215 replies to this topic

[koiguy1969]

DIY floating planter rings...just over $20.00 will make 6 2' diameter rings
you need a roll of deer fencing 36"x15'...........$11.00 @ Lowes
a roll of 1/2" irrigation tubing about $8.00 @ Lowes
some 4" zip ties..........cut your ring to size....make 3or4 1" slices in one end of tubing, the sliced end goes inside the other end.. put it in as far as you can the heat the outside tube with a lighter, heat gun,or torch lightly then immediately push the other end in further. when it cools it will shrink around the inside tube and seal it.

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[koiguy1969]

then neatly cut a 4" strip off the roll of deer fence long enough to wrap around the ring you made. and also cut a round peice the same size as your ring or slightly bigger.take the strip and ziptie it to the ring snug but not too tight (leaving the factory edge to the bottom so theres the thicker edge to fasten the bottom too) . then zip tie the round bottom peice to the strip trimming and ziptieing as you go, leave everything snug but movable for adjusting. just trim and tie evenly..... the last pic was just before the last few ties were put on. easy to figure out...good and sturdy and about $3.50-$4.00 a ring.

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Edited by koiguy1969, 04 August 2009 - 02:28 PM.

[koiguy1969]

heres 2 in the pond....... now hiacynths like that are worth it, the second pic has lettuce too!
its so easy a caveman could do it!!......sorry Geico

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[koiguy1969]

correction... its called hardware netting from TENAX

[koiguy1969]

my koi are pi$$ed at me...they cant get to those tastey roots and bulbous stems!! and the frogs absolutely love them!!!!!!!!!!! anice place to sun bathe feeling safe!!

[stroppy]

thats a brill idea ... im going to make a couple, will add more shade too

[DrCase]

Good tips Koiguy
I never could get it to grow...salt i guess
Now they want to lock you up here for growing it

[DrDave]

Another great idea! Good thinking Koiguy!
That same tubing can also be used for your bio filter.
I made mine by taking a nursery flat and surrounding it with 3/4" PVC, I added Hyysop, Parrotts Feather and Duckweed by weaving it into the mesh of the flat. You need a fine mesh flat to do this. It has been in there for 1 1/2 years and is so successfull, I have to remove plants to make room for the growth.

Edited by DrDave, 05 August 2009 - 01:35 AM.

[koikeepr]

sweet!

[ctrgojo]

can I put lotus in one of these? or just lilies and WH?

[koiguy1969]

floating plants only.. they are to protect the plants (roots mostly) from being devoured by your fish. hiacynths, lettuce, parrots feather etc...

[ctrgojo]

thanks

[pebcpa]

I could probably tie them up to keep them from blocking the skimmer. Cool.

[koikeepr]

pebcpa said:

I could probably tie them up to keep them from blocking the skimmer. Cool.

You have an opposing option for not getting food in the skimmer, which is simply create the ring and throw it in the pond (without plants in it). When you feed your fish, you throw the food into the middle of the empty ring so that the fish feed from there. The food stays right in the ring and never gets into the skimmer and the fish are more tan happy to eat the food that is within the ring.

I use the same ring and have all my plants in it, but mine is just the ring and has no mesh on the bottom. My koi really don't do damage to my plants, so it's not a problem for me.

[koiguy1969]

actually the first one i made was originally a feeding ring but in the frenzy of eating they would bounce the ring around in the water and the food woukd end up floating around the pond anyways so i declded to have healthy uneaten floating plants...it was getting where my hiacynths could not keep up with the fish tearing them up so necessity came into play.....it started with just root nibbling then the bulbous parts of the stems were getting eaten, i was skimming many chunks out every day!!