# Summer Tubbing



## Geoffrey Rea (6 Jun 2020)

Decided to give summer tubbing a whirl this year.

After a visit to a local garden centre late in the day when it was empty, an array of wonderful solutions to problems you didn’t even know were an option adorned the shelves. Marketing with pictures of people on boxes smiling at their pond filter (can’t be normal behaviour, must be some sort of filter fetish I’m not aware of). Sales assistant peeping over the shelves like Golum just spying and waiting....






“You want UV steriliser precious.....?”

To be fair he was a really nice chap just doing his job but personally can’t stand being sold to. Anyhow, I figure the point in these sort of projects is they should be inexpensive fun so made a sharp exit.

Ordered a plasterers tub 4ft x 2ft and 1ft deep which should arrive soon:





165 litres when full although won’t be filled to the top so 150 litres approximately.

Have never done anything like this outdoors or pond related so we’ll see how it goes.

Tub will be positioned on the patio so will receive just over 6 hours of sunlight early on, a break from direct light in the afternoon, then just over another hour late in the afternoon/evening.

Had a rifle through the unused equipment box and found an Aqua One sponge filter and Eheim air pump. Sponge filter will be running 24/7 with UV resistant airline running to the air pump in the house.

Also found a ton of pots and clay weights from plant purchases.





Will try some of the easier species from the tanks indoors in these with a little aquarium soil. Also got frogbit and a nymphaea bulb to put in.

Any suggestions on pond plants to suit that can sit potted in 30cm of water with 6 hours of light would be most welcome.


----------



## MWood (6 Jun 2020)

Heteranthera zosterifolia has gone wild in my shady ‘pond’ (a half barrel) which has even less sun than that. Different leaf shape and growth habit to in the tank, and some nice emersed stuff too, including purple flowers. Survives over winter too. Also got some crypts, P. gayi and Rotala in there doing well. Thalia dealbata does well, as do various Colocasia and Iris. 

Tempted to stock it, but it would mean way less live food for my tanks inhabitants...


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (6 Jun 2020)

Thanks for the reply @MWood that’s really informative so thank you. There’s a fair bit of content out there from people doing this on the continent and the US, but very little in the UK.




MWood said:


> Tempted to stock it, but it would mean way less live food for my tanks inhabitants...



Got this idea in the old noggin as well but without knowing what temperature it would sit at day and night in the intended location, we’ll have to wait and see. Can run a heater in the tub if needed and cooling isn’t a problem as the garden hose is setup right next to it. With lockdown I’ll be here to monitor it.

Tempted to have a go at a little breeding project. Possible candidates are White Cloud Mountain Minnows, Celestial Pearl Danios or Odessa Barbs.


----------



## MWood (7 Jun 2020)

I’ve found the temperature stays pretty stable, obviously depends on air temps but retains heat overnight and doesn’t climb too rapidly when sunny,  which is definitely a big plus for fishkeeping.  The surface is 2/3rds covered with plants though, including water lilies. Nymphaea helvola, N pygmaea and ‘Perry’s Baby Red’ have all worked in similar situations. 

There are tonnes of temperate/sub-tropical species which should be fine, including those you’ve mentioned, and I daresay it would be possible to get a decent number of fry with enough plants in there. Quite tempting given the mooted price rises of fish post-corona! 
Probably the biggest issue is evaporation, needs a top up most days when it’s warm, something of a pain. 

There’s a thread on here about unheated aquaria somewhere actually... Medeka could be another option.  Got me plotting again now!


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (7 Jun 2020)

MWood said:


> Medeka could be another option. Got me plotting again now!



Rice fish should definitely be viable, probably too productive if anything.

Only mentioned CPD’s as they would go nuts with the daily water top ups of cool water. There’s five left from an original batch of twelve bought years ago. Could add a few more to diversify the genes. They’re always courting in the indoor tanks especially after water changes. Reckon they would produce offspring constantly if it wasn’t for predation of their young in the main tank. Have a AS600 tank planted up they can all end up in at the end of the season.




MWood said:


> The surface is 2/3rds covered with plants though



Intending the same with this setup. Will use the sand removed from the main tank monthly as a base for the tub. Can put a course sponge in as a spawning mob. Rain will bring in food but can start up another culture of microworms - oh my word the smell  Wife will love it just like last time, will tell her it’s the bin that smells funky and hide them somewhere out of sight.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (10 Jun 2020)

Raining so half full with tap for now.





