Indoor Pond - some problems and anti-mosquito measures

Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively inexpensive
proposition.

However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few inches
high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with river
rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.

There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from keeping 80%
of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you need to
keep pouring it on.

Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a comfortable
state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to be
working and operating even in such circumstances.

I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I thought
that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap lemon
detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.

If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
apprecate it.

Cheers,

Wilde

Hi Wylie,

Since no one else has yet picked up on this, (most anyone would be
more qualified), I might offer a bit of encouragement:

I'm not sure where your tropical location is, but in southern Thailand
almost every home that I've seen has a mosquito-fish "pond". The
mosquito-fish are usually guppies or their cousins. The "ponds" are
almost anything that holds water -- ranging from ceramic pots, to
tubs, to more elaborate tiled pools. Some as shallow as you describe.
I see no reason why yours wouldn't work just as well, unless your pond
is completely in the sun where the shallowness might cause the temp to
increase to too high a level. And, BTW, most all of these ponds I've
seen have no air or circulation pumps -- they just let 'em go. And
whatever gets in there stays in there (leaves, bugs, algae, etc.),
until the (maybe?) annual cleaning. Of course, some of them get
pretty anerobic, and the fish swim around the surface for air; but
that's where the mozzie larvae are anyway aren't they? It's a
centuries-old tradition, so there must be something to it.

If it were me, I would skip the chlorine, oil, and detergent...

HTH, David

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
wrote:

Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively inexpensive
proposition.

However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few inches
high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with river
rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.

There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from keeping 80%
of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you need to
keep pouring it on.

Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a comfortable
state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to be
working and operating even in such circumstances.

I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I thought
that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap lemon
detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.

If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
apprecate it.

Cheers,

Wilde

I certainly would not place any detergents, chlorine etc into it as a
means of preventing mossies. If it was mine, I would drain it, and
clean it thouroughly, find the leak, fix it, and take stock of what is
actually in the tank in regards to filter, pump etc. If its in the
house and built in the floor, that leaking water is going somewhere
and probably not doing whatever its getting to any good. You never
gave a dimension on the ponds actual depth.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
wrote:

===Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively inexpensive
===proposition.
===
===However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few inches
===high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with river
===rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
===
===There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from keeping 80%
===of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you need to
===keep pouring it on.
===
===Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a comfortable
===state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to be
===working and operating even in such circumstances.
===
===I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I thought
===that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap lemon
===detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
===
===If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
===apprecate it.
===
===Cheers,
===
===Wilde
===


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

Hello Roy,

The pond is just a sunked concrete floor in the middle of a big bungalow.
This is what i Gathered so far from my study of the place. Originally, the
pond acted as an indoor concrete garden many years ago. The roof was open
and the area shut off with glass panels, and sliding doors when it rained.
The plants were placed in pots inside this atrium.

The owner then fitted in a skylight which prevented the rain from coming in.

Then he dug two drains into the ground and had it elevated so that one side
is tilted to allow for the water flow. The side that is lower - houses a
drain which sits two pumps. Lets call it Position B.

The depth of the pond is an average depth of 5 inches. 12 inches at best in
the deeper end. It is also covered with river rocks which so there's not
much average "swimming space".

I'm not sure where the leak is coming from - and I don't have the money to
go digging up the concrete flooring.

But at the moment - despite the leak, the water levels remain constant
enough to enable a water flow and cycle. There is no need to top up the
water level. But its very low at Position B,

The leak only seems to happen when I try to raise the water level to the 5
inch mark.

I suspect it comes from the big concrete urn looking thing which is stuck
near the middle of the pond. Its emplaced into the concrete ground.

As mentioned I don't have the money yet to got digging or drilling into the
concrete floor.

I will be hiring a local interior pond technician to check the place out.
And am saving money for that event.

Thanks.

Wilde.

