Indoor Ponds

moonwolf · #1 05/17/06, 11:29 AM

For lack of any better place to ask this question, does anyone have a pond indoors? Like the garden ponds, except that you want it in an area of focus like the basement to also keep golfish, koi, or other ideas like that?
What about lighting you would do for that? and other decorating schemes around the indoor pond. Something one could enjoy year around with fish and flora.

Tamar · #2 05/17/06, 11:53 AM

Hi there,

We went to Home depot, purchased a black plastic waterfall and a small water pump and some good potting soil. We then headed to Walmart and purchased a large rectangular shallow storage container..didn't need the lid of course. We then built a square in the corner of our living room. We used brick like panel for the walls. We layed down plastic, put in the "pond" and filled all around the pond with the potting soil. We got our plants from Lowes, as they have a year warantee on them. Planted them all around the "pond" put up a floresant plant light against the side wall. Filled the pond and let it sit a day, put in the waterfall and secured it to the side wall with a screw or two, attached the pump with the top of the house fixed to the top of the water fall, turned it on...and voila a soft tinkling waterfall recycling itself into the "pond" (containier of your choice.) Filled it with fish nad it was the most peaceful sitting area in the house. The plants flourished, the fish loved it...the only "pain" was cleaning it. Once a month you need to remove the fish, remove the waterfall, and clean it, and the "pond". We had to take this down when we moved, but we plan to do it again, it looks awesome when you build an aviary beside it

Hope that gives you a lil idea, we loved it!

Blessings,
Tamar

The photo is the very beginning of it..we had it full of plants when we were done! Shame I didn't take a picture of it.

Indoor Ponds - Homesteading Questions

moonwolf · #3 05/17/06, 11:55 AM

Very nice idea. I like that. thanks for posting and the picture.

Bluecreekrog · #4 05/17/06, 09:48 PM

My mother worked for a lady that had a 1900 era mansion, the house had a "sunroom" on one side of the house. The room was about 30' wide and 50' long, the centerpiece was a 6' greacien fountain and a pool about 15' across lots of potted palms and various semi-tropicals. Quite a set up

FreightTrain · #5 05/17/06, 10:25 PM

i see your in Canada... do you heat solely with wood? .. the reason i ask is the fish will be acclimated to the cold water in winter if outside, and will become dormant.. ( if pond is deep enough)
but if fish are inside in a heated house, and you go away for a few days or so... the instant cold from not having heat could sicked or kill your fish

insanity · #6 05/17/06, 10:47 PM

As for a container.Landscaping timbers will work when stacked into a box shape and spiked together.Make sure to over lap the corners like when building a log home.Line with pond plastic and you have a pond.You could even leave a shelf like edge (could use stacked concrete blocks) and run the pond plastic up the wall in a corner and stack rock for a water fall on it.

Just don't forget about the humidity it will ad to the basement!

TxCloverAngel · #7 05/18/06, 06:03 AM

My first home-based business was designing & building water features/gardens.
I had a client who had one of those huge corner bathtubs. the wall beside it (between 2 bathrooms) was made of glass blocks.
I removed one of the top & bottom blocks and designed a "disappearing" waterfall feature.
I used tumbled glass glued along the blocks to create a flowing stream/waterfall running down the wall of both bathrooms...

It turned out GREAT!

Don't ask about the "Water-wall Urinal" her hubby had me make in HIS bathroom lol

I actually had alot of people ask about indoor water features. It can be as small or as large as your imagination can take you.

I myself just have a simple wine bottle flowing into a wine glass. very small but so cute!
You can do the same thing w/ a tea pot pouring into a tea cup...
or like another of my clients, who had me install a beer tap into his counter w/ a never-ending flow of "beer" into a mug! lol

soooo many ideas!

The sound of running water can be so soothing, helps you sleep better etc..
but then I also had lots of people tell me it made them want to go to the bathroom too much lol

But you DO need to consider the added humidity it adds... (GREAT for your houseplants! and your cat & dog will Never drink out of their water bowl again! lol)

moonwolf · #8 05/18/06, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxCloverAngel

My first home-based business was designing & building water features/gardens.
I had a client who had one of those huge corner bathtubs. the wall beside it (between 2 bathrooms) was made of glass blocks.
I removed one of the top & bottom blocks and designed a "disappearing" waterfall feature.
I used tumbled glass glued along the blocks to create a flowing stream/waterfall running down the wall of both bathrooms...