Trial of a few things, will add more. Also see if the nymphaea bulb that’s been dormant for 9 months will wake up:

















Some Typha and Iris next. Limited stock locally.


----------



## Steve Buce (10 Jun 2020)

I have set up a tub for some blue neos, 
Plants hornwort and elodea densa and some water mint
Lots of daphnia , ramshorn snails and other critters
It was 25c couple weeks back then last week dropped to 15c but is creeping back up

Rice fish would be a good addition to your setup and with their rise in popularity, maybe profitable


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (10 Jun 2020)

Steve Buce said:


> Rice fish would be a good addition to your setup and with their rise in popularity, maybe profitable



Gonna commit and try and breed out the remaining Celestial Pearl Danios before they all expire. Had them a few years now so it’s now or never.

Rice fish next season!



Steve Buce said:


> Plants hornwort and elodea densa and some water mint



Thanks for info @Steve Buce completely winging this project so it’s appreciated.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (10 Jun 2020)

A bit of a switch up in the 1200 so Guyana got chucked in a pot with some Amazonia soil, we’ll see how long it lasts. Added a stem of Limnophila Aromatica to the trial. The two swords (Argentinensis) are just to see if it’ll work.

Will run the tub with a heater until we get back into the 20C plus weather if it gets too cold.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (14 Jun 2020)

Had to compromise on the aquaponics idea. Unfortunately our second and last income has been knocked out in this never ending COVID-19 / economic uncertainty.





Instead gave the tub an upgrade with stuff that’s already in the unused equipment box. Had a dual Eheim air pump so running a sponge filter and a diffuser now. Also put another small internal filter in to provide some gentle circulation around the tub and a bit of redundancy.

Got a live daphnia culture coming in the post this week. Would normally just chuck a tablespoon of blood meal in the rain barrel and leave the lid off, they just appear. But not doing that in the tub and need the rain water clean to top up the tub. The added tap water should be aged enough now mixed in with the rainwater to support a culture hopefully. Will feed them on yeast to get things rolling.

The Lobelia Cardinalis should flower at some point soon, help the bees and butterflies. Typha Minima for extra water treatment. Iris Versicolor will hopefully give the dragonflies somewhere to be as there’s a fair few in the garden this year.


----------



## LondonDragon (15 Jun 2020)

Great start on that and lovely garden! @zozo is the expert in these, I am sure you have seen his mission bathtub journals


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (16 Jun 2020)

Daphnia are steady and managed to fish out a few CPD’s from the 1200.

Popped down to Maidenhead Aquatics in Huntingdon earlier and picked up another six for diversity. Really great quality fish and all seem to be doing well. Also bought the pond plants from there which had obviously been handled carefully and came in really healthy.

Not sure if Sam the manager is on here but a big thank you to you if you are mate. Had pretty much given up on the tub idea after the advice I got visiting the first garden centre. It’s only because we got chatting when picking up those barbs that the tub idea went ahead.  Glad it did because it’s turned out to be a lot of fun.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (17 Jun 2020)

All CPD’s accounted for a day after introducing and seem to be settled in, which is a relief. 

Moved the last remaining hatchetfish in. Was on the fence about it but he honestly looks like he’s hit the jackpot. Lean the nasturtium over the tub and give it a shake... raining aphids - certified fresh! 😂


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (18 Jun 2020)

Quick update....

Got it! Got the last bloomin’ CPD out of the 1200! It would have been easier catching a Yeti, but it’s done, there’s fireworks, much celebration and it didn’t require dynamite.

In other news the Guyana has started picking up in the tub:





Tub is being EI dosed, Guyana is in ADA Amazonia soil and with the varying water level gets to experience the sweet sweet access to Co2 in the air couple of times per week. The CPD’s frequent this area and the ‘unhappy’ riccardia from the 1200 is now serving as a spawning mop and attracting the CPD’s attention.

As for the hatchetfish I fear he may eat himself to death in here. It’s a non stop buffet and amazing to watch him in his element when hunting (centre shot) :





Also installed a heater for the cooler nights between now and next week.

Ordered more Daphnia as can see a few but not as many as would be desirable. Have not a clue what varieties I’m receiving so can’t comment as to what’s working. May use the rain barrel as a constant supply and feed from there despite prior comments. Microworm cultures are also coming along. Hoping for some CPD fry in the not too distant future if they can hide without getting eaten.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (24 Jun 2020)

First flower:





Guyana is also holding its own and occasionally pearling in the sun:





Having to remove frogbit every other day as it’s rampant, but it’s feeding the compost bin pretty effectively.

