Baby bath

Hi Dave my grand kids had a wildlife pond for quite a few years made out of a babies bath... Yes you can get native pond weeds you can put in it that will keep the water sweet, Mill foil is excellent.. You will of course have to top it up regularly with rainwater... Blanket weed could be a problem with the sunshine, but if you oik it out every few days you will win if you keep topping it up... A water top up is needed very often in the summer make sure it is rain watr or tap water that has stood for at least 24hrs for everything to settle... They had resident frogs.. Frogs spawn every year & taddies, then we actually found newts as well..... We are thrilled...
Also we went from the babies bath to an old plasters bath 4'x2'x1' deep & now it is full of life.. Frogs, newts, snails, shrimps, water beetles, skaters, red Wriglies & even Hover fly larvae & Damsel larvae.. So you can have a very healthy wildlife pond Dave but it does need a tad of help being small.. This is the plasters bath pond now.. Full of frogs of various sizes as well..!!!!
I just took these photos.. 1 from each end.. Pretty healthy I think & the babies bath looked like this but much smaller..






:gnthb: Anything almost is possible if you want it badly enough & my grand kids sure do they spend hrs watching.... :gnthb: They also have a small bog garden to one side made out of a large planter with holes drilled aroind it 12" up from the base, that way you keep your bog bit... :wink:

 

:thumb: Thanks Watergarden, the water is crystal clear & it is teaming with life.. Although you cannot see it for plants there is a slope at one end so creatures can get out & they seem to no problem..!! :hehe:

 

:thumb: Go for it Dave & don't get discouraged as the 1st year is the worst & hardest getting it established... This winter will see a huge change for you I am sure.. Sink it deep into the ground for winter insulation... If it freezes try to leave a hole for oxygen.. I float a ball on it to take care of that & make the hole bigger if I can, but no sudden loud noises... !! :dh:

 

Hi Aaron, we moved on to a Plasters Bath a couple of years back... We have a black one but it is one of these in black & ordered over the internet & delivered from somewhere....:dh: Can't remember who though now.. :wink: I just went for the best price.... Oh & we got the biggest one..! :D

 

The water is still, I have Milfoil as my main oxygenating weed, but I also have Water crowfoot, then my marginals which are in pond baskets I stand them on stones to give them the shallower water.. Those are Flag Iris, water mint, Marsh marigold, Houttina, a little pot of water forget me nots somewhere in there. Even trying a couple of read mace plants in a pot in there too and of course the water speedwell which is rampant on the top as you can see.. I just pull some out every now & then & I keep the water level topped up from my water butts so it is always sweet water in there & as you can see it is very healthy....