DIY wildlife pond build - from a whiskey barrel

I have a small garden with no real room for a normal pond. I want to introduce more wildlife into my garden and water is meant to make the biggest difference.
I saw some videos about using a half whiskey barrel planter as a pond so I wanted to try it. Here is my experience.

[@JJLewin1]

Lovely job, I would love to see a follow up. We are setting our up over the next few days and adding some fish.

[@guyarnold7304]

That looks good. I am hoping to get everything I need from Maidenhead Aquatics this weekend and build my own barrel pond! How is your pond getting on a couple of weeks in? Do you think you need a pump as well as the oxygenator plants, or just one or the other?

[@foragingadventures]

Thanks very much! The pond is doing pretty well, the lily pads have come up to the surface now, and there is no algae. I noticed there are lots of mosquito larvae in it today so hopefully something will move in to eat them all!

[@LG-qb3wk]

Hi, how is your barrel holding up? Any leaks? Did anything else move it yet? I am thinking of burying one as a wildlife pond too.

[@foragingadventures]

It's doing well thanks, currently has a layer of duckweed covering it. No leaks, the water level seems to barely change even after torrential rain. I think once spring is properly here it will come to life again, as everything is fairly dormant at the moment.