Removed all the floaters yesterday to have a look see and all the CPD’s are looking well. Will begin feeding microworms daily now in the hope there’s some offspring in there who can avoid being eaten.


----------



## CooKieS (24 Jun 2020)

Superb


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (24 Jun 2020)

Cheers @CooKieS 

Encourage anyone to try this it’s a lot of fun!

Tempted to take the remaining rocks in the shed and build up an island, attach Fissidens moss just at the waters edge and some already emersed Pinnatifida just dipping its toes in the water.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (24 Jun 2020)

Well that idea got legs quickly... Pinnatifida island:





Also:





Baby CPD? Has a tail fin in the correct orientation.


----------



## CooKieS (24 Jun 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Cheers @CooKieS
> 
> Encourage anyone to try this it’s a lot of fun!
> 
> Tempted to take the remaining rocks in the shed and build up an island, attach Fissidens moss just at the waters edge and some already emersed Pinnatifida just dipping its toes in the water.



would love to try, can you give me some tips in PM?  Thanks man


----------



## Ray (24 Jun 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Baby CPD? Has a tail fin in the correct orientation.


It’s like magic! I wonder how many more you will have...

How is it so much easier to breed fish in a 150l outdoor tub than it is in a 150l tank - apart from the free infusoria and midge larvae, of course!?


----------



## Conort2 (25 Jun 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Well that idea got legs quickly... Pinnatifida island:
> 
> View attachment 151100
> 
> ...


Coming along great! 

I don’t know if it’s just my eyes but that looks a lot more like a mosquito larvae rather than a fish. Anyone else think the same?

Cheers

Conor


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Jun 2020)

Ray said:


> It’s like magic! I wonder how many more you will have...
> 
> How is it so much easier to breed fish in a 150l outdoor tub than it is in a 150l tank - apart from the free infusoria and midge larvae, of course!?



Unsure if it is @Ray , it is so tiny as seen against the size of the frogbit leaf.



Conort2 said:


> I don’t know if it’s just my eyes but that looks a lot more like a mosquito larvae rather than a fish. Anyone else think the same?



It’s not your eyes @Conort2 I’m leaning that way too. Young’uns apparently look like this:










Obviously you don’t normally keep the parents in the tank you’re maturing the fry. If any make it it will be because they’re breeding more than they can consume so this is just a ‘trying your luck’ project. Even if it’s mosquito larvae it’s more food for the fish so sort of a win as well.

The fish are courting, spot that behaviour regularly so we’ll see.


----------



## Conort2 (25 Jun 2020)

@Geoffrey Rea I think you’ll be surprised, due to the continual supply of natural food and all the planted cover fish seem less likely to predate their fry in these outdoor tubs. Seen it before where a small shoal is added at the beginning of the summer and by the end of the season there are fish of all sizes in there.

Have you got any moss on the bottom? as that would be a great help for providing both food and cover.

Cheers

Conor


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Jun 2020)

There’s moss, eheim ‘doughnut’ media (can’t remember what they call those ceramic tubes), course sponges and big patches of the riccardia that got evicted from the 1200. Also the Guyana in a 20cmx20cm tub which has nearly grown to the surface.

Try to keep the floaters at this sort of coverage:





A few patches open, but having to remove a fair bit each day. Do inspect the roots of the frogbit to make sure I’m not literally throwing the babies out with the bath water.

The water is teaming with life so don’t feed apart from micro worms first thing. I know this is too large a food stuff for the fry to begin with. Could put some activated yeast in there for extra but relying on nature to provide really.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Jun 2020)

Anyone able to confirm what these little critters are?





Clinging on to the leaves in the most aerated parts.





Alderfly larvae?


----------



## dw1305 (25 Jun 2020)

Hi all,





Conort2 said:


> but that looks a lot more like a mosquito larvae rather than a fish. Anyone else think the same?


Mosquito larvae.





Geoffrey Rea said:


> Clinging on to the leaves in the most aerated parts.


Another mosquito, but this time Black fly (Simuliidae) @zozo had them <"in one of his tubs">.

