How we made our stock tank

OK, here we go, folks. We've started putting our new pond together, and, as we go along, I'll take photos and post them here. We're using Austin garden blogger Pam Penick's tutorial and also some "Water Gardening" advice posted online by staff at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. This will definitely be a process that unfolds over the course of several days. Watch and see!

DAY ONE May 15, 2012

Our new galvanized metal tank arrived at the farm supply company in town. It measures 3 feet wide by 2 feet deep. (The tank cost around $100, which was covered by wedding anniversary gifts given to us by my mother, Marcelle, and dear friend, Rev. Hiller, who married us in 2006 ). After supper, James got to work clearing off a level area where it will sit in our back yard. The location gets mostly sun and isn't directly beneath the branches of any live oaks.

James moves the tank.

The tank is not THAT heavy, trust me.

James spent maybe half an hour or so digging out an area in our new bed.

 DAY TWO May 16, 2012

James set the tank on the sandy foundation that he'd made the day before....

He kept an eye on the tank's levelness as he worked.

Even as he was filling up the 95-gallon tank, he monitored the levelness, too. Before we can add plants, the water must sit for several days so chemicals can evaporate away. Pam recommends at least three or four days. The earliest we can get away and buy plants is Sunday anyway so that's fine.

In the meantime, James added two cinder blocks ($1.40 each) and rocks to recreate a place where birds, toads and other wildlife can get in and out. NO HERONS ALLOWED!

DAY THREE May 20, 2012

Our pond is nearly done! On our way home from visiting son Patrick and his wife Danielle in Waco, we stopped at the Hill Country Water Gardens and Nursery in Austin. I don't mean to turn this post into an advertisement for their business, but I thought it'd be helpful to other readers who are interested in making a tank stock pond, too....

Diane, who assisted us in our purchases, was very knowledgeable, but we didn't buy everything she suggested. We went with the product that removes chlorine and heavy metals ($8.55) and water lily food tablets (12-count, $4.99). A fish net was already on our list ($6.99).

 We bought three plants and some grass: horsetail rush ($19.99), Indiana water lily (dwarf, $36.99), lemon bacopa ($13.99) and hornwort watergrass ($2.99 bunch).

Next, I added the heavy-metal remover to the water.

James set in the cinder blocks.

Then we started added our plants...first, the lily.

Then the horsetails and barcopa...

Then I dropped in the bunches of watergrass. We decided not to plant it in a pot and see what happens.

Looks nice, right?

Ta da!

I set in our bag of little gambusia fish (50 cents each) so the temps between the bag and pond water can acclimate to the same degree. Later today, we'll slowly start introducing pond water into the bag until we can set them free in the pond.

There they go! You can barely see two fish in the bag and one in the water....

Later, we fished out wigglers (mosquito larvae) from a rain barrel and fed them to the gambusia. They LOVED them! (We had fun, too.)

 There's a gambusia! Gambusia affinis are native to Texas and are commonly called minnows. Go to any Texas river, and they'll nibble on your toes. You can download some info about the species here.

Now we'll see how our pond fares and whether we get a good ecosystem established.