i done the same thing last year with the same bucket. i never even thought to cut the handles off. i should have. however i did cut a small hole about an inch from the top and put some coarse filter sponge in it for an overflow. just incase. it looks really nice. you've inspired me.
Really good video. I just started getting interested after I bought a solar water pump to make a fountain and since then things have expanded to container pond for the fountain idea. Thanks for your idea. Right now I need the container. Yours looks perfect. Everything else looks to be a breeze. Thanks
Only thing I would recommend would be to let that bucket cycle for a week. With so many new organisms added plenty will die which will throw off the ammonia cycle.
Everytime i get into a new hobby i realise more and more humans love to overcomplicate things.... like breeding and raising animals and fish. Thank u for this simple pond. K.i.s.s
Thanks! I'm guilty of overcomplicating things as well. I feel like it is easier to find success with a good understanding of the basics and by keeping things simple 😊
@@sydneysangelsI use only hornwort and some floating plants with out any substrate air pump and filter the plant do their job just like a natural pond
@@forresterpaige7767 that is the reason why I use only hornwort and there are many varieties and designs of hornwort available in the market u can use them together for more varieties of plants in your tank for example - golden hornwort/red hornwort/green hornwort/ mini hornwort and guppy grass
Good idea…. One suggestion it to take the rocks you still have and glue them on the outside of the bucket….and then around the lip of the bucket… it will give it a more natural look. Also if you are sitting out after dark…. Invest in a cheap solar light…and hide it in the plants… ❤
Thanks Bren, those are awesome tips. I was actually wondering what I could do to make it more natural so that's extremely helpful. The solar light is also a pretty sweet idea! I never think to go out there at night because it's so dark out but that would make it useable!
Thanks for the video! Couple questions pretty please… How will this work in a pond without a filter or pump ? also, will those kind of guppies hide at the bottom or would they be OK and be able to be seen? Reason why I ask is years ago I made one and the fish hid at the the bottom,… And honestly, I forget which kind they recommended at the fish store. In addition, could you tell me what would be the best variety for this type of set up in zone 10 A in Florida? Thanks again looking forward to your help !❤😊
You can totally run a pond without a filter! You just have to keep your stocking light and use plenty of plants. Nature should take care of the rest. All of my guppies tend to stay towards the top, I'm not sure if they hide when they sense danger but every time I see them they're up top! The bigger the better with ponds, especially if you live somewhere super warm but this setup should work in Florida no problem! You might also consider putting a net over the top so cats and other animals don't eat the fish haha. I hope that helps!
In pond season it can range anywhere from 50-100 degrees F. I never used a heater, I just waited until the water got warm enough before I added the fish
I enjoyed the video! Can you tell me where your air pump is located? I'm not sure if I need to run an airline from inside (which id prefer not to do) or build something to protect the pump from the elements.
Thanks Lucas! I just took an old bin and turned it upside down over the air pump. So far it hasn't gotten wet because the rain seems to drain down around it. I also have the air pump elevated slightly on a plastic plate so it doesn't sit in a pool of water. I hope that helps!
I use reverse osmosis water but yes I do still treat it for chlorine just to be safe. And no I don't always cycle the water but I'll squeeze an established sponge filter into the tank to seed it with beneficial bacteria
What do you plan to do if it gets very hot or in the winter and it gets cold. I love the pond and want to build one but just want to know what you are going to do since it gets pretty hot where i'm at and pretty cold.
I just had a conversation about this with a staff member at my favorite lfs. He said for hot weather, you can partially bury the container in the ground for insulation, cool it down with a hose, or add more shade - at least where we live in Washington State. For cold weather, it really depends on the fish you are keeping. Again, partially burying the pond in the ground can help as well as covering the pond with plexiglass or some sort of lid. Ricefish, which are the fish I'll be raising in my ponds, can remain outdoors where we are as long as the container is big enough to not freeze solid in cold temperatures They will just hang out at the bottom of the pond & sort of be dormant. I'm pretty sure guppies would need to be moved indoors. I plan on moving my fish indoors, just to be sure since I had a pot pond explode from the rare, extreme cold last December.
