New rubbermaid container pond! Help

[alice]

My suggestion,
1 - decide on a location.
2 - look around and find a pond design you like.
3 - decide on a budget.
4 - discuss your plans here so the community can give you some feedback which will save you some money and having to do some work twice.

Okay, thank you! I will talk with my mom and see what she wants to do. I will post a photo on where she has been recently thinking to put a pond.

 

[MitchM]

Also, last night I'm pretty sure the raccoons are figuring out we have a pond.. Will they be safe in this set up? They have a hiding spot

I'm not familiar with racoons, but I've heard that they're pretty clever.
I'm sure someone will suggest a method to secure your container.

 

[CountryEscape]

If you have raccoons, those fish are NOT safe in that container. I've known them to open cabinet doors, dump over heavy containers, to get to food. I don't think they can dump your container full of water, but I would not put it past them. Put some type of screen over the container at night, if possible, and secure it tightly. Don't just lay a screen on top, as the raccoon will simply move it! Yes, they are very clever, and your tub pond is shallow enough I'd guess they will grab the fish in short order, and if not, stress them enough to cause them to die. Protect them if you can.
But, also keep this fact in mind when building your larger pond. If the sides are straight down, the raccoon will not be able to "go fishing". Yes, I know your tub has straight sides, and the depth might be deep enough, but I kind of doubt it. So, straight walls, except for an area with steps dug into the edge so you can safely go into and out of the pond after it's full. Just remember to have a hiding spot in the deep part for the fish, if predators come calling.

 

[MitchM]

Alice, where approximately are you in Canada?

 

[alice]

It has a lid for night time, and also when No one is home to keep cats out. Kingston, Ontario. We havent had raccoons in our area for a while but I possibly heard one on the roof of the garage last night.

 

[alice]

The pink is where my mom just put in new bedding linner for the garden. Where the blue circle is; she was hoping to put a pond there. What do you guys think?

 

[MitchM]

That location looks fine, You'll have some leaves falling into the pond and some roots to deal with.
It looks like a utility pole at the back. Now would be a good time to call a utility locate company and have them locate any underground services.
It should be a free service, but they will probably take a few days for them to show up.

 

[CountryEscape]

Also, find a place that sells rubber EPDM liner, our lumber companies have it for roofing material. Figure out approximately the size of your pond and how big your liner needs to be. It's possible that the size you will need could be increased by a few feet to get the 'standard' size, and thus a larger pond. ALWAYS go as big as possible when you build!

 

[alice]

Our Koi didn't make it last night. The goldfish are still there. They are out more. Maybe the Koi was intimidating and prob
Y not enough room

 

[CountryEscape]

Awww sorry to hear that, Alice. Learning as you go, though.

 

[alice]

Ponds are alot of work, but def learning alot. It's been chilly too the last few days.

 

[CountryEscape]

They become a passion, and then it's not like work, it's like a hobby and fun.

 

[alice]

How big of a pond could we make with this pond pump? i know it says up to 300 gallons. Is it possible to also out rocks with this fountain head to make a waterfall? Mom and I are trying to think of idea's first

 

[MitchM]

I would go maximum 200 gallons with that pump, but you will still need to incorporate a filter of some kind.
Simplest would be a bog style using some gravel and plants that would filter your water.

 

[alice]

Okay . My one little gold fish is starting to be more comfortable coming out, the other one is still pretty shy. But they are doing well. I added another hiding spot for them aswell on the otherside