# Indoor mini pond



## Midorisu (Jan 26, 2015)

Hi, first post here so sorry if this has been asked before or is in the wrong place. 
I've kept lots of betta tanks & currently have a 5.5 gallon one set up & was thinking of getting another betta but was thinking about doing something different & setting up a 'mini pond' tank. I was wondering if anyone has done anything similar? I've been looking a large clay/ceramic plant pots/long flower boxes, (5-7 gallons) it would be set up on a coffee table so it would be easy to view from above & would be heated & hopefully with lots of plants so it looked more 'natural'. The water level wouldn't be filled completely up to prevent him jumping out & I'm not sure about running a filter on it or not. 
Would this sort of set up be safe for the fish? I keep a clay pot in my goldfish tank so am I right in assuming its ok for fish? I currently have lots of tanks set up betta, goldfish, shrimp ect so am interested in something different plus in my country even small simple tanks 2/3 gallons cost around €40/50 so a cheaper alternative would be great thanks! :-D


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## SiameseFightingArt (Jun 17, 2014)

As long as the interior sides of the clay pot aren't rough/sharp enough for him to snag his fins then I think it would a pretty cool idea. Having a filter means less water changes and also if you do add a filter you can customize it to look like a mini waterfall. I would be a little worried about him jumping out still.


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## Greenapp1es (Dec 4, 2014)

One thing to keep in mind - you would need a filter in order to cycle the tank. This would be a more stable environment for your fish.

Otherwise, the biggest things I can think of you need to be aware of are evaporation and air temperature. Your betta breathes surface air, so you don't want the temperature of the surface air to be *too* drastically different from the water or it could cause him stress. In a tank, this is easily controlled by the tank lid holding humidity in and keeping the air above the water warm and moist. In your setup, this wouldn't be there.

As for evaporation, this will completely depend on how dry your area is. Be aware that if you live in a dry area, a significant amount of water may evaporate out daily and would need to be replaced.


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## Midorisu (Jan 26, 2015)

Thanks for the replies, I was considering one of those small clip on filters & it would be really cool to give it a waterfall effect  
I hadn't realised breathing colder/drier air could stress them but actually that makes sense! Actually my current betta tank only has a 'half' lid near the back of the tank & my betta doesn't seem bothered by it luckily. I do get evaporation of about 15% of the tank volume weekly! I'm not sure if that's an ok amount? But it is usually pretty humid here so I think it could be worse?


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Yes! An indoor "pond" is awesome, I can tell you first hand. I made one last year and I have my female betta in it along with rosy red minnows and 5 platies.

I have it cycled, using a sponge filter, river rocks on bottom, and a couple of decorations/a cave, and pothos and arrowhead plants growing in it (roots submerged). The tank, itself, is a big 18-20 gallon "fake ceramic" planter (aka, made of some type of plastic or.. some lightweight material). lol

It's funny because I was just now testing the pond water for nitrates and I keep getting a reading of zero. This is about the 3rd time I test it within 2-3 weeks, and it always reads zero. This pond has been up and running since about last... July or August?

Wondering if it was faulty or not, I tested again but put a few drops of worm casting "extract" (I have a worm compost bin) into the vial filled with pond water, b/c I know worm castings are full of nitrogen. Sure enough, the vial turned deep red, meaning the test is working perfectly...

The point of mentioning this is that my plants must be doing a terrific job of keeping nitrates down! Ammonia reads zero also. I rarely even do a water change. Usually I just top it up from evaporation. All the fish are thriving and I'd definitely recommend an indoor fish pond. ^_^


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## DaytonBetta (Feb 4, 2014)

It sounds like a cool idea. If you have plants you'll also need lighting.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

TuiAndLa said:


> Yes! An indoor "pond" is awesome, I can tell you first hand. I made one last year and I have my female betta in it along with rosy red minnows and 5 platies.
> 
> I have it cycled, using a sponge filter, river rocks on bottom, and a couple of decorations/a cave, and pothos and arrowhead plants growing in it (roots submerged). The tank, itself, is a big 18-20 gallon "fake ceramic" planter (aka, made of some type of plastic or.. some lightweight material). lol
> 
> ...




This is an awesome idea!! It's very beautiful! What plants are those? And what are you using to contain everything? A clay pot? How much lighting do you use for those plants and where do you have the actual pot!? Sorry for all these questions. Your pot is just really beautiful and starting my own would be stunning!!


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## Hallyx (Jun 11, 2011)

I used to think it was necessary to cover a tank to keep in warmth and moisture. I was advised -- and thinking about it, probably correctly -- that the thin layer of surface air that Betta breath from is really close to tank temperature, also very humid.

Water changes are still necessary. Topping off still allows minerals and dissolved wastes to build up in the tank.

Those emergent plants really look great. And they eat ammonia and nitrate better than anything. Lots of top-cover discourages jumping.


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Thanks Hallyx. ^_^ (I did wonder if other things might build up in the water with so little water changes, but wasn't sure what those things might be.) Everyone's been great though. When I do have a water change, I change about half or a bit more than half and siphon the bottom, so it's a good amount of water.

