I have several half wine barrels just like this that I have plants growing in. I decided that I'd turn one into a fountain to attract birds. I bought a few water hyacinths and hooked up a solar water pump. To my surprise after about 3 months I had 17 little tiny fish. It's now a year later and they are all still alive. Some are orange, yellow, black and multi colored. Either there were fish eggs on the water hyacinths or eggs on a birds feet? I've since installed a pump and filter rated for 250 gallons which is overkill, but it keeps the water nice and clear.
@@Mountain_Aquatics Hi I am in sunny Hull so hopefully will get some tropical weather or not, oh well still got the fish room to sit in if it rains lol
@@Mountain_Aquatics My plan is for white cloud mountain minnows, just to see how we all get on. I really enjoy them, and hope they will love the great outdoors.
Great video. I did something similar a few years ago with White Cloud Mountain minnows, I used a solar powered pump with sponge filter. Worked at treat and they even spawned and some babies survived.
@@Mountain_Aquatics Yes, but I don’t have any fish in it at the moment. When it got to mid October I removed the fish as it was getting a bit cold at night and didn’t want to chance it that they couldn’t take the drop in temperature, so I moved them into my tropical aquarium.
@@Mountain_Aquatics I’m in Essex. My local Maidenhead aquatics had some last year. It was the first time I’d ever come across them. If they have them in stock I might look into getting some for this years outside project.
Yes they are difficult to find so if you manage to come across some then you should get them if you have the room. Lovely fish that have a unique way of producing eggs. Very interesting to watch. Hopefully I’ll be able to show you on my channel once I get them.
Ah nice! I built one of these over the bank holiday weekend. My medaka are only a couple of weeks old at the moment so they're not ready to go in just yet :)
@@Mountain_Aquatics Yeah will do! They're only about 4mm at the moment but getting bigger each day. I bought some eggs from a breeder on band.us and managed to successfully hatch about 13 healthy fry.
@@Mountain_Aquatics Hey, how's it going with your barrel pond? I'm getting a clear/white slime covering everything in mine at the moment. Just wondered if you encountered anything similar? I've created a little filter to see if I can clear it up.
Thanks! Yes I did struggle sourcing the fish actually. I joined a Facebook group and managed to find a breeder through there. Have you also done a pond with a barrel?
Have you had any issues with the tar/charcoal/black stuff on the inside of the barrel? I created a small wildlife pond and was going to use a half barrel but in the end went with a Belfast sink.
@@Mountain_Aquatics Seems to have taken off! The plants are doing well, coming back after Winter-I’m especially pleased to see the Ragged Robin appears to have thrived. Sadly no frogs or toads yet but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the future. I used a large (c. 10cm diameter) silicon plug secured with aquarium silicone to plug the plug hole, with some gravel and aquarium silicon in the overflow. Beyond that, bricks with holes to make levels, oxygenating plants (name escapes me..), Fibre Optic plant, a small native Rush and small Iris, Ragged Robin and a couple of other plants which are busy flowing over the sides. A gentle start to pond life! I may dig something at some point… Good thinking on the liner-nice call!
Thanks for the video! I just picked up a barrel for my medaka. Can I ask what you lined the lily pot with? The white sheet that went inside. Medaka are rare in Canada too so I’m excited to see it picking up popularity around the world.
Thanks for the feedback 😊 I actually don’t know what it was I lined the container with. I was going to look for a hessian square (which you can find online) put I had something delivered and it was wrapped in that stuff which looked perfect so I used it. Yes it does seem that Medaka are now becoming more popular which is great. Let me know how you get on with your pond 👍🏻
@@Aquadiction No heater. They can survive under ice and are very hardy fish. This is how they are kept in Japan all year round and many breeders also keep them in the U.K. like this
@@Mountain_Aquatics I would only have them in a short time and then move them to my in laws 9ft pond with the others we have. Just a little project for the summer. Look forward to seeing part 2 of the video 👍🏻
@@maclang87 ah I see. Should be fine then. If you can add some sort of filtration would be good. And oxygenating plants are always a great addition to. I need to source some medaka first, they are quite rare here. Once I do I will update you with another video. Fingers crossed it doesn’t take too long! 👍🏻
It was leaking all over. When they fry out he wood shrinks. Leave it soaking a few days and the wood swells and it becomes water tight again. Hope that makes sense? Thanks for the comment 😊
@@Mountain_Aquatics Dang, that’s awesome! I’ll keep trying to find some here :) Import fees from UK to EU have gone up like crazy. Maybe one day I’ll check if you’re willing to sell some of yours, or find other breeders in the UK. Cheers!