They are filter feeders.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Jun 2020)

Thanks @dw1305


----------



## Conort2 (25 Jun 2020)

dw1305 said:


> Hi all,Mosquito larvae.Another mosquito, but this time Black fly (Simuliidae) @zozo had them <"in one of his tubs">.
> 
> They are filter feeders.
> 
> cheers Darrel


Are these the evil little black flys that give me the nastiest bites?! These things are a 10 times worse than mozzies, can feel the bite instantly followed by a hot swollen bite. Nasty little b******s.

Cheers

Conor


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Jun 2020)

Conort2 said:


> Are these the evil little black flys that give me the nastiest bites?! These things are a 10 times worse than mozzies, can feel the bite instantly followed by a hot swollen bite. Nasty little b******s.



Not anymore they’re not. Just knocked them off into the water and the CPD’s gobbled them up 😂


----------



## dw1305 (25 Jun 2020)

Hi all, 





Conort2 said:


> Are these the evil little black flys that give me the nastiest bites?!


Could be,  they are a bit nibbly . This is  for the <"Blandford Fly">, which  has now spread a bit more widely across S. England (possibly making use of water features), but they all bite and aren't easy to definitively ID.

If you live some-where with cold, wet soil (W. Scotland, N. Wales, Alaska etc) you are more likely to be  get "no-see-um"  <"Ceratopogonidae  midges">. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Jun 2020)

dw1305 said:


> If you live some-where with cold, wet soil (W. Scotland, N. Wales, Alaska etc) you are more likely to be get "no-see-um" <"Ceratopogonidae midges">.



Well acquainted with this one.  Done a fair bit of yomping around the Scottish highlands. Most memorable toilet breaks ever.... You get your ass out and it’s midges buffet time 😂


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (1 Jul 2020)

They’re moving in...


----------



## papa_c (1 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> They’re moving in...



Alway amazes me where they come from! A few years back I built a pond and within a couple of weeks was inundated with frogs. No other pond or water course for a few hundred meters. How do they always know where the water is? 😀


----------



## zozo (1 Jul 2020)

papa_c said:


> Alway amazes me where they come from!



I always had the same feeling.. I live on a hill surrounded by several very nice natural ponds and a creek indeed a few hundred meters away. And still, they come all the way uphill to find my garden tub and stay in it for the entire summer. They definitively are explorative nomadic wanderers and funny is we never see them do it. As if they appear out of nowhere and then be gone again.  It's a mystery to me why the heck would they leave a lush natural pond to go uphill for 500 metres crossing several streets to end up in a stupid tub in some garden.

What's also funny is i raised some tadpoles this year and all the baby frogs were gone a few days after transforming to a little frog. As if they instinctively need to leave the water they developed in. To be replaced by an adult from another area reclaiming that space. Obviously there must be some food to find why else would an adult frog stay for weeks. SO that can not be the reason for the baby frogs to move away. But they do.. I had 8 of them and all were gone within 3 days and never seen one again and find adults instead.


----------



## rebel (1 Jul 2020)

Maybe it's a defence mechanism. Imagine if a heron discovered the single pond for all frogs?


----------



## mort (1 Jul 2020)

Frogs always amaze me. When I was younger we had a 8x4ft pond and as we were cleaning it out we caught over 200 adult frogs. We put them in a fish tank until we had finished and thought we had so many that they needed splitting up a bit and call the environment agency for advice (this was at the time they were widely dying from red leg disease). We were told they were fine to move so took a 3/4 of them to the local broads in lidded buckets hanging on our bike handlebars. My mum isn't to keep on frogs and a fish tank with a couple of hundred was the stuff of nightmares.

It's also weird every spring in our local woods when we start seeing all the frogs magically appear on their migration to the pond in the centre. You go the rest of the year not seeing one but suddenly thousands pop up probably half a mile from the pond. It's a bit like a biblical plague tbh.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (3 Jul 2020)

Going to miss the frogs when they disappear. You pop out and there they are.





This little one hops all over the garden and the kids love it. Definitely setting up a tub next year in the hope they’ll return.


----------



## CooKieS (4 Jul 2020)

That’s so cool!


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (11 Jul 2020)

Frogs and toads now:









Basically the fish breeding project is doomed 😂


----------



## Conort2 (11 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Frogs and toads now:
> 
> View attachment 151914
> 
> ...


Know where all the slugs in your garden end up, size of their stomachs lol!


----------



## Siege (11 Jul 2020)

Conort2 said:


> Know where all the slugs in your garden end up, size of their stomachs lol!