Honestly I just chucked an eheim heater in mine before a cold-spell hit us and for the warmer days I just let it ride because it cools down considerably at night here in the midwest. When it gets really cold I'll bring the pond into my basement for the winter since it is small enough to move when it is drained. I hope that helps! Chris Johnson's reply is very good
@@sydneysangels nooo haha :)) i live in south of france, i want to put guppies in mine but i'm scared they'd die in winter :( i guess i'm going to keep it to just wildlife :)
I didn't know that tidbit about the nitrogen and red color of red root floating plants! You should make a RUclips short with that bit more people should know!
Thank you! It depends on where you live, but I cannot because the water freezes over where I live. I wouldn't keep them much colder than 64-68 degrees if you can help it!
No I did not, I just let nature run it's course. It didn't seem like I had any less guppies by the end of the season but it's possible some of them were eaten
I wanna know about containers $! I was wondering could a cooler be a pond? I saw a pretty big one on marketplace and thought it might work. Everything is a possible pond to me now 😅
I love this set up and your guppies. I will verify the info for the sale of fish and I'm hoping my set up will go smoothly. MD Fish tanks I love his channel as well.
I absolutely love this! I would be curious what you come up with for a lid to protect it from birds and wildlife. I have never done a pond and have been wanting to do one. Your video and how you put it together is very inspiring! Do you need to do any water changes or top it off on something like this for the fish and shrimp and if so what kind of water do you use? Thank you for sharing your beautiful pond build!
Thank you 😊 I actually never put a lid on it, so eventually a bullfrog called this pond home but he didn't seem to eat many of the fish which is good. I didn't seem to have an issue with other animals so I didn't see a need for a lid. I use reverse osmosis water remineralized to a TDS of 120 and then I just let mother nature do water changes via rain!
Oh by me it gets below 0 so I'll bring them into the basement this fall! I find that guppies don't need a heater but it is better for their immune systems. That's my experience anyways
I’ve been thinking about doing something like this looks really great. I have a question though what happens when we get a lot of rain will the overflow cause the fish to fall out of the container ?
They can tolerate quite a large range of temperatures, from mid to low 60's to upper 80's so that just depends on your area! I have my pond in a pretty shady area so it doesn't overheat. When the weather gets too cold, I'll actually drain the pond and bring the fish inside
just starting video, this is great! gives me more ideas what to do with my outdoor ponds. looks like you got creeping jenny... corkscrew rush, maybe blue rush (the straight arrow looking leaves) and not sure what the other one is. I got creeping jenny, corkscrew and blue rush for my container ponds this year. Work great as marginal and the creeping jenny you can snip off the vines that grow in the water that throw roots down and put them in another spot
Thanks for the tips Chad and for identifying those plants for me. I'm looking forward to seeing your ponds too! I'll have to try propagating the creeping jenny!
This is a beautiful setup! How is the pond doing now? Did you eventually add a lid? We have frogs that were eating our pond fish and was wondering if you had that issue with predators.
Thank you! No, I never added a lid and we actually had a frog make the pond his home for half the summer. He probably ate some fish but I didn't really notice a difference in the amount of fish in the pond! Other than that no real issues. Idk, maybe he was a vegetarian XD
We definitely had lots of heavy rain but I didn't seem to notice any fish getting out. My dogs do a good job of drinking plenty of pond water so the water level always seems to be pretty low actually haha
May I ask what growing zone you are in? I'd love to do something similar, but I know guppies need a decent temp for good health, and I'm not sure this would work in Zone 5 where I am. I might have to do medaka instead. Lovely setup, though!
Thank you very much! I'm in Illinois, United States. It ranges from the upper 90's to the low 50's during pond season. I found that they did pretty good even with temperature fluctuations
It's called a "UNITED SOLUTIONS 19 GALLON ROPE HANDLE TUB BLACK" I got it at Meijer grocery store but I'm sure it is sold elsewhere as well. Here is the link: www.meijer.com/shopping/product/united-solutions-19-gallon-rope-handle-tub-black/5159608031.html
i done the same thing last year with the same bucket. i never even thought to cut the handles off. i should have. however i did cut a small hole about an inch from the top and put some coarse filter sponge in it for an overflow. just incase. it looks really nice. you've inspired me.
Oh, that's a great idea. Thanks for that! Thank you for the kind words!
You have a calm way of speaking. Makes your videos more enjoyable 👍
Thank you very much, I really appreciate the kind words 😊
Another one, simple yet refresing, amazing 🎉
Nice
Hopefully you have a nice long summer to enjoy it
Thanks! It's generally warm from May until September/ October where I live
Your gold guppies are beautiful. I need to get myself few of those...
