outdoor ponds?

[vwsrcool]

im thinking of building a pond this summer, and i need ideas. if anyone has a pond a would like to post a pic or 2 it would be most helpful

[Sid]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/06-18.JPG

Ben, you can do a google search and get details on building these. Mine is about 15 ft long x 8 ft wide.

[Lori P]

I'd love an outdoor pond. Sid, yours is beautiful!! Any problems with birds stealing your fish? My mother in law had that problem with hers.

[Sid]

I'd love an outdoor pond. Sid, yours is beautiful!! Any problems with birds stealing your fish? My mother in law had that problem with hers.
Thanks, Lori No problem with the birds.The ones large enough to be a problem prefer the local farm ponds. I do have to keep a close eye on the neighbor hood cat. You can cover the pond with nylon netting to keep the birds out.

[infernalis]

I have always wanted one, Sid that is an awesome pond.

[reptile3]

Ohhh Sid, that is a very nice pond! My 2 neighbors have one...

Randy, my hubby wants to build one also, along with 10000 other things.

[Sid]

Thanks everyone. We really do enjoy it.

Wayne, get your materials ready. You'll have a crew in July that should have it completed in no time:rolleyes:.

[jitami]

That is beautiful Sid.

[count dewclaw]

I used a 200 gal Rubbermaid stock tank to make a small water garden. I built a waterfall and edged the pond with flat rocks. I will have to dig out the photos...

[jitami]

I would love to see them LeAnn :) Someday I want property with a natural, woodsy pond to attrack critters to it. The stock tanks would work perfect for that.... but then again so would just about anything <gg> Someday...

[guidofatherof5]

Great looking pond, Sid.

I don't think the biggest problem with stolen fish comes from any legged creature. Snakes, especially Garters have a sweet tooth for fish and plunder many a pond. The other animals are left hoding the bag and the Garters are laughing all the way home.

[infernalis]

Now Steve, I am sorry but I'd really like to see a garter eat a 12 inch koi...

[anji1971]

I have the plastic form for a pond sitting in my shed, and the neighbour who gave it to me said they'd also provide the pump and waterfall when they dig it up from their yard.
I'm just waiting on a new privacy fence out back, so I can build my pond and not have it destroyed by the fence construction. Maybe this summer..........

[count dewclaw]

Ok, here are some pictures of my 200 gal stock tank/water garden...the first 2 pics are from scanned photos, so the quality isn't great.

Just finished pond, working on plantings
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/early_pond4.JPG

a visiting garter later that first year
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/garter_at_pond2.JPG

the next year, things have filled in better
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/pond2006.JPG

[infernalis]

I had to look really close to see that snake peeking out of the bush.

[guidofatherof5]

Wayne,
I wasn't talking about the big ones. It would be fun to watch and I don't think a full grown Garter would turn down the opportunity. When they're in the hunting mood, I don't think size is to much of a deterrent.

[brain]

I took this just a few minutes ago to share. We put our pond in the summer of 2001, it needs some work.

Each year I put in about 40 feeder gold fish and very few make it to the next year.

I have seen garters and coons in there but we have a bird known as the “Blue Herron” and the cats just love to chase them as they come in the yard to feed on my pond.

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=13&pictureid=62

[jitami]

LeAnn, your pond is beautiful!!! Love the visiting garter! Too cute!

Micheal that is exactly what I want. Something very natural looking... I love that it's up against the wooded area, too. Cool.

[brain]

Now Steve, I am sorry but I'd really like to see a garter eat a 12 inch koi...

Will this work? Giant Garter snake -Thamnophis hammondii
Formerly classified as a subspecies of Thamnophis couchii.
T. digueti was synonymized with T. hammondii by McGuire and Grismer (1993, Herpetologica 49:354-365).

The Santa Catalina population of T. hammondii is treated as a distinct subspecies by the California Dept. of Fish and Game - Santa Catalina garter snake, Thamnophis hammondii ssp.


Steve Ivie and his Cub Scout troupe saw this snake enter a river in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County. They watched it swim upstream and grab a trout about 8 or 9 inches in length, then drag the trout onto a rock out of the water and eat it.


http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=65

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=64

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=14&pictureid=63

[jitami]

I've seen those pics before, but they never cease to impress me! There's also a video out there of a garter trying to eat a koi. It does not succeed in eating it, but does kill it.

[brain]

WOW I'll have to check that out

[NikkiSixx]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/06-18.JPG



You are going to wake up one day and your going to have a big hole were this was. I'm going to kidnap it from you....:D hahahahaha.......jkjkjk...

[misskris]

Ponds are alot of fun :) I had one when we lived down south. All of my koi would eat out of my hand, absolutely loved it. Nothing more relaxing than sitting next to the pond in the morning with a cup of coffee or evenings with a big glass of sweet tea. *sigh* Now we have a small preformed water garden, with soem hardy lilly's and a few shubinkins. I really enjoy it in the summer, but summer's here aren't long enough and I miss my big fish.

[jitami]

WOW I'll have to check that out

YouTube - Koi Killer or You are what you eat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwCwHaSkuh8)

Had to chuckle at the first comment...

[brain]

Ok my pond has been rejuvenated. Eloi helped


http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=13&pictureid=360

[count dewclaw]

Your pond is looking good, Michael. Keep us updated as the plants fill in more.

[drache]

it's looking nice