"Elaine T" wrote in message
om...
Ok...I'm back. ;-)

I rent so I can't dig but I have a concrete patio where I can put a pond. No
electricity, so no filter but that's OK. I want lots of plants and only a
fish or two to keep the mosquitos down is fine by me. I'm in Southern
California, zone 10 and never any frost. After some research, it looks like I
have two choices, since I'm not super handy and far from rich.

First, build a 4' by 8' frame of pressure-treated 2x12s on underlay, line, and
fill. Supposedly this works. The resulting pond is shallow and will have a
lot of bottom area on the concrete so I'm concerned about the temperatures.
Volume should be about 200 gallons. This appeals because I like how the wood
will look, it will be easy to break down when I likely move this summer, and
it is very inexpensive to see if I like ponding. Cost is $50 in liner plus
lumber costs - should be well under $100.

Second choice is a stock tank. Not elegant but maybe I can camoflage it a bit
with trailing marginals or build a wood box around it. I'm not sure what size
yet, but there are some bathtub-shaped 150 gallon ones that look affordable
and manageable. The stock tub will be deeper, with less bottom area on the
concrete, but also less surface area for oxygen/C02 exchange and plants.

I want to eventually grow dwarf lotus, papyrus, Acorus rush, and keep one or
two shebunkins.

I'd appreciate any input at all since I'm so new to this. I'd really like to
have a nice small pond that I can enjoy.

--
__ Elaine T __
__' http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__

My advice would be to go with 4x4s instead of 2x12s. The 2x12s will flex too
much, and as it WILL get wet, even treated, it will warp much more than 4x4s do.
You can stack them, and tie them together by drilling a small hole completely
through from top to bottom and then hammer in some metal rods. I used
galvanized lag bolts to bolt the timbers together on the ends. That will keep
the whole thing rigid and prevent one from bowing out abnormally. Then install
your liner, letting it overlap the top 4x4s, and cap it with 1x4s that are
screwed into the 4x4s, and just cut off the excess liner. Be sure to use
stainless steel screws so they don't rust. I built one like this that is 4'x12'
using 6'x6' fencing posts (mine is bigger, and holds 1,400 gallons). Mine is
45" deep (27" in-ground, and 18" above ground). Here is a picture of what it
looks like when completed:

http://home.insightbb.com/~jryates/image002.jpg

Good luck.