No problems at all, but I've only had mosquitofish.

So kind of you to stop by and say so. I'm glad the updates helped, and only regret I can't go back in time to post a more robust how-to video. But I did learn one more thing this summer, regarding fish food. Someone told me their stock tank fish enjoyed flake food, so I experimented with offering it as a treat--to supplement what they foraged naturally. We quickly began experiencing algae overgrowth and regret that the balance was thrown off by either the food itself or the fish waste produced from the food. So if feeding goldfish with flake or pellet, perhaps consider food specifically designed for outdoor/pond applications, or talk to experts at a pond supply store. Especially if down the road you start getting algae conflicting with your beneficial bacteria colony. Good luck, your setup sounds fantastic!

@@ProvinceJournal Good to know, thank you! Our pond is still new, so no algae growth yet. We've only had the fish for a few days, but I've been feeding them reputable pellets recommended by a goldfish fanatic. I've also been learning about the nitrogen cycle, so I added a bacterial starter kit to help get some beneficial growth going. I built my own makeshift filter/pump basket that looks ugly, so I placed a large terracotta dish over it that covers the ugliness. I've also been using that as a "feeding tray" to try and keep the food from falling in between the rocks and rotting. Not sure if that's wise to do or not, but we'll see. I'm hoping to grow some hardy, chunky fish!

@@zgrothus let me know if you post a video of that pond and those chunky fish :)

I wish I had done a step-by-step too! At the bottom of the tank is a standard cinder block. The flat stones are rested on top of the block and built up. No adhesive anywhere in the tank. This allows me to shape the rock around the motor/filter box, yet remove the whole setup once or twice a year to clean out the filter. Each time I re-stack the rocks, the waterfall changes shape a bit but not too much. Fun to play around with how the water trickles down, plus you get new waterfall sounds each time.

interesting, just a cinder block holds all that up, I might give that a try. (I've read some use a milk crate) do you have your filter box under the rock beside the cinder block ? what size submersible pump did you use ? also, did you have to paint your galvanized tank, as i am reading the zinc that comes out of the tank for koi will kill them if not treated.

@@ProvinceJournal We do have a problem with snakes wanting to get in the tank and eat the koi i have to keep some type of covering over it so this does not happen again. do you have that issue ? not sure if snakes can climb this galvanized tank ?

@@charlesmais4176 Yes, I think a milk crate would work well too. One of the stones on the cinder block has a wedge shape to it that created a shelf for the filter box to rest on. So I'd say the filter box is about halfway to two-thirds up the tank. Then stones are rested on top the filter box to keep it weighted down and completely inconspicuous. Somewhere in this comment thread I mentioned a pond rubber paint that protects against zinc leaching. Yes, I do think a new pond would leach too much metal content. Ive read that old tanks stop leaching zinc, but at that point they're more prone to rust. Since I don't have koi, I did not paint. The leaching has not harmed my mosquito fish, which has been a self-sustaining colony for all these years. Same plants too. I added a water lily and it comes back every summer.

@@charlesmais4176 We haven't encountered snakes or lizards trying to get in. Raccoons for sure. They love washing their feet in the waterfall especially when the weather gets hot. I've considered covering with hardware cloth, but so far their damage has been minimal. Sometimes I'll have to re-stack a rock or two.

I've been in that position with a spider and I understand your predicament!

I love that she lays in your kitchen!

That's me cheering her every morning!

i'd say so. my spoiled brat is sitting on my lap as we speak

Yeah it is they lay a billion a week

The water pump is housed inside of a filter box. I placed the pump/filter box on a couple cinder blocks that are resting at the bottom of tank. So, the pump rises about halfway up the tank and sits on the block platform. Onto that platform I stacked flagstones surrounding the pump box. They keep the pump firmly in place and I'm careful that the rocks don't block the outlet hole on the pump. The pump is then powerful enough to push a stream of water up out of the pond and onto the rock waterfall cascade. In the past I've used riser tubes attached to the pump, but I no longer use them. The current pump is a 500 gph Pondmaster and its powerful enough to create the waterfall without a riser tube.

@@ProvinceJournal thanks

Yes, other commenters here have found them in the high desert.

Everywhere. They will run to light at night.

Just had an encounter in the high desert

Fighting with fire... now that's aggressive!

That why i personally call them Spider-scorpions in common name, as they are referred to as either (something) spider or (something) scorpion, so i call them Spider-scorpion because they are neither but have the look of both.

I rarely see them here in L.A. I've only seen one this year. They are kind of shocking to encounter for the first time!

@@ProvinceJournal I am in LA... And I just saw this animal in living room... first time of my life. (i'm 30s)

@@joannl11894 Wow, scary to see in living room!

ha!

Luckily, they like being on the ground, digging dens and stuff. not saying they can't climb, but they're definitely comfortable on the ground

our Buffs don't make any noise-- maybe unless they get scared by a hawk or something. Buffs are sweet, friendly, smart, and reliable layers. beautiful and highly recommended :)

@@ProvinceJournal thank you for taking the time to answer😃

I got one that's a whiner, one is quiet, and the other is in the middle lol its all about personality

The rumor is true!

Dat ass...

Which kind is she?

I have one hen who squawks a bit after she lays, but the rest are pretty quiet through the whole process.

Yes and bloody annoying I can't stand it this chicken is perfect I'm jealous

i heard that the reason they do their "egg laying" song is to let the Rooster know that they're done so he can come and get her. Ahha. i find that super cute~

Buff orphington

Tractor Supply

I too looked for the maker on eBay a few months ago and it appears they are no longer listed. I'm hoping they start selling again.

@@ProvinceJournal Maybe you could show what the inside of the trap looks like?

@@SASunDog That is a good idea. I'll try to capture the construction and post something after Thanksgiving.

@@ProvinceJournal Excellent! Have a safe and wonderful Turkey Day!

@@cybergizmo6902 Copy that. I will apply this new information 🤣

you put all of them in the same cage? lol no shit if u don't feed them they will eachother

@@professorfinesser4015 Yeah, but that was in the first 60 seconds after collecting them. Only had one container.

It's from Tractor Supply. They have many sizes. Most local farm supply/horse supply stores carry them.

I like that the plastic tanks don't leach metal into into the water, so they're a much better choice if you're keeping fish, turtles, etc. However, we went with steel for the farm aesthetic of it. For this type of raised pond, the plastic just doesn't look very nice unless you plan on mounding stone and plants around the sides. I also have some concern about the plastic losing its strength to sun degradation. I wonder if, in intense sun, the edges would begin to fade and chip/crack. We bought this stock tank at Tractor Supply and they sell many sizes and shapes of both metal and plastic.

Love the name Tofu!

Province tks, she’s also buff Orpington :))

she looks like 3 of mine, chook chook, chook chook, and chook chook, also kinda like jill