Thank you 😊 I'm so glad I got them. What I love most is the turquoise accents they have on their fins!
@@sydneysangels I prefer solid colours on guppies. They are much easier to maintain with each generation when you breed them. Cheers
Great setup! Looking forward to seeing an update later this summer. I am going to go put some shrimp in my pond right now.
@@IMaqua I have definitely noticed that as well. Cheers!
@@MikeOmeg thank you! I'll definitely post an update when it grows in a little more!
Oh you are so right 👍. Watching this is so peaceful.😊. Its a beautiful pond.
Thank you Cathy ☺️
@@sydneysangelscan you share website to buy those guppies?
@@JcSontinou sure! It's sydneysangels.com
Really good video. I just started getting interested after I bought a solar water pump to make a fountain and since then things have expanded to container pond for the fountain idea. Thanks for your idea. Right now I need the container. Yours looks perfect. Everything else looks to be a breeze. Thanks
That came out really nice Dan! Enjoy it!
Thank you!!!
How low of a temp can the guppies handle? So pretty!
Beautiful, have two of those already for goldfish for a year. Seeing your video make me want to do some adjustment. Love it.
Thank you, I really appreciate that! I like tweaking setups
I luv it!!! If you offered a kit set up I would definitely be interested!!! Newest fan!!!
Thanks for IDEAS AND TIPS
Most welcome 😊
Absolutely love your pond. I didn't know these ponds existed, so i will be making one of these for some gold fish. thanks for sharing..
Yay you’re back!
Haha yeah life got a little crazy for a minute but I'm back! I gotta catch up on all your videos, I see you've been pumping out lots of good content!
@@sydneysangels “good” is such a strong word to use 😂😂😂😂
@@paulstingray hahaha 😂
Only thing I would recommend would be to let that bucket cycle for a week. With so many new organisms added plenty will die which will throw off the ammonia cycle.
Great work! It's wonderful to see such beautiful images. I’ll be starting similar work soon. Wishing you success!
Beautiful. Even in 100% shade my fish would cook in North Carolina.
Thank you for sharing.. I just make mine's today. So enjoyable looking at the tiny fish swimming around.. 😌😌😌
You're welcome! Awesome, I hope you really enjoy it!
Awesome 👍
You explain so well about vegetation it's appreciating , you have been a great help.
Thank you for the kind words!
Very relaxing pond.. can u show us update as well.. i love watching pond videos..
Thank you 😊 sure, l'll try to make an update video soon!
@@sydneysangels any news on the update? :D
Did the sponge filter cycle the water for you, or did you wait for it to cycle on it's own?
It pretty much cycled it instantly!
nice set-up... calming......
very nice inspiration, thank you
A very cool video my friend I loves small outdoor ponds.
Thank you very much 😊
What do you do with it during the winter time??
Wow that's awesome work love the pond
Thanks 👍:)
Looks very peaceful. Is there a filtration system?
Nice pond!
I prefer using bricks that have chambers in them to prop up pots because those chambers are great for shrimp and dwarf crayfish.
Even better use upside down terra cotta pots
Everytime i get into a new hobby i realise more and more humans love to overcomplicate things.... like breeding and raising animals and fish. Thank u for this simple pond. K.i.s.s
Thanks! I'm guilty of overcomplicating things as well. I feel like it is easier to find success with a good understanding of the basics and by keeping things simple 😊
@@sydneysangelsI use only hornwort and some floating plants with out any substrate air pump and filter the plant do their job just like a natural pond
@@Viking3760I love and hate hornwort . It takes so much nutrients from other plants
@@forresterpaige7767 that is the reason why I use only hornwort and there are many varieties and designs of hornwort available in the market u can use them together for more varieties of plants in your tank for example - golden hornwort/red hornwort/green hornwort/ mini hornwort and guppy grass
How about in winter time?
So simple! You've inspired me to make one too! Although my apartment has no outdoor so I guess by the window will do.
Sweet! I think your fish and plants will enjoy the natural light coming in from the window. Can't wait to see how it turns out!
How do you keep them warm during winter?
