simple and easy 1-2-3 ideals

[lori_z3a]

Was just thinking on what can be made cheaper than buying - here is a link to some photos of what can be bought (link below )
and instead of buying a barley ball - maybe use a hamster ball - this is used for hamsters to run on the floor - but instead of the hamster fill it up with barley straw and drop it into your pond.
and as for the floating island - you can use a hoola hoop that the kids play with and put netting over it with some hanging down and use that as a floating island - for smaller ponds use tubing and seal the ends together then sew netting on it with the middles hanging down (like a net )and fill with plants for floating island.

anyone else with ideal please feel free to add. Remember must be easy to make / cheap for parts and useable in a pond .And photos will be great as well just to see what it looks like.

Thank you in advance - and remember have fun (must )


http://www.gardeners.com/department....Category=18289

[lori_z3a]

Just to start things off - for the hamster ball you can also(actually a big one, like they use for your chinchillas, though the hamster-sized one would work). you can also use it as an intake strainer for the pump.
Another favorite that I heard of is cheap black plastic car oil changing pans (new or cleaned real good ), as planters for water lilies.

Not my ideas but good ones as well.

[jaowl]

I am thinking spring---I started 2 years ago with a small 50 [acronym:db956c2622="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:db956c2622] preformed pond & 'feeder' fish. Well this is the 2nd winter for the surviving 'feeders' who are about 4 to 6 inches in size. Last summer they produced babies! I have over-wintered them in a 90 [acronym:db956c2622="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:db956c2622] aquarium this year.

This year the group will have to be split up because they 'ain't never gonna' fit in the preformed pond. I did pick up a used bathtub that I plan to line with pond liner. For the bigger fish, I was thinking a livestock tank but can't decide on metal with pond liner or a plastic. Also --how many gallon would I need to go with?

[edit, corvus, jaowl, please be patient when posting, I deleted the triple-post, thanks!]

Barley straw, call around to farm supply places, animal feed stores, that sort of thing. Ask if their straw comes from wheat or barley. Around me, much of it is from barley, or at least it used to be. Might be hard if you live in the big city.

I got an entire bale of barley straw 4 years ago for like 3 or 4 bucks. Full-size bale, not the tiny little portions they sell at pond places. This will be the first year since that I need to buy more (I had more left, it just got moldy and is inhabited by mice, out in the shed). Last place I got it is no longer there, I'll have to hunt some down again.

[SquishyFish]

Im new to the pond thing. What is the Barley used for?