Some folks like to use gravel to plant in.
I found it heck to work with when it came
time to divide the plants.

Now I use the black rigid mesh basket and
use the aquatic soil - which is a nice brown
colour. You can use plain, unscented kitty
litter (grey) and it is the same thing.

I flood the basket several times to rinse
off most of the dust and lower it gently
in. There will be some dust but it will
settle.

Or you can flood it (or garden soil) and
cover the top of the planting medium with
pebbles. This will keep the fish out of it.
Some fish like to pick up gravel, clay bits
and spit them out. Some fish have even
been known to get a rock stuck in their
mouths (they aren't that bright...)

You can put in an aquarium filter if you
want. Some people put in a pump in a
plant basket surround it with some kind
of filter media (I use plastic screening)
and filter the water that way with a small
spitter or bell fountain attached.

Starting small is a great way to learn.
I used a old sandbox when I was waiting for
the big pond to be dug.


kathy :-) www.blogfromthebog.com
this week's entry - aquatic snails
Pond 101 page for new pond keepers ~
http://hometown.aol.com/ka30p/myhomepage/garden.html