Good idea…. One suggestion it to take the rocks you still have and glue them on the outside of the bucket….and then around the lip of the bucket… it will give it a more natural look. Also if you are sitting out after dark…. Invest in a cheap solar light…and hide it in the plants… ❤
Thanks Bren, those are awesome tips. I was actually wondering what I could do to make it more natural so that's extremely helpful. The solar light is also a pretty sweet idea! I never think to go out there at night because it's so dark out but that would make it useable!
Yeah a light would be so beautiful!! To see them lit up from underneath, aww how cute!
@@vampyrgodess I'll have to do that!
love MD! great video!!
Thank you!!
Very interesting. Thanks 👍
Thank you 😊
Lovely 😍
Thank you Janet!
Great video ..do you have to do water changes seeing as you have aquatic plants ??and what did you score in there??
Do you bring the fish in when the weather gets cold?
Thank you, wonderful
Thank you 😊
Очень красивый водоем получился. Рыбки очень хорошие +++
Thank you, that means a lot to me!
😊
I made one of these about 3 months ago and has grown in so nicely,there are so many guppies in it now
I subscribed to your channel, can't wait to check it out!
@@sydneysangels Thanks so much😀
Thanks for the video! Couple questions pretty please… How will this work in a pond without a filter or pump ? also, will those kind of guppies hide at the bottom or would they be OK and be able to be seen? Reason why I ask is years ago I made one and the fish hid at the the bottom,… And honestly, I forget which kind they recommended at the fish store.
In addition, could you tell me what would be the best variety for this type of set up in zone 10 A in Florida?
Thanks again looking forward to your help !❤😊
You can totally run a pond without a filter! You just have to keep your stocking light and use plenty of plants. Nature should take care of the rest. All of my guppies tend to stay towards the top, I'm not sure if they hide when they sense danger but every time I see them they're up top! The bigger the better with ponds, especially if you live somewhere super warm but this setup should work in Florida no problem! You might also consider putting a net over the top so cats and other animals don't eat the fish haha. I hope that helps!
Thanks 😊
What's the temperature swing where you live and do use a heater of any kind
In pond season it can range anywhere from 50-100 degrees F. I never used a heater, I just waited until the water got warm enough before I added the fish
@@sydneysangels so the fish are not stored year round??
Do I need a heather and how is it in the winter ?
I figured out I didn't need one! I actually ended up taking the pond down because it got super cold out. I'll be making another one in the spring!
Play great video... do you have to do water changes? seeing as you got aquatic plants
I enjoyed the video!
Can you tell me where your air pump is located? I'm not sure if I need to run an airline from inside (which id prefer not to do) or build something to protect the pump from the elements.
Thanks Lucas! I just took an old bin and turned it upside down over the air pump. So far it hasn't gotten wet because the rain seems to drain down around it. I also have the air pump elevated slightly on a plastic plate so it doesn't sit in a pool of water. I hope that helps!
it would be cool to fix some spot lights to the holes left by the handles, and have some nice night lights for after dark viewing :)
That's a great idea!
What's in the pump bottle at the end?
Do you not treat the water for chlorine or cycle it before fish?
I use reverse osmosis water but yes I do still treat it for chlorine just to be safe. And no I don't always cycle the water but I'll squeeze an established sponge filter into the tank to seed it with beneficial bacteria
What do you plan to do if it gets very hot or in the winter and it gets cold. I love the pond and want to build one but just want to know what you are going to do since it gets pretty hot where i'm at and pretty cold.
I just had a conversation about this with a staff member at my favorite lfs. He said for hot weather, you can partially bury the container in the ground for insulation, cool it down with a hose, or add more shade - at least where we live in Washington State. For cold weather, it really depends on the fish you are keeping. Again, partially burying the pond in the ground can help as well as covering the pond with plexiglass or some sort of lid. Ricefish, which are the fish I'll be raising in my ponds, can remain outdoors where we are as long as the container is big enough to not freeze solid in cold temperatures They will just hang out at the bottom of the pond & sort of be dormant. I'm pretty sure guppies would need to be moved indoors. I plan on moving my fish indoors, just to be sure since I had a pot pond explode from the rare, extreme cold last December.
Honestly I just chucked an eheim heater in mine before a cold-spell hit us and for the warmer days I just let it ride because it cools down considerably at night here in the midwest. When it gets really cold I'll bring the pond into my basement for the winter since it is small enough to move when it is drained. I hope that helps! Chris Johnson's reply is very good
Gr8 idea I love ❤️ it
Glad you liked it!
can the guppies stay out during winter?
