Easy NO-PLUG Fish Pond Tutorial For Back Patio / Deck
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- Опубліковано 26 січ 2025
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A couple of fish recommendations: Rice fish and Mosquito fish. They are both about the size of White Cloud minnows and can handle the temperature swings.
Just wanted to recommend Medakas. 😉 I have a minipond with different colors of Japanese Rice fish in it. They are super hardy and they are very fun to watch.
And he forgot the biological media.all fish will in fact die without cycled media. Fish tank or pond... those of whom don't know about the nitrogen cycle should in fact either look it up or not own fish.
@@YourMajesty100he doesn’t need it. He has the plants to eat nitrogen. Done this type of thing for years. What fails is extreme temps due to small size or if large amount of tree leaves fall in the fall and mess up the balance.
@@bmiles4131 depending on the fish. Plants do not deplete the nitrates fast enough nor the other toxic stuff needed unless it were extremely well planted and only a guppy or two. And even then cycling still needs to take place. Bacteria needs to grow in order for the nitrogen cycle to complete, u can't just throw fish in water and some plants and expect them to survive, a cycle still takes place plants or not. Getting lucky that nothing dies before the cycle is complete is one thing but to deny a cycle needs to happen because you have plants is another.
@@YourMajesty100 I did it for years. I will agree that you have to watch for sudden extreme changes in temp etc and change out a percent of the water.
One VERY IMPORTANT ITEM.. You need an overflow. Excessive rain will overflow the pond, and the fish may end up in the grass. You need a protective hole before the rim of the container that the fish won't fit through..😅
Try introducing a group of various white clouds they're extremely weather hardy.
You can also use a rag! Just have one side in the pond and one side out. At least, this works well for people who don’t get a ton of rain.
Uhhhhh….no?
You’ll be getting more evaporation than rain. Even in zone 5 where I’m at.
Similar to a bathroom sink? Lol
@@sh3nnanigans79 Ohhh... yes! When it rains, it can fill half a garbage bin.
I also recommend mosquitofish for their hardiness, as they've survived at least 3 winters now in my tub pond. But like Mike mentioned about visibility, mosquitofish can be relatively dark and hard to see when they're not active. Regardless, I enjoy them and still see them very often when I feed them or take time to relax and clean the pond of some algae. I also took the advice of one of Mike's older videos where I'll float a bottle or two of frozen water in the summer during the hottest times of the day to help keep the temperature of the pond down. When I do, the small fry seem to love it and always swim close to the frozen bottles.
Thanks, I live in South Florida, so you answered a question I had about high temperatures.
I did something similar but with an old, very large, black plastic animal trough left over from cattle (free find). I added a water hyacinth and floating plants. Driftwood and large rocks. No heater. No filter. Nothing that plugs in. I added 20 feeder goldfish and now three years later over half (lost four fish) the fish are still alive and thriving. They winter in the trough without issues and I am always ecstatic to see them alive and well after the snow has gone. My trough pond is its own ecosystem. I use a regular garden hose to add water when there’s been some evaporation and when the water looks a little cloudy. Other than that I feed my Goldie’s flakes every day, bloodworms & various blanched vegetables for snacks etc. I love my little pond 😊 Oh I should mention, I live in the PNW with a ton of rain and never had an issue with fish being flushed out with overflow. I often find my floating plants in the grass though. I simply pick them up and toss em back!
Fish getting washed out is absolutely a possibility, but I never bothered with an overflow
Oh, one other tip we learned from our previous large pond. Hot dry summers mean water evaporation. So a hose to the pond with a float system to auto refill is essential to keep water cool, filled and save you time refilling. Great for when you’re going to be away.
I use cherry shrimp in my outdoor ponds along with the white clouds and they seem to do well. They help a little with the algae on the walls of the tubs and plants. Platys also work well during the summer and come in lots of colors.
Medaka rice fish!!! They are perfect for this type of pond because they can tolerate cold water and look best from above.
Youre totally right!
