My storage bin pond concept

Hi everyone! Something very serendipitous happened today...I have a pet rabbit, and up until now I have been keeping the hay he eats in large quantities in a 40 gallon Craftsman brand storage bin in my front yard. Today, however, I discovered that the lid was not quite water tight...some water had leaked in from a large rainstorm we received today - obviously a bad thing for a container that is supposed to hold hay for several months on end. I will be getting a large trash bin as its replacement, but I have come up with a second idea for this bin - a container pond! The specifications on the Lowes website state that this bin can support up to 300 lbs, so in theory it should work (plus this bin has been outside for about a year and shows no signs of suffering damage from the elements). Here is my concept;
Container; The aforementioned 40 gallon Craftsman storage bin. I drilled a few holes in the bin a few inches from the top to allow the bin to drain during storms, so in practice it will hold closer to 30 gallons.
Electrical equipment; Nada. This is a modified storage bin, even if it is a very resilient storage bin, so I want to keep equipment to a minimum in the event it breaks from the water pressure.
Plants; Probably nothing fancy. I have quite a bit of amazon frogbit, vallisneria, and hornwort growing in my aquariums, and some of that will doubtless get into the bin (and the excess plants inevitably produced may be sold at the end of the season). Not sure whether I will include a marginal plant (you'll see why below). Likely no water lilies but may add a cheaper surface covering plant like water hawthorn or Marsilea mutica.
Fish; No clue. Again, this is a storage bin, so I may refrain from adding fish in the event the bin breaks under the water pressure (am I being too paranoid about that possibility?).
Other; I will likely add some crushed coral to maintain water hardness. There will be pond netting over the bin to keep animals (and small children) out; the pond netting will be held in place by concrete blocks on the ground. I will likely fill the bin about a month before I add plants so that I can make sure it is strong enough before I risk adding anything living.

Don't hesitate to offer suggestions on how I can maximize my odds of success here! Thanks for reading

 

Hi everyone! Something very serendipitous happened today...I have a pet rabbit, and up until now I have been keeping the hay he eats in large quantities in a 40 gallon Craftsman brand storage bin in my front yard. Today, however, I discovered that the lid was not quite water tight...some water had leaked in from a large rainstorm we received today - obviously a bad thing for a container that is supposed to hold hay for several months on end. I will be getting a large trash bin as its replacement, but I have come up with a second idea for this bin - a container pond! The specifications on the Lowes website state that this bin can support up to 300 lbs, so in theory it should work (plus this bin has been outside for about a year and shows no signs of suffering damage from the elements). Here is my concept;
Container; The aforementioned 40 gallon Craftsman storage bin. I drilled a few holes in the bin a few inches from the top to allow the bin to drain during storms, so in practice it will hold closer to 30 gallons.
Electrical equipment; Nada. This is a modified storage bin, even if it is a very resilient storage bin, so I want to keep equipment to a minimum in the event it breaks from the water pressure.
Plants; Probably nothing fancy. I have quite a bit of amazon frogbit, vallisneria, and hornwort growing in my aquariums, and some of that will doubtless get into the bin (and the excess plants inevitably produced may be sold at the end of the season). Not sure whether I will include a marginal plant (you'll see why below). Likely no water lilies but may add a cheaper surface covering plant like water hawthorn or Marsilea mutica.
Fish; No clue. Again, this is a storage bin, so I may refrain from adding fish in the event the bin breaks under the water pressure (am I being too paranoid about that possibility?).
Other; I will likely add some crushed coral to maintain water hardness. There will be pond netting over the bin to keep animals (and small children) out; the pond netting will be held in place by concrete blocks on the ground. I will likely fill the bin about a month before I add plants so that I can make sure it is strong enough before I risk adding anything living.

Don't hesitate to offer suggestions on how I can maximize my odds of success here! Thanks for reading

I have several Sterilite “ponds” and sone Craftsman bins for stuff.

Those are like a champagne glass compared to a bank window lol

Those Craftsman are tough. I barely have a thought to the thin bins. Wouldn’t even blink with the Craftsman.

 

I have several Sterilite “ponds” and sone Craftsman bins for stuff.

Those are like a champagne glass compared to a bank window lol

Those Craftsman are tough. I barely have a thought to the thin bins. Wouldn’t even blink with the Craftsman.

I take it that the craftsman bin is unlikely to crack? I will say that it took an unusual amount of effort to drill the three drainage holes into the bin...

 

Sounds like a solid container and a solid plan. I’d just suggest doing some risers to make shallower areas that would attract frogs or such. Otherwise with no water movement it just will become mosquito breeding ground.
Regardless I think it’s awesome that you are planning on repurposing it and hope it all comes together.

 

Hi all ,
Australian mosquitoes breed quite happily in water even if it has a sponge filter or two moving the water around. I don’t know but I would assume that’s the same all over the world?

I have just two words on the fish suitable Joseaeus Rice fish.

 

Thanks! I was thinking of using a milk crate as a stand for a marginal plant or two (it would also double as cover for fish under the marginal). If the bin is unlikely to crack I may opt to put fish in it...ricefish are definitely a viable idea.

 

Thanks! I was thinking of using a milk crate as a stand for a marginal plant or two (it would also double as cover for fish under the marginal). If the bin is unlikely to crack I may opt to put fish in it...ricefish are definitely a viable idea.

If you have any spare bricks or landscaping pavers you could put those around the outside. They would keep sides from bowing from water weight and if you wanted them as tall as the sides then could put potted plants on top. Bonus they would hide the container. Really the possibilities are endless!

 

If you can't do fish or other mosquito predators (or even if you can, actually), you can use Mosquito Dunks to stop them from breeding in your pond. They're blocks containing a natural bacteria that kills inverts like the larvae, while keeping the water perfectly harmless for fish and other more desirable critters.