It depends on the climate, but since I'm in the Midwest they would turn to guppy icicles lol
@@sydneysangels nooo haha :)) i live in south of france, i want to put guppies in mine but i'm scared they'd die in winter :( i guess i'm going to keep it to just wildlife :)
Can guppies adapt to temperature change. I live in Southern California and it does get chilly in winter.
Yes, however they thrive in warmer climates. I've kept them in the lower 60's without issue but in my opinion they do better in the upper 70s
What about the over flow
Next year I'll build one, that was an oversight on my behalf
wow beautiful
Thank you 😊
What do you feed the fish with
I actually just let them graze on bugs and algae. When I did feed them it was just standard flake food!
I didn't know that tidbit about the nitrogen and red color of red root floating plants! You should make a RUclips short with that bit more people should know!
Do you have algae issue with this setup outdoor?
Not really, but the area it is in is shaded by large trees and my house. I think it largely depends on the location of your pond!
How do you protect it during rains
Do you bring in your fish for the colder winter months?
Yes I do! Otherwise they would turn into little fish icicles haha
@@sydneysangelsI live in Thailand, don't have that problem, outdoors all year round and no birds or animals trouble them here.
Great video & explained very well. I live in Melbourne, I wonder if I need to have the guppy pond water heated to keep the guppies living.
Thank you! I would say yes if the temperatures get below 60 degrees F
Are the bricks safe for the fish?
I think so! I don't think they reacted with the water parameters in any way. I never had issues with them!
I love guppy fish 💖💖😍
Me too!
tysm ima try doing this for my first aqua scape lol
Awesome!!
Beautiful pond. Can the guppies survive in colder weather in the winter months?
Thank you! It depends on where you live, but I cannot because the water freezes over where I live. I wouldn't keep them much colder than 64-68 degrees if you can help it!
What happens if it rains. Are the fishes safe?
More or less my question. What happens when there heavy rain, I figure it overflows, but do fish get washed away?
So what did you do to keep the birds away? Did you fabricate it with a lid
No I did not, I just let nature run it's course. It didn't seem like I had any less guppies by the end of the season but it's possible some of them were eaten
Thanks a lot always support you ❤
Thank you!
its simple and beautifull. I wanna make something like this but what if i put mine in place with no direct sunlight ? . Thank You
Thank you 😊 I think it would still work out ok! Mine actually gets very limited sunlight since it's in a wooded area
Does this setup need a heater??
Tq. Im making my own
Awesome! You won't regret it
How do you deal with rain? is that a problem?
It's kind of a pain actually. You have to make sure the water level is lower before the rain hits. Next year I'm going to make a drain with a sponge
I wanna know about containers $! I was wondering could a cooler be a pond? I saw a pretty big one on marketplace and thought it might work. Everything is a possible pond to me now 😅
Oh I bet it could work! That would be a really cool idea. This is just a muck bucket from a grocery store. You are only limited by your creativity!
I love this set up and your guppies. I will verify the info for the sale of fish and I'm hoping my set up will go smoothly. MD Fish tanks I love his channel as well.
And one helluva nice pond. Great job!
Thanks Stephan!
I absolutely love this! I would be curious what you come up with for a lid to protect it from birds and wildlife. I have never done a pond and have been wanting to do one. Your video and how you put it together is very inspiring! Do you need to do any water changes or top it off on something like this for the fish and shrimp and if so what kind of water do you use? Thank you for sharing your beautiful pond build!
Thank you 😊 I actually never put a lid on it, so eventually a bullfrog called this pond home but he didn't seem to eat many of the fish which is good. I didn't seem to have an issue with other animals so I didn't see a need for a lid. I use reverse osmosis water remineralized to a TDS of 120 and then I just let mother nature do water changes via rain!
@@sydneysangelsI realize you must be very busy and appreciate you taking the time to reply. I look forward to more of your videos!
thats good but how cold does it get in winter? will they survive?
Oh by me it gets below 0 so I'll bring them into the basement this fall! I find that guppies don't need a heater but it is better for their immune systems. That's my experience anyways
I live in Washington state. I’m not sure with the cold weather that I could get away with having an outdoor fish pond?