LitelBoyBlu- I had mentioned in my first post, the plants are pothos (on the left) and arrowhead (on the right). =) The pothos is golden pothos, and I'm not sure the variety of arrowhead. It's one of those "angel plants" that they sell at stores like Walmart, Lowes, etc.

Be careful if you do buy a full plant from a store. Try to get one that isn't too compact in the roots, or you'll never get them apart when you rinse the dirt off. lol Also, the plant you buy might have pests on it (had a terrible experience once when I bought an ivy from Walmart and it turned out to be infested with spider mites. Lost the whole plant. Thankfully wasn't a part of my pond.) And more importantly, if you buy plants, make sure to rinse and sanitize them reaaaally well before putting them into a tank/pond. I would use an alcohol/water mix to rinse them (and hopefully kill any pests), and rinse with plain water super well to make sure there's no lingering pesticides on it.

I use natural lighting, so it sits in front of a big window. Pothos and arrowhead are low light plants, and they get more than enough from the window light. They grow very fast... I mean, very fast. lol At one point, I measured that each pothos vine was putting out a full new leaf, every single week.

This is an older photo of the pond. Since then, the pothos grew so much, it covered the entire surface, so I've had to cut them back (and started new plants with the cuttings).

I was trying to figure out how to hold the plants up when I first set this up, and my friend gave me an excellent idea... I use those plastic cup holders for cars. They have a high sitting hook, so you can hang it on the side of the pot and it sits in the water. I just put my plants into those and it works like a charm! I cleaned and soaked the cup holders before I put them in there, and they've caused no issues. In a smaller pond, cup holders might be too big, but I'm sure there are other things out there that would work just as well. Just have to use your imagination. =)


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you!!! It's very beautiful, you've tempted me to start my own mini pond!!! The plants are just gorgeous!


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Darn it, always want to edit and add stuff and it's too late now. lol 

Anyway, here's a photo of when it got wild and overgrown. xD











Ah, thank you, Blu! I hope your new pond gets started up smoothly. ^_^


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Wow those plays must be REALLY easy to keep.

The water and its movement is beautiful! You've used a sponge filter correct?


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Yea, it's near impossible to kill arrowhead and pothos, that's why I love em! xD

Yup yup, just a sponge filter. I have a little adjuster on the pipeline to lessen the flow of air/water movement.


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you with all the help! I'm just on a hunt to go find a pot... Hmm..


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

No problem! I'd suggest Walmart for a pot, but I kinda hate Walmart (cruelty to bettas and all). xP But Lowes would be great, I think. They have tons of different kinds.


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## Midorisu (Jan 26, 2015)

TuiAndLa said:


> Yes! An indoor "pond" is awesome, I can tell you first hand. I made one last year and I have my female betta in it along with rosy red minnows and 5 platies.
> 
> I have it cycled, using a sponge filter, river rocks on bottom, and a couple of decorations/a cave, and pothos and arrowhead plants growing in it (roots submerged). The tank, itself, is a big 18-20 gallon "fake ceramic" planter (aka, made of some type of plastic or.. some lightweight material). lol
> 
> ...


This looks amazing! It's exactly the sort of set up I was thinking about, thanks for all the great information. May I ask how many gallons roughly is your pot? It looks pretty big. Also do you actually see much of the fish inside or just at feeding time? Maybe instead of a smaller pot with a male I should get a giant pot and a sorority


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you! I'll also check Ace hardware. It's walking distance from where I live and their items in stock are always cheap!


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Sounds good, Blu!

Midorisu- Glad I could be helpful! My pond is about 18-20 gallons, give or take. My betta girl stays at the top all the time, so when I pass by, I usually see her, unless she's hiding among the roots, as she occasionally does.

One of my platies in particular is fearless and has been friendly since the day I got him, so he's usually at the top with Bree (the betta) where I can see him. With the other platies, I'd say I see them about 50% of the time when I'm passing by. They usually stay mid-depth, and if I stop to admire them, they'll come to the surface. 

The rosy minnows stay at the bottom, under their cave all the time, and only come zooming around when it's feeding time. lol They're much more active if they can see you (like in a clear sided tank), but I still love em b/c they're always scavenging around. They eat up every piece of dropped food and even some types of algae (btw, I haven't had an algae problem at all in the pond. But they ate the algae that would sometimes grow in my older, small tank, before I switched to the pond). =)

It's worth noting, though, that my pond is in my bedroom, so I might walk by a few times a day when I go to use the restroom. lol If it were in the living room where they could see me more often, I'd bet they would be at the surface for a majority of the time.

Edited to add- Btw Blu (and Midorisu or anyone else lol), when looking for a pot, look for one that is smooth/glazed inside. A previous poster mentioned it, but I'll mention it again since I'm writing down everything else. lol There are ones that have a rough, unpolished inside, like a chalky surface, as I saw when I was buying mine. Those seem like a bad idea for a pond. So definitely go with smooth and glazed. Just thought I should mention that. :3


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

Thank you!!! Off to the store to search for a new "pond"!!!