@@AQUAPROSfinally you get it
Feeder goldfish work great. I keep mine on my patio year round. Even a slight freeze they are fine. When they get too big I give them away to folks who have a proper pond.
This is the exact video that I've been waiting for I have two large very large planters that were sold to me by a aquarium club member who was breeding shrimp in them outside. I want to use mine for orange madaka rice fish and the gold white clouds and I definitely needed something that would not consume more electricity and could not for the life of me find solar pumps that looked reliable The ones that you shared look like they will last a good while and might even be easily replaceable when necessary. Thanks so much for sharing this video! Now I'm really looking forward to setting up my summer tubs
Love mini pond projects like this! I am about to refresh my tub ponds and headed to the aquatic garden center today. Thanks for the inspo!
Nice! I just picked up another tub yesterday ;)
Love summer tubbin season!
Golden White Clouds and Rice fish are great options.
I've also done endlers, pearl and choprae danios, wild type swordtails, shrimp, and paradise fish.
I know nothing about this, but seems like a fun project! Would this survive the winter here in the pnw?
@@RavenMinis I've had white clouds and shrimp outside for two years straight now, they seem to do fine.
Everything else comes inside in fall. Although I've had a few straggler danios stay alive outside with water in the 50's until I broke down the totes entirely to catch them out.
I'm in western Oregon so winters are mild.
Very much appreciate this video, your effort and knowledge. I'm an indoor aquarist, and was looking at setting up an inground pond, when I came across the idea of an outdoor aquarium / planter pond. You've explained the pond setup very well. Thank you!
A few years back I decided to set up a small fish pond. It came together beautifully and I absolutely loved watching the fish. One by one my fish started to disappear, raccoons. My pond was much larger and deeper than this example. Never again! I still have so much regret for my poor fish. Just some food for thought….
same
My mother in law used a kind of chicken wire across the top of her pond and around the plants to keep animals out
Birds are one thing, but racoons will turn evwrything over, and my local rascal seems to enjoy chewing on sponge filters. There was even an occasion when one got past my net, and dragged the filter half way across the back yard. They stir up sediment and trash the lily pads. This year I am considering motion activated sprinklers. Might keep the neighbor cat from staring in the front window, trying to provoke a fight with my cat at 3am.
Not everyone has raccoons or any kind of wildlife for that matter, so it is up to common sense when using one of these DIYs.
@@Mamajenna Thank you. I thought I was missing some kind of valuable insight.
You can avoid mosquitos if you keep the water running or moving in the pot. Or have some sort of water fall or water jets that keep water moving.
This was my first year having an outdoor pond. It just happened. I left a smaller planter in a larger one. Over the winter we had heavy rain. I saw some grass growing out of the smaller planter.( it had dirt in it) and the larger planter filled up with water. I saw it and taught, that’s beautiful. So I left her to her own devices. A few months later I saw the water hyacinths at Home Depot. It was full of Mosquito larvae. So after I cleaned it up I put a few pieces in jars full of water inside the house amongst my jungle of house plants. Then I remembered my pond. So I took a piece and put her in the pond. Well, she is the only one that survived and thrived. She has doubled in size. I bought some bubblers with solar powered panels. But it does not move all the water and the algae bloomed so fast it is now a nursery for mosquitoes. Today I removed most of the algae and added a third water pump. But I will look into adding the fish and mosquito bomb. I have other plants in the pond and I will also change the location so it will not get so much sun.
Thank you for this video, it helped a lot. 😊
Platinum Medakas (Rice Fish) are great in outdoor ponds and super visible. They come in different shades of platinum too.
FYI he finally made a video about Platinum Rice fish today. He alluded to your comment, but didn't give you credit
Many subtropical mini fish do well in patio ponds like that in many climates - especially if they are kept indoors for the winter. Rice Fish are an obvious option, most lifebearers (some fancy breeds may be problematic, but they tend to be fickle even in heated aquarium), some marcopodus / paradise fish. I would also always include Neocaraidina - they are extremely hardy even if the container freezes over. As long as it doesn't freeze completely they will be fine come next spring ...