Do you have to put anything in the water to cure it for the fish?
I just put a little seachem safe in my water but I use osmosis and airate it so I probably don't have to
I’ve been thinking about doing something like this looks really great. I have a question though what happens when we get a lot of rain will the overflow cause the fish to fall out of the container ?
Thanks! Yes, potentially. Next time I design one I'm going to put an overflow on it with sponge shoved into a hole
Beautiful pond! I have one of those buckets too, sadly, I could only find the bright blue one, but I love the idea of cutting the rope handles off.
Thank you! Blue is still cool, but I'm with you I prefer black! Yeah it looks so much better without the handles!
Beautiful! I love a simple patio pond and the guppies look so happy.
Thanks! Me too! It's a relaxing place to sit now for the fam 😁
Where did guy get your Lilly pads?
I bought those at a landscape supply store. It was in the garden center near the pond area
Lovely! No filter?
Thank you! Yes there is a small sponge filter in the back of the pond actually, its hidden behind the pot of lillies!
*❤👌very beautiful*
Thank you 😊
@@sydneysangels 🫂❤
What's the name of the music towards the end of the video Dan? Thanks.
when are you restocing the guppies??
How long can they remain outside; can the weather get too hot or too cold for the guppies; how do you regulate the temperature?
Thanks for the video.
They can tolerate quite a large range of temperatures, from mid to low 60's to upper 80's so that just depends on your area! I have my pond in a pretty shady area so it doesn't overheat. When the weather gets too cold, I'll actually drain the pond and bring the fish inside
Also I don't do anything to regulate the temperature, I just let mother nature do it's thing!
Beautiful
Thank you :)
Dumb question, do you need to feed your guppies or do they just eat the algae and stuff in the pond?
I would about once or twice a week but yeah they get plenty of natural food like bugs, algae and micro-organisms as well
I thought guppies can’t be outside. What’s the maximum and minimum temperature for them ?
Mine loved being outside! I'm not sure what the max and minimum temps were, but they got pretty cold (low 60s) and didn't seem to mind
just starting video, this is great! gives me more ideas what to do with my outdoor ponds. looks like you got creeping jenny... corkscrew rush, maybe blue rush (the straight arrow looking leaves) and not sure what the other one is. I got creeping jenny, corkscrew and blue rush for my container ponds this year. Work great as marginal and the creeping jenny you can snip off the vines that grow in the water that throw roots down and put them in another spot
Thanks for the tips Chad and for identifying those plants for me. I'm looking forward to seeing your ponds too! I'll have to try propagating the creeping jenny!
This is a beautiful setup! How is the pond doing now? Did you eventually add a lid? We have frogs that were eating our pond fish and was wondering if you had that issue with predators.
Thank you! No, I never added a lid and we actually had a frog make the pond his home for half the summer. He probably ate some fish but I didn't really notice a difference in the amount of fish in the pond! Other than that no real issues. Idk, maybe he was a vegetarian XD
So what if its rain heavily?and what if the water flows out?
We definitely had lots of heavy rain but I didn't seem to notice any fish getting out. My dogs do a good job of drinking plenty of pond water so the water level always seems to be pretty low actually haha
May I ask what growing zone you are in? I'd love to do something similar, but I know guppies need a decent temp for good health, and I'm not sure this would work in Zone 5 where I am. I might have to do medaka instead. Lovely setup, though!
Thank you very much! I'm in Illinois, United States. It ranges from the upper 90's to the low 50's during pond season. I found that they did pretty good even with temperature fluctuations
Prettiest rock pile ever!
Hahaha I got the idea from watching a George Farmer video. Someone had an outdoor hardscape garden, why not store that stuff outside!
Nice super
Thank you!
Ok
Dont guppy need water heater??
Usually but if they're healthy they can tolerate wider ranges of temperatures
The sun
What kind of tub is that? What’s it called?
It's called a "UNITED SOLUTIONS 19 GALLON ROPE HANDLE TUB BLACK" I got it at Meijer grocery store but I'm sure it is sold elsewhere as well. Here is the link: www.meijer.com/shopping/product/united-solutions-19-gallon-rope-handle-tub-black/5159608031.html
I've so many cats in my area so is there any possibility that they can attack or eat those fishes in pond?
I would say so, especially since cats are such good natural predators. Maybe you could place a mesh screen over it when you're away?