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## Midorisu (Jan 26, 2015)

That's great to hear  I was thinking of my pot being in the living area so I'm hoping to see more betta action  thanks again for all the great information


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

Did u submerge the pothos' leaves in the water?


TuiAndLa said:


> Thanks Hallyx. ^_^ (I did wonder if other things might build up in the water with so little water changes, but wasn't sure what those things might be.) Everyone's been great though. When I do have a water change, I change about half or a bit more than half and siphon the bottom, so it's a good amount of water.
> 
> LitelBoyBlu- I had mentioned in my first post, the plants are pothos (on the left) and arrowhead (on the right). =) The pothos is golden pothos, and I'm not sure the variety of arrowhead. It's one of those "angel plants" that they sell at stores like Walmart, Lowes, etc.
> 
> ...


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

No problem, Midorisu. ^_^

Abhinand- lol No, they just grow out, over the water. Some kinda sink just below the surface, but I've not had a problem with any rot or anything. As long as most of the leaves are above water, it's good. Those vines that grew over the water surface have since been cut back, so the top is much more open now, more like the first photo.


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## MameJenny (Jun 11, 2012)

TuiandLa, I love your tank! It is so natural looking!

I had a "betta pond" inside a 10g terrarium for a while. It was about 1.5 gallons. My first girl, Splendens, was in there for most of her life. Her tank was pretty simple - just a heater, some driftwood, and roots from a emersed plant. The terrarium was full of overgrown tropical plants. It was really pretty. 

This thread has actually inspired me to create a new paludarium/pond type thing! I have a girl-betta who probably needs to come out of my sorority for safety, since she has chronic SBD. Since she needs a new tank anyway, I'm probably going to do this. 

I have a big, sturdy container that I've been using as a plant pot for a while, so I'll probably put it in there. I'm thinking that I'll get some styrofoam or straw planters or something and use that to dress up the sides. Then I have some flat rocks and a pump that I can use to make a waterfall filter. It'll be very pretty. I think it'll hold about 10 gallons when it's partially filled, so I can probably put some platies in there, too. And lots of dwarf water lettuce, of course.


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Ah, that terrarium sounds cool! I'm glad this thread inspired you to create a new pond. ^_^ And thanks to Midorisu who started the topic. haha

I was just taking some pics of my fish in the pond. Bree always stays at the front. She likes her pothos vine that runs across the front of the tank. She's always looking up at me and wants to play. I even "petted" her with my finger last night for the first time, and she was totally fine with it. lol She's my first ever female betta, and funny enough, I think she's my favorite. xD Might also be because I raised her from an itty bitty baby so I'm more attached to her, but.... Sorry to ramble, I just love my pond and fishies. lol

(Sorry for the hugeness)




















I'd love to have real aquatic plants but I'm not sure how well they would survive with low light, so it's fake ones for now in the bottom. I had frogbit before, but for some reason it didn't do well, and eventually died off, go figure. lol Maybe my pothos was sucking up all the nitrates. xD


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## rushdoggie (Dec 19, 2014)

These are so, so cool. 

I want a sunroom really bad, and now I can just picture this mini pond sitting in a sunny corner, gurgling away!


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

TuiAndLa- I actually grow pothos in soil. So i just cut 5 inches from the tip and put it in my tank. The bottom is in the tank and the top is out of the water. Will it grow quick like it did in soil? Should i remove it in water changes? what if it died when it didnt get water when i do a water change?


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Abhinand said:


> TuiAndLa- I actually grow pothos in soil. So i just cut 5 inches from the tip and put it in my tank. The bottom is in the tank and the top is out of the water. Will it grow quick like it did in soil? Should i remove it in water changes? what if it died when it didnt get water when i do a water change?


As long as there is 1-2 leaves on the piece you cut, it should grow roots just fine. There are little nodes along the stem, underneath each leaf. That's where the root will grow out, so be sure that those little nubs are in contact with the water. It might take a little while for the roots to start growing out, maybe a week or more.

My pothos in my tank (as well as the arrowhead plant) actually grows much faster than they did when they were potted. That's because of all the nitrates they're sucking up from the cycle of the tank.

I only take out the plants for a water change if I'm doing a good, deep siphon cleaning (which I've done maybe twice since it's been set up 5 or 6 months ago) It actually takes days outside of water for the roots to dry up and die. So for a water change, having the pothos out of the water for even an hour is no problem.


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

I have 6 leaves in it. I doesnt float so i kept it liek this. Will it grow?


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## TuiAndLa (Feb 23, 2012)

Abhinand said:


> I have 6 leaves in it. I doesnt float so i kept it liek this. Will it grow?
> View attachment 503674


Haha, looks good. As long as 1-2 nodes are in the water. =)


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## BlueInkFish (Jan 13, 2013)

I now have a big enough pot/pond. It's plastic and works well, I'll be making a new thread about it today so join with me! Till then!


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## Abhinand (Jan 10, 2015)

TuiAndLa-thanks! Hope it grows quick like my soil pothos! 
Litelboyblu- cant wait! !!


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