DIY A Fish Pond With Your Son Or Daughter/ DadsClub.com.au
I’ve got loads of rave about this beauty. 12 month on it is still a talking point and a great memory of doing great things with my son!
C’mon, get out there and turn that old bath into something special!!!
I’d never built a pond before, but when I saw an old bath out on the street I figured it couldn’t be too hard. My son and I did this over two easy weekends, digging the hole took most of the time.
You’ll need a bath; old tiles to line the inside of the bath (ask for seconds or scout around building sites). Because of the enamel you’ll need a strong glue (this will be the most expensive investment, we used …..) to fasten the tiles to the inside of the bath. Plug, water, pump with access to a power point, plants and some rocks.
Dig the hole, without doubt the hardest part; stabilise the bath with loose stones or sand. Glue tiles, fill and decorate to your liking. The pump keeps the water clean and adds some Zen serenity to your garden. You can get away without a pump and save yourself $70 if you use a water hyacinth plant. They float in the water and purify it so your pond stays seriously crystal clear. However, the water flow of the pump will stop mozzies!
The pump costs $70 (pumps 1,000 litres / hour), the tiles and bath were free. Stones and plants cost $30. Add fish (comets are the most durable fish, best price we’ve found is $2.50 per fish) for the ultimate in low maintenance pets.
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The secret to this is all in the GLUE you use. It tough gluing anything onto enamel (baths)
We used OPTIMA – get it from hardware stores and tile shops
Hey, thanks for the story of your pond. I am about to do one with a bath we are pulling out. I don’t understand why you put the tiles on the bath though? I would have thought the ordinary surface was ok. Was there a ecological reason for this?
Great, we had loads of fun building this and it works and looks a treat – people always comment about it and are amazed that we did it out of a bath.
Share your progress.
Dave
DadsClub.com.au
We used the tiles for aesthetics. It was tough and to be honest I wouldn’t do it that way again!.
the watch out is that you will see the white bath surface – very un-zen.
So think about ways of shielding the white enamel and blending with flora, rocks etc..
Send us pics
Sorry to be a downer but please please please do NOT use water hyacinth – it is a noxious weed that us farmers are fighting tooth and nail to save our water ways from. It’s seeds have a 15 year viable life span so the end is in the very distant future. Use water lilies or a native plant but please steer clear of water hyacinth. Great project though and great site.