Live in southern Ny state. What do you do with the fish come winter? A friend’s son had koh in his backyard pond - actually pond in the ground - said they go into a non-moving state till water weather comes. So no problem for him during winter. Because his pond is actually in the ground?
Brother you can use regular minnows pulling in your pond they work way better because they're used to the hot temperatures and stuff like that are you got to do is make sure you can have a place they can hide
Yep. I have rosy minnows in my tub pond, going on 2 years now.
I once made a small pond from a old baby bath, it cost ms pennies to do, it had a couple of frogs in it, only having a small garden at the time it made an attractive addition to the garden
this guy is the best Aqua Design ever, keep it up the good work 😁😁
Hey thank you! 🫶🙂
Can i have one of these outside all year long? I live in northwest pa and our winters are pretty brutal. Would a small heater keep the fish alive?
Thank you for the inspiration. I have small water lily in mine and it's flowering well & looks amazing! I also have pond snails, which are fun and hardy enough to overwinter (in the UK)
@nrodor6098 I don't have any fish - I might add some this year or next.
Definitely think about rice fish, platinum whites, golden orange etc. will be awesome.
Ohhhhh ya, check the most recent vids on my channel ;)
I never get tired of pond videos. I've been patiently waiting for platinum ricefish to be available at Aquarium Co-Op so I can add them to my mini-pond. I've had a hard time finding a container I like that is not expensive.
Do you do anything about dragonfly larvae? I've read they will eat small fish & fry.
ohhhhh I dont think I have to worry about dragonflys too much, lookin at some ricefish as we speak! :)
what are the first three plant names that you put in at the start please
I used 24 karat guppys they show pretty well but shouldn’t get below 60° because of the temperature extremes. I put a heater in mine. I also put a hang on the back filter. The tiny ones are only about five to $10. I did not have solar never have invested in it. I’m thinking about doing that this year.
Zebra Danio fish are great in fluctuating temps and are super fast zipping around the pond in schools.
What do you do with them after summer. I’m 35 mins south of Chicago . I wonder if it would be worth doing one and then bringing it in my garage for the winter and putting a heater in it and hang a light over it. Or if setting up a temporary tank for winter is the only feasible option.
What happens when it rains? Won't the bucket/pond over flow and the fish escape?
I think I drill some holes to prevent overflowing
What about during winter? Do the plants die and come back? Do the fish winter through or die too?
Since no one answered in a year I’ll assume everything dies😢
I have a bunch of Hover Fly larvae swimming in my wine barrels at the moment which I thought were super gross at first but Hover Fly are really great pollinators so will let them mature and do their thing.
I have two ponds similar to yours. Still i think is too small for fish because of the heat from a long sunny day. I suggest that you put some vases around the pond with tall plants to help keep it cool.
Can you explain little bit more in detail what you do with the vases you put around your pond? You don’t put them inside the pot? I’m just trying to figure out how the vases help keep the pond cool if they aren’t in the pond? Sorry I’m new to this I want to make one soon.
@@monamaldonado3668 if you put many vases around the pond it will increase the humidity of that are around and at the same time providing more shade for the pond and protecting the fish from water overheating and excessive algae growth.
A vase with Lotus and lilies inside of the pond is good because it contains soil which is good for water quality. Floating plants is another important thing for natural filtration. I personally like to put some fast growing plants with the roots loose inside of the pond to absorb as much toxins from the water as possible. The more the better but without compromising the swimming space for the fish.
And the most important... Please put the smallest fish as possible inside of this kind of pond, mollies and guppies are my favorite. And not too many. I'm sure you will have a healthy and happy pond. Good luck.
thank you so much for a quick reply. I can’t wait to get this project started. Have a wonderful day! 🐟🍀🌞 PS I was thinking of putting my pot near a palm tree. I wasn’t sure if the flowers that grow on the palm tree could affect my pond in a bad way? I know the flowers ruin my above ground pool with bringing more algae sooner than it should get.
