a little pond and a lot of questions

[Reeflections]

Hello! This is my 1st post here and I am glad to have found you. I just moved into a new home that has a very small existing pond. It was just a stagnant mosquito nest when I 1st moved in so I drained it and put in a small pump to keep the water moving. Now it is a bit green but otherwise ready for some pretty stuff.

The pond is made from one of those pre-fab liners that is about 24” deep in the center with a couple of shallow shelves on the ends. Looking at available models, I think it is either 125 or 165 gal.

The good news is that I live on Maui so I won't have winter problems. The bad news is that it was placed where it only receives an average of about 4hrs of direct sun per day.

I want put some colorful flowers in it so I have found a local farmer that sells water lilies and lotus, and hyacinths. I would like all 3 if it wouldn't be too much. She has also offered to give me some “mosquito fish.” She is a great farmer of everything from water plants to bananas but she is from Thailand and our communication is minimal.

So my 1st questions to you folks are: Am I going in the right direction? Would all three, or any, of these plants do ok in this small space without full sun? Any other suggestions of something I may be missing?


TIA for any help you can give me.
Michael

 

[MitchM]

Welcome.
4 hours of direct sunlight sound fine.
If you have a local expert that is successful, I would definitely continue to get information from her.
I understand that mosquito fish are prolific, so maybe she could take some back if their population grows too much.
Does your pond have a filter of any kind?
If you have any pictures of your pond, we would love to see them.

 

[Reeflections]

Thanks for the quick reply Mitch!

The problem with my local expert is a language barrier. While she has 40 acres of super productive farm - mostly veggies and about an acre of water plants - she speaks little English and I speak zero Thai. That's what brought me here.

The only filter I have at the moment is the one that is in the the little pump I bought. I thought I would get more filter material as a preliminary to wrap around the pump itself.

I don't have a picture of the pond at this time but I will take one.

I also have coconut coir for my worms and wondered how that would work for pond plants.

Thanks again!

 

[Tula]

Welcome! I'm sure you can do water lilies and hyacinths , not sure if you have enough room for a lotus. I'm read there are many varieties and many folks here have them, so I'm sure they'll chime in.

 

[MitchM]

If she only speaks Thai, then I'm sure she would appreciate someone being patient with the language barrier.
Using the coconut coir could be an option, it depends on your setup.
We look forward to any pictures.
You're in a forgiving climate and your pond doesn't receive too much sunlight so that will help with heat and possible algae issues.

 

[Reeflections]

Thanks again for the warm welcome. With further investigation I have found that I have the 125 gal version. The surface is only about 50" x 55" and 24" deep in the center.

This is the pond at this point. Right now the pump is just sitting on the bottom to keep the mosquitoes away but I hope to make a little waterfall on the end eventually.

The Thai lady speak English a whole lot more than I speak Thai so she has to be patient with me which she certainly has been.

So, I take it the lotus need much more room than the water lily? If I had to choose one I guess I would want the lily anyway since it blooms all year according to my Thai friend.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! What a wonderful location - Hawaii!!

Does the lattice go all the way up to a ceiling? IOW, is the only sunlight what filters through the lattice? If so, even though it might get 4 hrs. of sunlight, that might still be limited by the lattice.

 

[sissy]

You could make windows in the lattice if you are handy and that will allow more light .

 

[CometKeith]

Hi.Welcome to gpf. Lotus plants get very large. A full size one could cover your whole pond. If you are thinking of fish why not try a few small goldfish? They are very friendly and come in a wide variety of colors and will also eat any bugs floating in the water.

 

[Lisak1]

There are very tiny lotuses, too - we have one called a teacup variety that you can literally grow in a cup!

 

[Reeflections]

Actually, the direct sun only comes in above the lattice so that is not a problem. By the time it is low enuf in the sky to hit the lattice, it's behind a mountain.

I've read about the miniature lotus and I may try to find a source for them. I kinda wanted to do a little container garden on the deck as well.

I originally thought goldfish, but was offered the mosquito fish. Will the mosquito fish become a problem because they are so prolific? Are they compatible with goldfish?

Sourcing things here on Maui can be difficult. Often, if we can't find something here, we can't get it. Many Mainland companies either don't ship here, or charge way out of line prices to do so. Also, when buying live things, they are either not legal to import or they don't do well in transit. I would love to hear some sources of plants that you guys use and trust. From there I could research their shipping to Hawaii policies.

Any other members here from Hawaii?

Thanks again everyone. BTW, I am a professional photographer. Maybe I could give back by helping anyone with photo questions.

 

[tbendl]

Welcome Reeflections, I'm from Hawaii, Big Island, but live in MS now. Sadly I didn't have a pond when I lived there so no real help.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

 

[CometKeith]

Hi Reeflections. I have used a very good supplier of goldfish from Hawaii but they tend to specialize in more expensive varieties.
http://www.raingarden.us/goldfish.htm

 

[Reeflections]

Thanks again for the kind welcoming.

I check out that supplier Keith - Thanks!