Transferring Pond to New Container

[Pati O’Pond]

So much has happened since my last post! To recap, at least 4 snails hitchhiked to my pond about a month and a half ago. We call the fastest one Dabney Coleman. The first 2 egg sacks I saw, I panicked and removed them. Thankfull, there’s anew egg sack and I won’t bother it.

Anyway, I bought a 17 gallon stock tub that’s about 12 inches high yesterday. It’s all washed out and drying in the sun. My plan is to fill it with tap water about two thirds of the way up and leave it in the sun for a few days to get some nutrients growing in there. Then, I’ll remove the duckweed from the original container into a small temporary one. After the duckweed is safe, I’ll take some of the original pond water and put it in the new container. I’ll buy more sub straight and possibly some pond rocks. I bought 2 square paver stones to rest my Iris Versicolor on and I’ll have more room for more underwater plants besides the camboba. But I still don’t want fish or to use a filter. I hope the snails like their new place because I know I will!

What do you all think? Am I missing some steps?

 

[WaterGardener]

I feel you are wwaaaayyyyy overthinking this. If there are no fish, there is no reason for being so cautious. Just fill up the tub and put in the plants.

If your tap water has chlorine and you are worried about the snails, throw in some dechlorinator and dump in the snails.

 

[Pati O’Pond]

I feel you are wwaaaayyyyy overthinking this. If there are no fish, there is no reason for being so cautious. Just fill up the tub and put in the plants.

If your tap water has chlorine and you are worried about the snails, throw in some dechlorinator and dump in the snails.

That’s fabulous! Thank you!

 

[Lisak1]

I second what @WaterGardener said and will add - you aren't "growing nutrients" by leaving water sitting in a container. What you have is essentially potted water plants - not a pond.

 

[Pati O’Pond]

I second what @WaterGardener said and will add - you aren't "growing nutrients" by leaving water sitting in a container. What you have is essentially potted water plants - not a pond.

Ouch.

 

[Pati O’Pond]

I second what @WaterGardener said and will add - you aren't "growing nutrients" by leaving water sitting in a container. What you have is essentially potted water plants - not a pond.

Maybe you didn’t mean to come off as a rude know-it-all, but actually, yes, leaving still water it outside in the sun produces algae with contain nutrients for snails, microorganism, and plants. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to look up some YouTube videos on Japanese rice fish mini ponds. I suggest Live Laugh Love DIY‘s video on creating a Zen Garden. Just because I don’t have properTy to dig in doesn’t make what I have “potted water plants”. Container ponds, miniature ponds, ponds in a pot have been made for centuries. I don’t need to dig in the soil and potentially release invasive species into my community to have a pond. What you are is essentially ignorant- not an expert.

 

[Lisak1]

What you are is essentially ignorant- not an expert.

Ahhhh... thanks for enlightening me. Here I've been fancying myself an expert all this time. I won't even suggest you didn't intend to come across as rude - I'm sure you were just being informative.

Sorry your feelings are hurt. Sure you can grow algae in a bucket of water. The atmosphere is full of all kinds of things looking for a place to call home. But that's not "nutrients". And a tub of water isn't a pond, no matter what you call it. I have one of my own - I call it a patio pond, but I definitely know the difference between it and my garden pond and between my garden pond and the natural ponds in the surrounding area. It's a container garden with water instead of dirt.

Enjoy your snails.