I've had the same problem. And I surely wouldn't want anyone drowning because the water is too hard to get to and out of. I ended up putting a plant (in a container) on a milk crate. The milk crates are nice because fish can hide in them. What I think is perfect is if you can put a crate, and then a potted plant, so that the top of the pot/soil of the plant is just a tad above water level. That way, they can land on the plant's soil and lean over to get a sip of water. Don't put it too close to the edge though. Actually, though, I've seen birds all summer landing on the aerials of my lotus and climbing down and just drinking water that way. So maybe just growing some reeds, etc. might be enough. At the bird store, I've seen big arched rot iron things that you could clamp onto the side of your stocktank, and then hang a birdbath saucer from that. I'm glad you're trying to keep the birdies safe from your cats. And I really like your benches!! How much fun to just sit there and enjoy your pond!

oops, reading another post, I see Woeisme saying not to put bettas in with gourami.

first of all the chances of this actually working are pretty slim. Have you considered the very high humidity that will be present inside the tank? Not all plants can tolerate this...the moss will but I doubt the other plants you mention can.Second do pillbugs actually cannibalize one another..not all animals do this you know....third it sounds to me that you would fancy the idea of a dart frog vivarium....thats if you have the money of course....fourth I would just try it anyway and then post some pics and your results so that future people can learn from your success or failures.

The rules in our subdivision require that a tank over a certain size (maybe 20 gallons) be buried. Our is over 300 gallons and it is buried. It was no big deal. Excavated the hole when digging the foundation. Poured a concrete pad and inserted bolts. Propane company dropped tank (with sacrificial anodes) into place and chained it down. Hole was backfilled with sand when the house was backfilled. The line runs underground (with safety tape over it so it doesn't get dug up) and there is a very small metal box where the line comes out of the ground and it connect to the back of the house. It's no big deal, a small shrub would completely hide it. The propane company owns the tank (so they say, I never signed anything) and they don't charge for it, but I am only supposed to use them for fills (it's only been filled once in two years). Our utilities are underground and our phone and power meters are on the side of the garage, not highly visible. The transformer is in the woods. The meters and boxes on the house are not bad looking at all. A small metal box for phone and cable, a meter mounted on another metal box with the shutoff for the electrical. They are barely noticeable, but we carely planned where they would go.