Anyone in the Lounge have aquarium building experience?

[Baitball Blogger]

Technically, I'm trying to build a small ground level pool for birds and toads. I am going for natural materials, like rocks and real moss. Where I'm having trouble is finding a material that can bond the rocks together and create a water-tight saucer-shaped pool. I have already researched it and I know I can resort to 100% silicone, because it's aquarium safe. And if it's safe for fish, it should be safe for everything else. But I've worked with silicone before and I want something that will cure into a hard, clear material, and silicone is always rubber-like.

Anyone have any good ideas? If it's epoxy, it has to be known to be safe once cured AND cost effective. I've worked with epoxy before and it's pricey.

[Kali]

1. why not use a liner? or go all out and concrete/plaster?

that would be a lot of goo putting a bunch of rocks together with silicon or epoxy. warm climate will grow algae really fast, think about how you are going to clean it.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. In Florida we have to dump these standing water collectors every four to five days

because of mosquitos. I have done such a good job of monitoring the collection of water in my yard that I've only seen two mosquitoes all summer. Small wonder.

[jmowreader]

9. Put about two dozen guppies in it. Problem will be solved.

Guppies are ravenous eaters of mosquito larvae.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. They were pretty good when I had them.

But, they present their own problems. Like, how do you heat a fountain to keep them alive in the Winter.

[jmowreader]

11. Most people remove them from the pond during the winter

A 20-gallon aquarium will hold a lot of them.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. I did that for a couple of years.

They reproduce so quickly that it becomes a chore to constantly feed them. Even using those automatic feeders were an issue because the food would get stuck from the humidity. And, then there was the issue of blackouts that lasted more than 24 hours. Doesn't take much to kill a tropical fish over the winter time.

But I did learn one thing. I would love to to have a koi pond some day.

[cayugafalls]

3. We built a fairly large pond for frogs and turtles on our property. A small one uses same technique

This is a good writeup on how to do it...over time, the pond will just happen.

https://www.thesprucepets.com/frogs-and-ponds-1238750

[Baitball Blogger]

4. That's a nice one!

I actually have a fountain in my yard that attracts frogs and toads. But it's a challenge to bring in native frogs into the yard because we have invasive Cuban frogs that are so much larger than the natives. The Cuban frogs get twice as big and gobble up all the competition. So, for the last two years, we have been eradicating the Cubans and only now are we beginning to see faltering progress.

Another problem is that the natives that do make it into the yard rarely make it through winter because, this being Florida, they don't properly winter. On iffy days they will hang out at the fountain and if you walk by, they'll jump into the cold water and too many have died of shock.

So, I'm hoping I can improve their chances by providing good places for them to be hide and be near water, without relying on the larger body of water.

[Donkees]

5. 'Stone bowls' + reptile bowls, lagoons

Pet reptile supplies:





Reptile lagoons

[Baitball Blogger]

6. I like that first one! Do you have a link?

[Donkees]

7. 'Stone bowl' was this etsy link .... lots of similar items

https://www.etsy.com/listing/701030918/river-stone-dish

[Baitball Blogger]

8. Thank you so much!