. Thanks
And won’t the fish die without filtration?
And what about oxygen ?
Its a Walstad style setup hence no filter. I have replied to these questions in details in many of the other comments. Pls scroll and read.
Beautiful pond! When you tied those plants to stick, do they need to be immersed in the soil ..or is the water enough??
Thanks. Water is enough
Could I make an indoor habitat in a fish tank the same way?
Yes and you would need artificial lighting in that case.
The pond looked very attractive, great idea but didn't like plastic ties or the use of tap water (Ithink) Otherwise great tips.
Thank you. The water is from a traditional well in my hometown and completely chemical free. I am usually limited on materials for my builds when I visit my hometown. Zip ties is all I had at that moment. Thanks for the comment.
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Thankyou for your reply,.Thats good to know as I didn't want to be picky!
Love too do this, but think I’ll have to use different plants. As we live up north 😂
Zone 6 B here. Try floating hearts. Seem hardy down to occasional freezing.
Lovely video! How do you maintain the pond? And prevent algae build-up...
Water changes. Ecosystem will do the rest. Pls go through other comments to read my detailed replies on similar questions. Thank you
@@TheUrbanNemophilist thank you, I'll do that!
I’d love to do this, and may well create a mini pond but not with fish. Too many cats around here.
Hey! I can build that!
Lost me at the zip-ties, so unnescecary. For the rest, the slow pace and the music: very nice.
Q: will the water turns green later if exposed to direct sunlight?
Yes. Floaters will help but better to keep in shade
@@TheUrbanNemophilist Thanks..! 😊
how long did u wait before adding fishes? did u test the water ph levels?
3 weeks. Haven’t tested the ph for the build here in my hometown since I left the kit at my city of residence down South.