Hey, everyone! I have my still water lotus pool next to my front yard pond. It is just a small area -- probably 3 feet by 4 feet and 1 1/2 feet deep. I made it for my lotus, which I didn't want to escape into the main pond. I have moss at the sides and parrot's feather floating in it. I use mosquito dunks but thought it would be fun to put a couple of guppies in there. And/or a betta. I think they would enjoy a little kingdom out there!
I am considering adding a little filtration but can't run electricity to it. If I were to make a very small system, using a solar powered pump, would it work if it only ran in the daylight hours? Or would that be a waste?
I thought I could get a small pump and put it in a mesh bag. I could put the mesh bag in the center of a perforated planting basket and surround it with lava rock. There is a little shelf in the pool. If I were to sit that basket in on the shelf, with the output just above the water surface, the water would get pulled through the lava rocks and bubble out the top. I am guessing that at least a small amount of beneficial bacteria would colonize the lava rocks. Do those bacteria require 24 hour water flow? If so, this would be a waste of time and money.
I feel like it might be a pretty low effort, low cost experiment though -- if there is any likelihood that it could add at least a little filtration.
Do any of you have thoughts?
The pictures show the main pond and the separate lotus pool behind it. (I had just pruned and cleaned up the main pond, so it will look better in a week or so, once the lilies leaf out again.) The close up picture was me trying to get a shot of a dragonfly drinking from the little fountain!!!! But at the left of that close up photo, you can see a planting basket with a yellow-green plant in it. That is the shelf where I thought I could sit the homemade filter.
I am considering adding a little filtration but can't run electricity to it. If I were to make a very small system, using a solar powered pump, would it work if it only ran in the daylight hours? Or would that be a waste?
I thought I could get a small pump and put it in a mesh bag. I could put the mesh bag in the center of a perforated planting basket and surround it with lava rock. There is a little shelf in the pool. If I were to sit that basket in on the shelf, with the output just above the water surface, the water would get pulled through the lava rocks and bubble out the top. I am guessing that at least a small amount of beneficial bacteria would colonize the lava rocks. Do those bacteria require 24 hour water flow? If so, this would be a waste of time and money.
I feel like it might be a pretty low effort, low cost experiment though -- if there is any likelihood that it could add at least a little filtration.
Do any of you have thoughts?
The pictures show the main pond and the separate lotus pool behind it. (I had just pruned and cleaned up the main pond, so it will look better in a week or so, once the lilies leaf out again.) The close up picture was me trying to get a shot of a dragonfly drinking from the little fountain!!!! But at the left of that close up photo, you can see a planting basket with a yellow-green plant in it. That is the shelf where I thought I could sit the homemade filter.