"~Roy~" wrote in message
...
I certainly would not place any detergents, chlorine etc into it as a
means of preventing mossies. If it was mine, I would drain it, and
clean it thouroughly, find the leak, fix it, and take stock of what is
actually in the tank in regards to filter, pump etc. If its in the
house and built in the floor, that leaking water is going somewhere
and probably not doing whatever its getting to any good. You never
gave a dimension on the ponds actual depth.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
wrote:

===Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively
inexpensive
===proposition.
===
===However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few
inches
===high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with
river
===rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
===
===There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from
keeping 80%
===of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you
need to
===keep pouring it on.
===
===Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a
comfortable
===state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to
be
===working and operating even in such circumstances.
===
===I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile I
thought
===that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even cheap
lemon
===detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
===
===If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
===apprecate it.
===
===Cheers,
===
===Wilde
===


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

Are the stones removable? If so, I would take them all out, use a sealer on
the entire pond (silicon in the cracks and seams - the type you would use
for an aquarium), let it cure, put stones back in, fill and let sit, put in
plants, put in goldfish (12" is deep enough for them- you don't care about
the average - you care about the max and how much of that you have - so a
10gallon aquarium is only 12"X8"X8") or other small fish.


"Wylie Wilde" wrote in message
...
Hello Roy,

The pond is just a sunked concrete floor in the middle of a big bungalow.
This is what i Gathered so far from my study of the place. Originally, the
pond acted as an indoor concrete garden many years ago. The roof was open
and the area shut off with glass panels, and sliding doors when it rained.
The plants were placed in pots inside this atrium.

The owner then fitted in a skylight which prevented the rain from coming
in.

Then he dug two drains into the ground and had it elevated so that one
side
is tilted to allow for the water flow. The side that is lower - houses a
drain which sits two pumps. Lets call it Position B.

The depth of the pond is an average depth of 5 inches. 12 inches at best
in
the deeper end. It is also covered with river rocks which so there's not
much average "swimming space".

I'm not sure where the leak is coming from - and I don't have the money to
go digging up the concrete flooring.

But at the moment - despite the leak, the water levels remain constant
enough to enable a water flow and cycle. There is no need to top up the
water level. But its very low at Position B,

The leak only seems to happen when I try to raise the water level to the 5
inch mark.

I suspect it comes from the big concrete urn looking thing which is stuck
near the middle of the pond. Its emplaced into the concrete ground.

As mentioned I don't have the money yet to got digging or drilling into
the
concrete floor.

I will be hiring a local interior pond technician to check the place out.
And am saving money for that event.

Thanks.

Wilde.

"~Roy~" wrote in message
...
I certainly would not place any detergents, chlorine etc into it as a
means of preventing mossies. If it was mine, I would drain it, and
clean it thouroughly, find the leak, fix it, and take stock of what is
actually in the tank in regards to filter, pump etc. If its in the
house and built in the floor, that leaking water is going somewhere
and probably not doing whatever its getting to any good. You never
gave a dimension on the ponds actual depth.

On Fri, 11 Mar 2005 11:37:02 +0800, "Wylie Wilde"
wrote:

===Keeping tropical fish does seem an attractive and relatively
inexpensive
===proposition.
===
===However, as mentioned, the pond is very shallow, being only a few
inches
===high during operation and is furthermore covered and saturated with
river
===rocks. They serve to cover the bare concrete floor.
===
===There also appears to be a leak somewhere which prevents us from
keeping 80%
===of the water in the pond. You can try filling it up to 100% but you
need to
===keep pouring it on.
===
===Having said that, the remaining 20% of water stays there in a
comfortable
===state and does not drain away. The pumps being underwater appear to
be
===working and operating even in such circumstances.
===
===I'm trying to locate the leak at the present, but in the meanwhile
I
thought
===that placing some extra chlorine or perhaps herbal oil or even
cheap
lemon
===detergent into the pond to discourage mossie breeding.
===
===If I may bother you denizens for some commentary on my actions, I'd
===apprecate it.
===
===Cheers,
===
===Wilde
===


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!