They didn’t get that fat on slugs, that’s Geoffer‘s Pearl Danios in there 😂


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (11 Jul 2020)

Conort2 said:


> Know where all the slugs in your garden end up, size of their stomachs lol!





Siege said:


> They didn’t get that fat on slugs, that’s Geoffer‘s Pearl Danios in there 😂



Slug lunch... Fish supper....

Between frogs, toads, a hedgehog living under the shed and a thrush that frequents the garden daily, the slug and snail population get a very hard time around here.


----------



## papa_c (12 Jul 2020)

Just love this thread! Keep it up Geoff


----------



## Melll (12 Jul 2020)

This is great, your garden is wonderful and I love the tubbing idea


----------



## hypnogogia (12 Jul 2020)

It’s inspired me to try it next year and show the youngster the life cycle of frogs and hopefully dragon fly.  I guess it’s too late to start one this year.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (12 Jul 2020)

papa_c said:


> Just love this thread! Keep it up Geoff



Good to hear @papa_c . Never sure if I’m just waffling on about something that isn’t very interesting to others so appreciate your comment. Will keep a close eye and update with new observations as and when 😉




Melll said:


> This is great, your garden is wonderful and I love the tubbing idea


Thanks @Melll . The tub has attracted so much life for so little effort. It ain’t no pond and is only a basic setup. However, will put more thought into how it can be laid out to suit the inhabitants that have turned up throughout the year. 



hypnogogia said:


> It’s inspired me to try it next year and show the youngster the life cycle of frogs and hopefully dragon fly. I guess it’s too late to start one this year.



That’s really wonderful @hypnogogia . Whole lot of Summer left... Why put off the fun you can have today? Present hedonism invariably pays off if you want to share experiences with your kids I’ve found with my lads and their nephews. Experiences will forever deliver new learnings as you layer more understandings across time. Their interests can change in a heartbeat so grab the opportunities to learn new things together with both hands if you can. Who knows what other interests it might cultivate in them?


----------



## dw1305 (12 Jul 2020)

Hi all,





Geoffrey Rea said:


> Frogs and toads


Both <"frogs I think">.





Geoffrey Rea said:


> Basically the fish breeding project is doomed





Siege said:


> that’s Geoffer‘s Pearl Danios in there


No you are good, they only eat when they are out of the water as adults.

cheers Darrel


----------



## zozo (12 Jul 2020)

Last year i had baby Touchwood feeling rather comfortable and about to fall asleep on my finger...


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (12 Jul 2020)

Got an update on that @dw1305 

Frog... How do you plead to the slaughter of Geoff’s CPD’s?





Ribbit... Not guilty.

And you know what...





Frog is free to hop on... Case dismissed!

There’s two in the tub today and you can see one in the top right perched on the swords:





Removed the frogbit to have a good look-see and found at least five CPD’s wandering about the tub so put the frogbit back.

Guyana is still trucking:






The recent high winds battered the plants but calmer weather is here and things are bouncing back. The Pinnatifida got really dried out but seems happy again.










Just waiting for the Lobelia Cardinalis to flower now.


----------



## hypnogogia (12 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Whole lot of Summer left


You’re so right.  I’m gonna start next weekend.  Holiday start and it will be a project I can do with my 5yr old.  Couple of questions for you:  have you. Even heating during the cooler days we’ve had? Is there a substrate? How did you start off the lobelia cardinalis?

I was thinking of using an old eheim internal filter for circulation, I have a ton of frogbit and can also muster some H Pinnatifada cutting, and will get a couple of pond plants from the local garden centre.  Fill it with rain water and fit an overflow into a flower bed for when it rains.


----------



## zozo (12 Jul 2020)

About the Lobelia, make sure you plant it the same as Geoffrey did completely surrounded by water never touching the sides not even 1 leaf. Because if snails and even worse slugs get to it, it will be eaten and stripped within a week with stem and all.


----------



## hypnogogia (12 Jul 2020)

zozo said:


> About the Lobelia, make sure you plant it the same as Geoffrey did completely surrounded by water never touching the sides not even 1 leaf. Because if snails and even worse slugs get to it, it will be eaten and stripped within a week with stem and all.


Helpful, thanks.  We have lots of slugs and snails.  So is it planted submerged right from the start, or seed grown and then the seedling submerged?


----------



## zozo (12 Jul 2020)

hypnogogia said:


> Helpful, thanks.  We have lots of slugs and snails.  So is it planted submerged right from the start, or seed grown and then the seedling submerged?