It turned out GREAT!

Don't ask about the "Water-wall Urinal" her hubby had me make in HIS bathroom lol

I actually had alot of people ask about indoor water features. It can be as small or as large as your imagination can take you.

I myself just have a simple wine bottle flowing into a wine glass. very small but so cute!
You can do the same thing w/ a tea pot pouring into a tea cup...
or like another of my clients, who had me install a beer tap into his counter w/ a never-ending flow of "beer" into a mug! lol

soooo many ideas!

The sound of running water can be so soothing, helps you sleep better etc..
but then I also had lots of people tell me it made them want to go to the bathroom too much lol

But you DO need to consider the added humidity it adds... (GREAT for your houseplants! and your cat & dog will Never drink out of their water bowl again! lol)

Do you have any pictures to show?

I like the idea of moving water. I have now an orb fountain. It's small, but will be a feature probably on, or near the deck. I might fit that in with a scheme later in the basement.

So far, I like the ideas I'm gettting here. keep it coming.

Regarding the humidity for the basement, well I lived with a 3000 gallon cistern in there since the house was built without problems. I am thinking to convert that space now that it's NOt a cistern by putting a hot tub or spa in there. The heat in most of the basement is thermal under the concrete which keeps things toasty. The backup is forced fan heat from a conventional furnace. I don't like it too hot, ususally about 65 F for the whole house including the basement.
I'm also thinking of a moon garden near the deck outside. A summer pond setup might be nice using the landscape timbers idea and in winter move the fish and pond plants to the indoor pond.

Maura · #9 05/18/06, 07:16 PM

I've moved fish from an outside pond to an indoor aquarium. It can be done, but you'll want to have hardy fish. Tropicals will have a harder time adjusting to the temperature change. I had goldfish and koi. They will grow large and bright in the outside pond. They will also survive the winter, as long as the pond is deep enough. If you bring them inside, you will need to acclimate them to the ph difference, just as you would if you were bringing them h0ome from the store (mix the water). The plants are not going to do well unless you have grow lights. You can always leave the hardy plants outside and keep a seperate set for your indoor pond. In this case, you can keep your indoor pond during the summer, but use it as a garden. Can't wait to see the photos!

TxCloverAngel · #10 05/18/06, 09:41 PM

ok been looking for my portfolio...
I did the water gardens/fountains before the time of the affordable digital camera.

But I'll find it and scan some pics..
till then here is one I found online that will give you the idea of what mine is like.. kindof..
WOW $175.00??? I have less than $25 in mine!
http://www.fountainsnslate.com/inc/sdetail/14349

here is a site for a teapot fountain.. directions on making it too!scroll down past the flower pot fountain and its there.
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/ah_entertai...8314,00.htmlas you can see... you can make ANYTHING into a fountain.

I found a great chunk of rose quartz drilled a hole in it (That took FOREVER!) put a waterproof light under it and Poof! a BEAUTIFUL fountain w/ water flowing & bubbling up thru a soft pink glowing quartz.

If you are thinking of something larger than a table top style...
How bout a watering can flowing into your homemade "pond"?

I have an old bathtub in my front yard,
It has a old cast iron water pump (hand pump kind) flowing into it. I think its cute! (but then I also have an old toilet beside it growing peppers lol)

or.. how bout a wishing well?
have the tubing concealed to have the hanging pail w/ an ever-flowing stream of water falling into the well?

or just simply layer some slate or whatever kind of rocks you can get cheaply or free to make a custom waterfall?

as for the containers....
I love using old half barrels (w/ a liner)
any plastic tub, surrounded by wood,rock,fabric. anything to make it pretty.
or build your own.. w/ cinder blocks... or landscaping timbers, etc.. lined w/ a pond liner etc etc etc

The options are only limited by your imagination.
If you have any questions or need any help let me know.

I'll try to dig up some of my pics.
and maybe snap a pic of my bathtub for ya if you would like to see it.