Love the pond! But your gorgeous dog is the star of the show ♥️. He so lovely and curious 🥰
Thank you so much!
Yes definitely stole the show!
Very theraputic that i enjoyed it mate
Thanks pal. A different style to what I normally do but I quite like it. I think I’ll carry it on for this series.
@@Mountain_Aquatics yes that would be good
I have several half wine barrels just like this that I have plants growing in. I decided that I'd turn one into a fountain to attract birds. I bought a few water hyacinths and hooked up a solar water pump. To my surprise after about 3 months I had 17 little tiny fish. It's now a year later and they are all still alive. Some are orange, yellow, black and multi colored. Either there were fish eggs on the water hyacinths or eggs on a birds feet? I've since installed a pump and filter rated for 250 gallons which is overkill, but it keeps the water nice and clear.
I wonder what fish they are, where in the world are you?
@@Mountain_Aquatics I'm in Nevada USA
Hi buddy, thank you for stopping by my TikTok. Like your channel and hit the gold bell, too. Keep in touch.
Cheers pal!
Love it just go with the flow may do some summer tubbing this year if wifey will allow the space lol
Brilliant. Hopefully the weather allows it. Where are you based?
@@Mountain_Aquatics Hi I am in sunny Hull so hopefully will get some tropical weather or not, oh well still got the fish room to sit in if it rains lol
Love it, doing something very similar this year!
Oh brilliant. Will you be putting fish in it?
@@Mountain_Aquatics My plan is for white cloud mountain minnows, just to see how we all get on. I really enjoy them, and hope they will love the great outdoors.
@@maryrhoads4874 they would do fine in a pond this size. Are you in the U.K.?
Great video. I did something similar a few years ago with White Cloud Mountain minnows, I used a solar powered pump with sponge filter. Worked at treat and they even spawned and some babies survived.
Yes I think white clouds would be perfect for this! Do you still have the pond?
@@Mountain_Aquatics Yes, but I don’t have any fish in it at the moment. When it got to mid October I removed the fish as it was getting a bit cold at night and didn’t want to chance it that they couldn’t take the drop in temperature, so I moved them into my tropical aquarium.
@@tonyainsworth1075 ah ok. Maybe try some Medaka? They can survive most winters. Where in the world are you?
@@Mountain_Aquatics I’m in Essex. My local Maidenhead aquatics had some last year. It was the first time I’d ever come across them. If they have them in stock I might look into getting some for this years outside project.
Yes they are difficult to find so if you manage to come across some then you should get them if you have the room. Lovely fish that have a unique way of producing eggs. Very interesting to watch. Hopefully I’ll be able to show you on my channel once I get them.
Great idea. I tried to import a traditional Chinese wooden pot called “Muhai”. Shipping is a showstopper due to its huge size. Still working on it
These are pretty easy to come across here in the U.K. I paid £25 for the half barrel.
Browsing Google > spotted Conwy fire > spotted a video > noticed the channel was a fish enthusiast = Came for the fire, staying for the fish!
That’s awesome! Glad you’ve found us. I didn’t a tour of Conwy water gardens which you might enjoy then 👍🏻
Ah nice! I built one of these over the bank holiday weekend. My medaka are only a couple of weeks old at the moment so they're not ready to go in just yet :)
Ah brill! You’ll have to let me know how you get on with them. Where did you manage to find your Medaka?
@@Mountain_Aquatics Yeah will do! They're only about 4mm at the moment but getting bigger each day. I bought some eggs from a breeder on band.us and managed to successfully hatch about 13 healthy fry.
@@superjaz1810 love it! I didn’t realise any were for sale on Band. I am in the U.K. but I might have a look
@@Mountain_Aquatics Yeah UK here too, there are UK breeders on there :)
@@Mountain_Aquatics Hey, how's it going with your barrel pond? I'm getting a clear/white slime covering everything in mine at the moment. Just wondered if you encountered anything similar? I've created a little filter to see if I can clear it up.