If it has enough light it can grow from submerged to emerged.. I've had it growing submerged as runners on the substrate developed from a mother plant that grew emerged standing in 25cm water. If those runners receive enough light then they will come up to the surface. Outdoor that won't be an issue, but indoor it stays submerged there for its an ideal and popular aquarium plant but stays usually green instead?

What you buy in the shop is grown emerged, it is best to keep this emerged to grow on in the garden. As long as the tip is over the surface it actually doesn't matter how deep you plant it. It's a plant that can easily grow >3 foot tall.

I have no experience with growing this from seed, but what you buy as a plant is already quite mature and no longer a seedling, about a 5 inches tall or even taller. now this late in the summer you might find one that grew a couple months in the shop and it grows pretty fast.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (12 Jul 2020)

hypnogogia said:


> Couple of questions for you: have you. Even heating during the cooler days we’ve had? Is there a substrate? How did you start off the lobelia cardinalis?



There’s a 300W heater in the tub on a timer to come on for 15 minutes every 3 hours. The CPD’s are from Myanmar and live at 1000m altitude in Inle Lake. Cooler water is not a big issue to them similar to White Cloud Mountain Minnows. If you decided on other species then obviously take their needs into consideration.

Here’s the PM I sent @CooKieS . Outline of the setup:


Kept it simple mate.

- The plasterers tub is 1ft deep (4ft length and 2ft across)
- The tub gets 6-7 hours full light but less probably wouldn’t matter.
- It has an Eheim dual air pump running one sponge filter and one Eheim air diffuser.
- The sponge for the sponge filter I put in one of the indoor tanks for a few days to seed it
- The sand at the bottom is just dirty sand siphoned out from the indoor tanks (think using dirty sand with diatoms/bacteria/other stuff on has helped get the other wildlife going)















Plant wise I walked into the garden centre pond section and felt like an utter newbie again 😂








From what I’ve understood an Iris and Typha was a good idea. Any species of Typha will filter the water efficiently and the Iris flowers attract butterflies/dragonflies. The Lobelia Cardinalis was bought as it’s a plant I’m familiar with but it could be replaced with anything I guess or left out.

The rest was an Amazon sword, then some frogbit and Guyana cuttings from the indoor tanks. I just used plastic punnets (with holes) you get fruit in and put aquarium soil in it as a make shift pot:








The Guyana has turned out to be a pretty decent oxygenating plant species for the tub. The Guyana was planted in the soil just like normal, the swords I put in to the punnets with the rock wool and tipped soil over the rock wool to hold it down.

Last thing is a waterproof box for gear:








This one came with a 10 metre, four socket extension cable and has proven to be very waterproof in the recent thunderstorms. Air pump fits in there and it can’t be completely airtight as air pump can draw air, but not found a drop of water inside.

Cost wise:

- Tub £30

- Weatherproof electrical box and extension cable £20

- Pond plants £20

- Sponge Filter £5

-Air pump (whatever you want to use)

- Plus whatever plants from your tanks you want to try



hypnogogia said:


> Fill it with rain water and fit an overflow into a flower bed for when it rains.



Just use sand underneath the tub to make it unlevel and tilt it towards one edge. When it rains it will gently overflow ... free water change.

Since the above message @hypnogogia have put the rocks in the middle with some Pinnatifida and a small internal filter to provide some circular flow. The heater is off now entirely.

Hope that helps.


----------



## sparkyweasel (12 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Never sure if I’m just waffling on about something that isn’t very interesting to others


No, I'm another one that enjoys this thread.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (12 Jul 2020)

sparkyweasel said:


> No, I'm another one that enjoys this thread.


----------



## Onoma1 (13 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


>


Loving the thread ...please carry on posting. Its inspired ne to have a go next year! BTW I couldn't seem to see the pictures on the last post.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (13 Jul 2020)

Onoma1 said:


> Loving the thread ...please carry on posting. Its inspired ne to have a go next year! BTW I couldn't seem to see the pictures on the last post.



Nice... Next year will be a summer tubbing revolution @Onoma1

Can’t wait to see it 

I think because that other post was a copy and paste from a PM it won’t display the images. I can see them when logged in but not if I log out and look... not sure why that is though.


----------



## hypnogogia (13 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> I think because that other post was a copy and paste from a PM it won’t display the images. I can see them when logged in but not if I log out and look... not sure why that is though.


