We, actually the wife has a half barrel planter on the patio that is
situated in a U shape area of flower bed. Its been relatively trouble
free. Now the wife would like to add a bit more space to the surface
area as she wants to put a lilly or two (tropical) in the barrel. Well
there is just too much surface action as there is a cast iron hand
pump that flows water into the pond, from the pump/filter unit. So her
thought was to add another half barrel with a spillway lip, relocate
the hand pump to fill the upper barrel and then allow the upper barrel
to spill into the lower new barrel from a low distance so there is not
as much surface disturbance and then she could put in her lilly. It
sounds feasible, but I sort of think perhaps it would be better to get
rid of the barrel altogether, and utilize this spot and install a
small preform of perhaps 140-190 gal or so, and have the pump still
push water into the cast iron hand pump, at a far end of the preform,
and she could still gain surface area for her other plants and have an
area without all the surface disturbance. She could then take the half
barrel, and set it up somewhere else with a small submersible pump to
circulate water and perhaps add some tiny feeders or gambusia to it,
and still have a lilly in it as well......

Any ideas on what way you would go? The preform would have goldfish or
koi in it, and no problems when they outgrow it, as they have
outgrown it in the past. They just get moved to the natural pond at
that time and a new bunch is put in the smaller half barrel....I even
think it would stay cooler in summer and warmer in winter without
drastic temp changes being in the ground than it would setting above
the ground. It will be situted in more than enough sun for a lilly
requirement.

==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!

If there is a chance at *two* aquatic projects instead of
one I'd go with two!

I have four small tub ponds right now.
The lotus on the deck.
Underneath the aspen trees I have one tub
of rush, and two that had society garlic and
some kind of lacy, flowering plant in them.
Have not seen any life from those two yet but
the rush is coming back and the lotus is still
alive and growing.

kathy