@@monamaldonado3668 it's my pleasure! Algae is actually very good for any body of water, if is not in excess because it will disturb the fish and the swimming space. But if you simply put floating plants and loose root plants inside they will take all the nutrients that the algae would eat and there will be a nice balance.
About putting the pond under the palm tree, if heavy parts don't fall from the tree then it's ok. But still I advise you to provide more vases around the pond. It happens to me that in extreme hot days the water became so hot in one of my ponds that my fish couldn't tolerate and jump out. It was horrible and I learned my lesson. Don't let your Little fish "tolerate" hot water, instead give them a comfortable environment.
Just getting started on a pond. If i am keeping them outside, but using a fountain to keep water moving, do i need to feed them? I'm assuming so if the fountain is keeping mosquitos away.
can the plants have soil in there like in the ground? or what soil for it?
Could you make a video for a pond like this in zone 6? We get extreme cold and hot temperatures so I don’t know what to do
Agreed! I'm in TX!!! It's very 🔥 hot!! Here.
How do you deal with plant in winter as I clean my barrel out every fall.
What do you think about putting Rosie red or fathead minnows in a pond like this and how many would you recommend
What do you do with the plants
I just made my first pond (55 gallon) with a waterfall. I have added plants and waited about a week before adding fish. which all die with in a couple of days. What am I doing wrong or what do i need to add to my pond to keep the fish alive? Thank you all for your help.
In the winter time, do you have to take it down or can you leave that up or will the fish and plants die?😊
Plants might die but the white clouds shouldn’t but you could probably get a heater for it if your still concerned
Mosquito fish will also survive every winter
Fantastic miniature pond tutorial. Sending love and warm greetings from Missouri.
Do you have to feed the fish? Or does it get the food from the plants?
One more question:
Do I need a bog filter or all in one pond filter kit for a 30 gal pond? Or are fish, solar pump & plants sufficient?
Thank you again for your helpful videos!
This is super cute 😊
What do you do with the pond and fish when the winter comes?
Talking about using regular silicone in an aquarium probably don't have fish live more then a few days 😂 I hate channels like this, I really do. 🤣
Where did you get that cup to accumulate the fish?
Legit thought he was going to say stay hydrated but he said caffeinated. 😂 that’s awesome.
How would you overwinter this? I live in zone 5
Is there a list of the big plants you used?
Shrimp definitely sounds good
What are wisteria is a very popular plant however, I like to put my red aquarium plants in there and by the end of summer they’ve grown really good and they get super red outside
What about overflow by rain?
No need for a filter? I’m new to this and have a barrel not being used so plan on doing this
Great video. Thank you. Gotta reset mine this year .. loads of algae and raccoons used it as a buffet.
HOW do you do water changes in a pond like this since it’s ground level and syphoning doesn’t work. Water pump? Could you vacuum some of the algae that way?
What do you suggest for dry areas where water evaporates often? This looks cool but adding water regularly might kill the fish cause of the chlorine (I guess….) Great video!
You can add API stress coat or a similar water treatment to dechlorinate tap water. Stress coat is cheap, and it only takes 5mL to treat 10 gallons of water.
Have you had fish get stuck on the pump before? (Since there’s no sponge etc on the intake)
How do you keep the fish in their when it rain?
Where did you get the thermometer from?
MEDAKA RICEFISH! They can handle all seasons and survive scorching hot temperatures and frozen winters! And they are much more beautiful from the top view and overall do better outdoors than indoors.
Where did you get the container that you put the fish in to introduce them to the pond?
its the vessel part of a ziss brine shrimp hatchery. Got it from aquariumcoop
What about places that have harsh winters and hot summers?
Bro, what substrate do you use ? It's not linked.
Do the bricks have any cement? I keep toxic cement out of my features .
I was wondering about how harmful cement would be.