Oddly, I could, see them yesterday, but not today.


----------



## dw1305 (13 Jul 2020)

Hi all, 





hypnogogia said:


> but not today.


@Geoffrey Rea not showing for me in <"https://www.ukaps.org/forum/threads/summer-tubbing.61233/post-606881">.

cheers Darrel


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (13 Jul 2020)

Hmm... how about now? Repost:




hypnogogia said:


> Couple of questions for you: have you. Even heating during the cooler days we’ve had? Is there a substrate? How did you start off the lobelia cardinalis?




There’s a 300W heater in the tub on a timer to come on for 15 minutes every 3 hours. The CPD’s are from Myanmar and live at 1000m altitude in Inle Lake. Cooler water is not a big issue to them similar to White Cloud Mountain Minnows. If you decided on other species then obviously take their needs into consideration.

Here’s the PM I sent @CooKieS . Outline of the setup:


Kept it simple mate.

- The plasterers tub is 1ft deep (4ft length and 2ft across)
- The tub gets 6-7 hours full light but less probably wouldn’t matter.
- It has an Eheim dual air pump running one sponge filter and one Eheim air diffuser.
- The sponge for the sponge filter I put in one of the indoor tanks for a few days to seed it
- The sand at the bottom is just dirty sand siphoned out from the indoor tanks (think using dirty sand with diatoms/bacteria/other stuff on has helped get the other wildlife going)












Plant wise I walked into the garden centre pond section and felt like an utter newbie again 😂





From what I’ve understood an Iris and Typha was a good idea. Any species of Typha will filter the water efficiently and the Iris flowers attract butterflies/dragonflies. The Lobelia Cardinalis was bought as it’s a plant I’m familiar with but it could be replaced with anything I guess or left out.

The rest was an Amazon sword, then some frogbit and Guyana cuttings from the indoor tanks. I just used plastic punnets (with holes) you get fruit in and put aquarium soil in it as a make shift pot:







The Guyana has turned out to be a pretty decent oxygenating plant species for the tub. The Guyana was planted in the soil just like normal, the swords I put in to the punnets with the rock wool and tipped soil over the rock wool to hold it down.

Last thing is a waterproof box for gear:





This one came with a 10 metre, four socket extension cable and has proven to be very waterproof in the recent thunderstorms. Air pump fits in there and it can’t be completely airtight as air pump can draw air, but not found a drop of water inside.

Cost wise:

- Tub £30

- Weatherproof electrical box and extension cable £20

- Pond plants £20

- Sponge Filter £5

-Air pump (whatever you want to use)

- Plus whatever plants from your tanks you want to try




hypnogogia said:


> Fill it with rain water and fit an overflow into a flower bed for when it rains.


Just use sand underneath the tub to make it unlevel and tilt it towards one edge. When it rains it will gently overflow ... free water change.

Since the above message @hypnogogia have put the rocks in the middle with some Pinnatifida and a small internal filter to provide some circular flow. The heater is off now entirely.

Hope that helps.


----------



## dw1305 (13 Jul 2020)

Hi all,





Geoffrey Rea said:


> how about now?


Working.

cheers Darrel


----------



## LondonDragon (13 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> I think because that other post was a copy and paste from a PM it won’t display the images. I can see them when logged in but not if I log out and look... not sure why that is though.


The permissions will only allow those photos to be seen in the particular private post. If you want them in a public thread you will need to upload them again.


----------



## hypnogogia (13 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Hmm... how about now? Repost:


Yup, working now.  👍


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (26 Jul 2020)

Lobelia Cardinalis is flowering:


----------



## NAJAS GUPPY (29 Jul 2020)

Any problems with predatory insects?
Dragonfly nymphs etc
Looks amazing


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (29 Jul 2020)

NAJAS GUPPY said:


> Any problems with predatory insects?
> Dragonfly nymphs etc



Yes, beetles. Up until now the Celestial Pearl Danios have been fine living alongside a load of pond life and the frogs.

Found a few CPD’s half eaten. Drained the tub... a few beetles but no more fish unfortunately. Happened very quickly as fish were fed at the surface less than 48 hours prior to that.

The frogs come and go from the tub all day long, current count is twelve so the tub is exclusively for them from here on.


