Indoor Pond
I built two indoor ponds in my pond building career. The first one was an unqualified success. The clients had a ceramic tiled planter. I water proofed it with Dri-Lock, a powder mixed with water that will make anything waterproof, filled it with water, added dechlor, added a pump, snaked the cord over the side and plugged it into a handy receptacle at the base of the planter. Somebody was thinking ahead when they put a receptacle there. I put a bubbler on the pump, added wet feet loving indoor plants, like pothos and spaths and the clients were thrilled. They added goldfish later and the fish were as happy as the clients. Because it was indoors, they had to feed the fish, but were happy to install an aquarium-like filter and all was well.
So can you have an indoor pond? Of course you can. You can build it yourself and do it easily. Here's how.
Use a container that holds water, a plastic container at least 20 inches deep x 30 inches wide x 36" long is fine. Stack clean rocks up the sides. Make the top row of rocks cover the edge of the container.
Use a small pump, maybe 75 gph to bubble up in the water, maybe even over a rock in the pond.
Put a few indoor or house plants in the water like spaths or pothos. Change the potting soil for a clay like soil or sand or the perlite in potting soil will float all over the water surface. It's impossible to remove it all.
Put some plants around the back edge of the pond for a natural backdrop.
Feed the fish only a little or use an aquarium filter to make sure the water stays clean and clear. You can add a few cups of water from your outside pond to put some good bacteria in your new inside one.
The biggest problem with indoor ponds is keeping the water clear. With no plants to keep the water filtered, dust falls in the water just as it accumulates on your coffee table. The water gets dirty quickly and must be cleaned. A filter of some sort is a good idea. Aquarium filters are OK, as are mechanical filters like foam rubber attached to the pump before the water is pulled in. You can usually find one that is made for your pump.
You can make your own box with lumber. Just screw 1Ó x 12Ó boards together, line it, fill with water and put a 1Ó x 4Ó cap on the top of the boards and you have a pond. You can paint it, you can add a waterfall in the corner or just use a few rocks in the water and have water bubble up through them. I have seen indoor ponds make with muck buckets and wash tubs with designs painted on them. Just remember an indoor pond will not support underwater vegetation, bog plants or floating plants. If you put fish in the indoor pond, you must filter it like an aquarium.
Water bubbling is restful and relaxing. It is indeed great to have in the house.
I built second indoor pond. I shouldn't have. The house was being built when the pond got started. The client wanted a pond underneath a huge open staircase that reached up 3 stories. The pond to have a waterfall that started at the top of the wall under those stairs. How to do that? The carpenters made a copper box on the floor that reached from a laundry room door about eight feet to the base of the stairs. The copper box was 24" tall x 8' long x 3' wide. At the bottom of the box, I asked for a drain hose that led to the laundry room that had a drain in it. I also asked for an overflow that also led to the laundry room drain. I wanted a 6" lip on the top of the box all the way around, so I could put rocks on the top as the client wished. I got it all. But I still lined the bottom with a 45 mil liner as insurance.
I learned the clients were installing a special parquet floor that would cover the 40' living room and 30' kitchen. I figured I was safe with all the safeguards built into the pond.
What I didn't figure on was a huge standard poodle, a beautiful dog, who had the run of the house. The dog dislodged the waterfall rocks, the rocks on the 6" lip and all that water was directed onto that handmade parquet floor.
There was one more safety measure I included. I had the owner sign a release because I really didn't think his whole indoor pond was a good idea.
~Jan Goldfield
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