# [eye candy] A little jungle



## BudiPT (Jul 5, 2004)

Hi all, just sharing what my outdoor pond has become  .


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## Cavan Allen (Jul 22, 2004)

That's really nice. Can you tell us what you have growing in there? Isn't the third picture an _Eleochari_s? Is that _Ludwigia glandulosa_ in some of the pictures?


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## BudiPT (Jul 5, 2004)

Glad you like it Cavan. 
The inhabitants now are predominantly Echinodorus amazonicus, and yes there are Ludwigia glandulosa and Eleocharis parvula (3rd picture). Other plants are Hemianthus micranthemoides, Ludwigia repens, Hemianthus callitrichoides, Nymphea lotus, Lobelia cardinalis, Cabomba caroliniana, Bacopa monnieri, Hygrophila polysperma, Hygrophila difformis, Glossostigma elatinoides, Echinodorus tenellus, Lilaeopsis brasiliensis. Underwater there are bunch of Cryptocoryne wendtii, Vallisneria, Sagittaria subulata, lots of mosses and so many others that I have quite forgotten.

It is rather difficult to recall what I have there since the pond is pretty much a junk yard from left over cuts over few years. I only provide them 24/7 water flow and sands to root. The rest are taken care of by nature themselves, and fishes, shrimps, snails are taking part of the balanced ecosystem. Plants come and go in competition for space with each other although I tried to play god by trimmings, but it just make them grow more lush.


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## John S (Jan 18, 2005)

thats a sweet looking garden


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## Freemann (Mar 19, 2004)

Very beautifull indeed!!
Can you give us some more details, like overall depth of water, what sands you use, ho much water you change, I would really like a pond like that.


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## AaronT (Apr 26, 2004)

That is quite stunning indeed. Natural sunlight is still the best.


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## Tankman (Feb 19, 2006)

Really nice indeed! Unusual garden.


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## amber2461 (Jun 15, 2004)

Cantik (beautiful) Thanks for posting BudiPT


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## AQUAMX (Jan 24, 2005)

That is absolutely stunning. Nature at its ultimate. If you dont mind. Would you share the substrate that those beautiful plants are growing in, or any tricks one could try to acheive something remotely close to what you have there. Some of those plants growth is simple breathtaking.

Cheers

Brad


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## Mellonman (Nov 2, 2005)

Simply wonderful !

I wish I would live in a place where the weather allows you to grow tropical plants outdoor...


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## BudiPT (Jul 5, 2004)

Sorry I was away for sometime. Thank you very much for liking the pond 

OK, I'll let out a little secret about the pond. This pond was not originally intended for plants. It was a Koi pond , well.. half of it is still for Koi and some other big fishes now. 
Here is the original looks of the pond and the filtration system, http://www.geocities.com/suratjunk/filter.html. The remarks is in Indonesian, but I think the pictures can speak better. Basically it is a trickle fitration system and the water circulation is provided by the pond pump.
The planted area has become a vegetation filter (big fish - filtration - vegetation) so yes, it is a complete cycle.
Total pond size is 4m x 1.75m x 0.50m and filtration chamber water volume is about 1/3 of the pond. The pump is rated 12000 Liter/hour.

The water in pond itself is about 50cm depth. Substrate is simply river sands about 10cm deep, unwashed and without additional fertilizer.
Water changing is only during the first 3 months cycle before the filter bacteria got matured. Since then, I only add to replace evaporated water, and it has been almost 4 years now. The planted pond is almost maintenance free, aside from prunning, and collecting fallen leaf from the tree behind it.

There are always question about algae in open air under direct sunlight and non-CO2 planting. Frankly, there are algae in some parts  but it won't out-compete healthy plants and those natural algae eating fauna helps to contain it.


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## Rickylp (May 19, 2005)

Absolutely amazing, thanks for sharing.

a Question, what do you use as substrate to grow Hemianthus callitrichoides emersed?

regards

Ricky.


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## BudiPT (Jul 5, 2004)

Hi Rickly, thanks. HC substrate is black lava gravel with sphagnum peat moss and fertilizer. But you can substitute the gravel with any inert gravel / sands. Bead size about 2mm or less so its fine roots can penetrate well.

You need to keep the substrate soggy. What is not clearly shown in the picture is that I use double container. The bottom is plastic container for keeping water. On top of it is a sieving container for the substrate.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

Nicely done Budi!


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## Leopardess (Mar 14, 2004)

Thank you for sharing! I am very jealous.


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## dstephens (Nov 30, 2005)

Are your plants growing in an outdoor pond year round? Thanks


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