----------



## NAJAS GUPPY (29 Jul 2020)

Geoffrey Rea said:


> Yes, beetles. Up until now the Celestial Pearl Danios have been fine living alongside a load of pond life and the frogs.
> 
> Found a few CPD’s half eaten. Drained the tub... a few beetles but no more fish unfortunately. Happened very quickly as fish were fed at the surface less than 48 hours prior to that.
> 
> The frogs come and go from the tub all day long, current count is twelve so the tub is exclusively for them from here on.


That's a shame. Maybe some predatory fish could help?  Or some livebearers? Maybe wont be effected as much by the beetles


----------



## dw1305 (29 Jul 2020)

Hi all,





NAJAS GUPPY said:


> Dragonfly nymphs etc


I think it is inevitable. You get Pond Skaters, Dragon/Damselfly nymphs, Water Beetles, "Pond Olive" Mayfly nymphs, Water Boatmen, Smooth Newts, Caddis, Water Veneer Moth etc. <"really quickly in any suitable pond">. 

Some relatively <"large Dragonflies">  are small pond specialists, and actively seek out small, new ponds. 

I record moths and you get a remarkable number of adult aquatic insects in moth light traps. 

cheers Darrel


----------



## hypnogogia (29 Jul 2020)

Just took a load of daphnia out of our summer tub for the fish.  They were very happy.  No sign of frogs yet.  Guess I was a bit late setting it up.


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (29 Jul 2020)

hypnogogia said:


> Just took a load of daphnia out of our summer tub for the fish. They were very happy. No sign of frogs yet. Guess I was a bit late setting it up.



Awesome @hypnogogia 

Would wait and see what turns up in your tub, been really surprised how much wildlife has been attracted to such a small body of water here.


----------



## dw1305 (29 Jul 2020)

Hi all, 





Geoffrey Rea said:


> been really surprised how much wildlife has been attracted to such a small body of water here.


Supposedly <"the best thing"> you can do for your garden wildlife.

cheers Darrel


----------



## GHNelson (25 Nov 2020)

Great read!!!


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (25 Nov 2020)

Thanks @hogan53 

Going another round with the tub next year and getting the kids a microscope so they can explore the world of the microscopic.


----------



## GHNelson (25 Nov 2020)

Excellent....its amazing what you can do with a tub/water and bit of imagination


----------



## hypnogogia (18 May 2022)

I have my summer tub set up this year, small filter and some plants.  the water has gone green, which it hasn't done in previous years.  Already carried out a water change but that's not helping.  there were some tadpoles in there as well which I can't even see.  Anything that I can do?


----------



## Geoffrey Rea (19 May 2022)

hypnogogia said:


> I have my summer tub set up this year, small filter and some plants.  the water has gone green, which it hasn't done in previous years.  Already carried out a water change but that's not helping.  there were some tadpoles in there as well which I can't even see.  Anything that I can do?



Glad to hear you’re keeping it going @hypnogogia 😉 Sorry for the delayed reply.

Obviously depends on specifics really, being presumptuous but… if you are using tap water that happens to be high in nitrate and phosphate, water changes may potentially be adding to the green water problem. Agricultural runoff at this time of year is reflected in our tap water here in Cambridgeshire, could be similar in Oxfordshire. It isn’t a matter of too much, but an imbalance amongst other factors.

If it is tap you’re using…. You could try partially replacing some of the water out with rain water for a bit rather than tap. Let the available nutrients descend. Put in floating plants like frogbit to use up that nutrition to accelerate this process rather than the green algae in your water currently. If you have a TDS/conductivity pen you can track this descent.

Personally, shoot for a TDS between 50-100 in the tub and had minimal issues. This is 90-95% rain water and 5-10% tap to cover Ca, Mg and some KH. Plants in rich soil and dose 1/4 EI in the tub. This is to attempt to maintain lower concentrations in the column, but keeping EI ratios and comprehensive nutrition. If TDS remains consistent then cool, if it begins rising then leave more frogbit in to mop it up then adjust the dosing the next week.

No idea about your specific tub so apologies if this is a bit broad and/or mostly irrelevant. Just didn’t want to fob you off with ‘buy a UV steriliser’ as that’s treating a symptom, rather than preventing an issue.


----------



## hypnogogia (19 May 2022)

@Geoffrey Rea thank you.  It’s actually filled with 100% rain water.  I put frogbit in at the weekend.  I’ve not added any fertiliser,  but have used some water change water from Ei fertilised tank when I did water change on the tub. Conductivity is 190, so TDS of about 120 at the moment.


----------