How do you handle overflow of 💦💦💦 water.?
My wife and I want to make a simple pond just like this we already have the tub which is almost exactly like the one in this vid. We were planning on using duckweed to provide shade for fish. Any tips?
Pro tip. We made a large pond out back in our previous property. 6 ft. Across, 10 ft length, 2 ft. deep. Bought some little Goldfish at a bait shop, each approx 1-2 inches, all colors even marble. Most grew to 10-12 inches! Like, koi sized. Lol A dozen cost us $10. But beware, the bigger the pond the bigger they grow, and some actually committed suicide by jumping out of the water. 😩
Sprinkle a little baking soda. Once a month. Even if you have fish.... Everything thrives! Your welcome 😎
Thank you for your guidance I really appreciate it. That’s so sad the poor fish when it gets too hot. I will most definitely get vases.
Where do I get large aquatic plants like your three?
Thanks for the awesome video! Once fall/winter comes around, will the fish and plants survive or will this need to be dismantled during the cold seasons?
Do you need to feed the fish
I've been wanting to set up something like this for the past 2 years
Do it! 😎🫡
If I could do this and have aquatics that grow fast enough to feed tilapia, I'd be golden.
So glad I clicked 👍
Do you think some sucker fish would be a good fit?
What do you do with something like this in the winter?
is this will work for colder climate --zone 4-5??
This is awesome! A couple questions, can something like this work in a desert climate like Arizona? Also, are there any issues with birds using this as a bird bath?
Brand new mini-ponder here.
I am in the process of putting in a 30 gal pond that will go into the ground (it's really FUN digging dirt in the summer! NOT!)
Do you know if the fish you recommended and Rice Fish readily available?
And how many could I put in a 30-gal pond?
Great video! Thanks
You could put A LOT of ricefish in a pond that size, like 20+ id check local fish stores or aquahuna /thewetspot /imperial tropicals for online
What is the trailing type plant you put in there?
Probably creeping Jenny, Nummularia.
What do you do with the ponds in the winter?
Where can you purchase fish mentioned in video and comments ? TIA
What time of silicone would u recommend
Try platinum medaka rice fish. They are bred to be viewed from above and can live even under ice...
I have so many questions about the plants! You just put them there potted with soil? Like what? I need an explanation for this, how the plants will not get root rot or the dirt mess up the water… I want to do this but I need a more elaborate explanation on that. Thanks
What type of sand should we use?
Does it attract dragonfly
Is the pump even necessary if I’m going to use aquatic plants? Some people who breeds and raises Japanese medaka rice fish in those pots.
So when it rains and it overflows is that not a water change? How do you keep the water level the same?
Do you need to feed the fish?
Can I ask what type of aquatic plant is growing in the fish tank where the fish jumps out water … they cascade down like a tree canopy … ?👀
very cool indeed 👌🏻
Monte carlo 🫡
What do you do in the winter? This is the only video ive watched so far an im very interested. I live in Maryland where it can get very hot in rhe summer and very cold in the winter.
Watch my "complete pond video" its from like 2 weeks ago! Ittl answer all your questions 🫡
I just bought that same pot ..I hope mine turns out as beautiful as yours ...❤
Was wondering what you would do during the winter time. Do you drain some of the water and move into a garage area? We live in Alabama and do see freezing temps each year. Would hate to loose those plants each time they look great. Well done on the video and thanks for your help!
what is that purple flower you have?
I’m doing this. Thank you for the inspiration!
Any special maintenance needed in winter?
You put the plant pots in, soil and all? Can the fertilizers in the soil be harmful to fish?
I would highly doubt it, these plants were in a goldfish pond at the garden center
Any suggestions for plants that will survive the snow and freezing in Zone 6 / northeast Washington state?
Im right below you and ricefish will survive!
@@AQUAPROS Thank you. I have been told my half wine barrel will freeze to a block of ice in Spokane and that plants will need to be brought indoors. I guess we shall see. :)