This is perfect! I already had fun making my Balcony Pond but adding the fish is gonna be my next step. Did you have trouble sourcing the fish?
Thanks!
Yes I did struggle sourcing the fish actually. I joined a Facebook group and managed to find a breeder through there. Have you also done a pond with a barrel?
Have you had any issues with the tar/charcoal/black stuff on the inside of the barrel? I created a small wildlife pond and was going to use a half barrel but in the end went with a Belfast sink.
I did actually have issues with it, even after multiple water changes. In the end I used a liner. How has your Belfast sink /pond gotten on?
@@Mountain_Aquatics Seems to have taken off! The plants are doing well, coming back after Winter-I’m especially pleased to see the Ragged Robin appears to have thrived. Sadly no frogs or toads yet but I’m keeping my fingers crossed for the future. I used a large (c. 10cm diameter) silicon plug secured with aquarium silicone to plug the plug hole, with some gravel and aquarium silicon in the overflow. Beyond that, bricks with holes to make levels, oxygenating plants (name escapes me..), Fibre Optic plant, a small native Rush and small Iris, Ragged Robin and a couple of other plants which are busy flowing over the sides. A gentle start to pond life! I may dig something at some point…
Good thinking on the liner-nice call!
@@petersmedley459 it sounds brilliant! I’d love to see it if you ever make a video
Thanks for the video! I just picked up a barrel for my medaka. Can I ask what you lined the lily pot with? The white sheet that went inside. Medaka are rare in Canada too so I’m excited to see it picking up popularity around the world.
Thanks for the feedback 😊
I actually don’t know what it was I lined the container with. I was going to look for a hessian square (which you can find online) put I had something delivered and it was wrapped in that stuff which looked perfect so I used it.
Yes it does seem that Medaka are now becoming more popular which is great. Let me know how you get on with your pond 👍🏻
Picking up a barrel tomorrow to set one up myself, could the rice fish overwinter in a larger pond?
Yes they will winter in the U.K. well. The difficulty is finding them. They seem to be very rare and I’m struggling
@@Mountain_Aquatics we didn't know they could cope outside, interesting!!! Will you be using a heater outside at all during the winter?
@@Aquadiction No heater. They can survive under ice and are very hardy fish. This is how they are kept in Japan all year round and many breeders also keep them in the U.K. like this
@@Mountain_Aquatics thanks for the feedback, def have to look into these more now, many thanks for the reply :)
Great video. I want to do something similar for comets. Are you adding any filtration/pumps?
I think this would likely be too small for comets. I will be adding a small fountain pump and that is all. Medaka are perfect for a pond like this
@@Mountain_Aquatics I would only have them in a short time and then move them to my in laws 9ft pond with the others we have. Just a little project for the summer. Look forward to seeing part 2 of the video 👍🏻
@@maclang87 ah I see. Should be fine then. If you can add some sort of filtration would be good. And oxygenating plants are always a great addition to. I need to source some medaka first, they are quite rare here. Once I do I will update you with another video. Fingers crossed it doesn’t take too long! 👍🏻
Is that leaking at the metal strips?
It was leaking all over. When they fry out he wood shrinks. Leave it soaking a few days and the wood swells and it becomes water tight again. Hope that makes sense? Thanks for the comment 😊
@@Mountain_Aquatics Ahh yes I remember that now. Its an issue in the boating industry too. Nice barrel anyway, nice channel.
Thank you. Hopefully the medaka will arrive in a couple of weeks. I’ll do an update video once they are here 👍🏻
Where do you source your rice fish from? Been having trouble finding a seller in Europe :o
I got mine from a breeder in the U.K. but I have spotted some platinum ones in a local pet shop once so I bought as many as I could
@@Mountain_Aquatics Dang, that’s awesome! I’ll keep trying to find some here :)
Import fees from UK to EU have gone up like crazy. Maybe one day I’ll check if you’re willing to sell some of yours, or find other breeders in the UK.
Cheers!
@@MrTheWaterbear always happy to help if I can