Pond liner alternative

11 years ago

Hello,

I wanted to make a "cheap" pond with a waterfall. Instead of the rolled liner, or the hard plastic liner, I have a big Styrofoam box that I dont need. The size is perfect. I can dig a hole in the ground the size of this box, and line it with black garbage bag to cover the white color. Do you guys think its bad idea to do this? Your input is very much appreciated.

Thanks

Yas

Note: I live in Toronto, cold weather etc.

Featured Answer

Debbie Downer

11 years ago

For cost of a liner you can get poly stock tanks which come in various sizes and are fish safe - sink into ground or leave above ground. Some minnows in 20-40 gals. would work nicely - 3 or 4 goldfish in 100 gals if you want to go larger. You could have a good set up for less than $100 - tank, pump, some sort of diy bio filtration system - a mini- skippy filter or whatever.... although if small you could get by without a bio filter by simply doing water changes. Then if you decided it wasn't for you, sell the whole set up on craigslist.

I would not get goldfish unless I was reasonably sure the set up would work - feeders or not. They do become beloved pets - theyre very aware critters and they live for 20 yrs. My Big Red is going on 17 and still acting like the king of the pond. Minnows are good starter fish for small experimen tal ponds because they are short lived naturally.

Other ideas -cut a food grade barrel in half, find some other plastic container or maybe even an old bathtub.... but if its for fish be absolutely sure no traces of chemical, manufacturing grease, deodorizer or soap residue - clean thoroughly and repeatedly with vinegar/baking soda solution. (almost lost my fish once to soap residue -that was still there after numerous rinses.)

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Comments (10)

Debbie Downer
11 years ago
Would not work for fish - there's anti-odor chemicals in garbage bag plastic and also it (as well as Styrofoam) would deterioriate over time and start leaking but couldn't tel ya how long it would take. Also too small for fish.

But for plants - it would make a neat experiment - go for it! (And take photos.)
yassergak
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks Kashka -- I dont think I will put fish in it. But as far as just holding the water for the pump it should be fine, no? It is super thick, it may even work better than the molded plastic tubs they sell for this purpose.

Say I wanted to put fish it it, i would have to use the proper liner i guess.

Thanks
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frankielynnsie
11 years ago
Is the Styrofoam box strong enough to hold the pressure from the water?
yassergak
Original Author
11 years ago
hello,

i would assume so, it is about 2-3 inches thick. It was a box for transporting frozen medical stuff. It can be used as a ice box for drinks etc etc. Super thick. I filled it with water before. no problem.
groundbeef1
11 years ago
It'll probably work, but I'm not big on being cheap for the sake of being cheap. Using materials not designed for that particular purpose may work, but over the long run they tend to fail. How are you going to route your pump/lines?
yassergak
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks groundbeef for the input. Basically I am doing this the cheap way because I dont know if my wife is going to like it. If she ends up liking the idea of having a little waterfall/pond in the corner of the backyard, then I go towards a more serious/expensive path next summer.

I am thinking of submerging the pump in the water, and running the pipe from inside up one of the corners. I will try to hide it under some rocks. Maybe get black pipe or clear pipe to help it hide better. I should have mentioned the box is about 20 inches by 36 inches and about 16 inches deep.

Do I need any fancy filtration system, or I can put filters around the pump and enclose it in some sort of open box for the water to be able to get into the pump?

Thanks
groundbeef1
11 years ago
No fancy filter needed, if no fish. Biggest problem would be algae, particularly string. W/out fish you can easily control with chemicals.

Understand about budget. I can also say, from past experience that while the box looks big now, once you put a pump in it, you'll not have much space left, and it'll be quite a challenge to hide the tubing. Plus don't forget the electrical cord going in to run it. Good luck!
frankielynnsie
11 years ago
You NEED a couple of baby feeder goldfish to help get her hooked. They train to come when called to eat really easily. Then the toads will show up and you will have tadpoles. You can move the fish inside in the winter and then they will need a bigger home next year. Ta da!!!
mikebwdtx
11 years ago
The problem with Styrofoam is the size of the cells and gaps. If you leave a Styrofoam cup filled with soda sitting for a day or two, you will notice little bubbles of soda on the outside of the cup. The same will happen if water gets into the box; it will leak as well as evaporate.

A liner that size at HD or somewhere else is not that expensive. Use the styrobox if you want, and use a liner so that it won't leak. You'll be glad you did. Have 4 goldfish...

You will obviously need the box to buried before adding water and the box should hold up. Do it! Share the experiment. Have fun.