Rusty Pond Critters

12 years ago

75F here today so I walked over to the beach house and started cutting dead cattails and Canna leaves around the pond. Dragged out 2 critters that are going to pond when I'm done cleaning up.

Myrtle the Sea Turtle

Made from truck pressure plate, cotton gin saw blades, and John Deere excavator bucket tooth. 27" long x 28" wide. I'll plant ice plants under her so she'll have something to graze on.

{{gwi:132726}}

Polly Parrot Fish

Made from 55 gal. barrel lid clamp, cotton bale ties, cotton gin saw blades, pump screen, and barbed wire. Fish body is 24' in diameter. Sculpture is 59" tall x 40" wide.

{{gwi:132727}}

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Comments (15)

oldcrafty
12 years ago
Like them both but gotta say the fish is my favorite!
jeannespines
12 years ago
Sounds beautiful there! & your pond critters are sure going to get spoiled!...feeding that turtle ice plants & such! Love the fish, too! A big one that didn't get away! TFS! Hope you share your pond pics again when they get settled in with other critters! TFS, tinfoil! Jeanne S.
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dang it....I had a really well though out response all done, and my internet explorer crashed. So I'll try again...lol!! First...a few comments regarding how koi ponds compare to aquariums. Normally, aquariums are lightly stocked with small fish. It's really easy to keep the ammonia/nitrite/nitrate cycle operating perfectly in a correctly stocked environment. Same as a rock bottom pond...lightly stocked and properly maintanied it can work. In a pond's bio filter, ammonia is converted to nitrite and then to nitrate. Nitrate is most easily removed froma koi pond by way of regular water changes. Ever try to keep an aquarium with goldfish? Many goldie keepers I know keep no gravel in the tank at all, because of maintenance. That gravel gets really filthy very fast. I had a lovely goldie tank once....and gave it up. the maintenance was a nightmare! I'd rather deal with a huge koi pond any day of the week. Some people are reporting sucess with rock bottom ponds and no maintenance. Again...it is directly related to stocking levels. I hope these ponds continue to perform well for years to come, but for the vast majority of people, they will not. Most watergardeners install their ponds (and rocks) and then run out and buy a bunch of adorable little 5" long koi. The koi grow.....fast. They produce mountains of fish waste, which all gets trapped in the rocks. But because the pond looks clean, the owner is lulled into a false sense of security and does not think that there is a thing wrong, until the fish start dying or the fins start rotting off. Then they do one of two thing....they learn where they went wrong and correct their mistakes, or they just buy new fish (which is unfortunatly what most people do). Matt...you are on the right track with your new pond. You certainly can install your bottom drain now and add the rest of the system later. But instead of using a pipe cap, install a 4" ball valve on the end of the line. The water can't be permitted to sit stagnant in the unused drain line for too long or it will start developing the dreaded hydrogen sulphide gas. Opening that valve every couple of weeks and allowing the water to flow out for a couple of minutes will prevent the problems. I am attaching a link to the Atlanta Koi Club's web site. They have an excellent pdf that explains a lot about how a koi pond works, water quality, stocking levels, how much biofiltration is needed and many other wonderful facts. Cindy
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If would try to identify that big frog. If he's a bullfrog, your son might want to return him to the river, because he'll eat anything he can fit into his mouth -- including the salamander. I've seen pictures of them with adult birds in their mouths. Pretty amazing creatures.
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Hi! I'm hoping somebody else has seen these beauties... I was drinking coffee by the pond this morning, watching my fish eat breakfast, when a big purple dragonfly zoomed by. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a purple dragonfly! I took some pics and got online to try to ID it. Turns out its listed as a vulnerable species in its native Florida. So, what's it doing in Central Louisiana?!? There's more!... It flew around in circles at the perimeter of the pond, and then I saw it hitch up and mate with a yellow-brown dragonfly. I read on the internet that the female of this species is that color. I have green dragonflies, blue dragonflies, and now this purple one. I hope it stays. I'll try to link the pics I took this morning. Has anybody else outside of Florida seen this dragonfly? Here is a link that might be useful: Purple dragonfly pics
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How cool is that?! We see otters occasionally, but we haven't yet been able to add them to our yard list. I read recently about an otter that killed someone's dog! Flarda otters are larger and more aggressive than the Asian variety you usually see performing here and there. ICA, Sophie ^i^ Here is a link that might be useful: FL otters
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concretenprimroses
12 years ago
You've done it again! I particularly love Myrtle.
Kathy
Marlene Kindred
12 years ago
Those will look GREAT at your big pond! LOVE Myrtle especially....looks so real! You find the coolest things to make your sculptures out of. Another great job!
sunnyca_gw
12 years ago
I love myrtle, great coloring she's my favorite. The fish would look great among the cattails- the one that got away! I used to sit in cattails & watch golfers hit their balls into the swampy water & wait until they left & wade in & get their golf balls & sell them back to them for a dime (they were often so glad to get them back that they would give me a quarter) The swamp was really mucky tho so I earned every penny I got!! Those cattails can cut your legs too. Imagine you wear gloves when you are cutting them back! Jan
tinfoilhat
Original Author
12 years ago
Years back I did a job at a golf course were we had to pump down the pond to set an intake structure in it and run pipe to a pump house for irrigation. When the golfers would come up to the pond and see all the golf balls temptation would sometimes get the best of them. I almost fell out of the backhoe laughing as they'd slip and tumbled down the muddy black banks with their fancy white golf duds on. Happened at least once a day every day we worked there. I loved that job.
Calamity_J
12 years ago
Love these two!!! Have you made an alligator yet? It is 41 here today...ARG!
marylee_2010
12 years ago
Tinfoil, I love your sculptures! Myrtle and Polly are adorable. Also loved the golf stories told here. Thank you all for sharing.

Marylee
jeannespines
12 years ago
Forgot to mention the 'sea weed' barbed wire & gear base! Such creativity! TFS! Jeanne S.
tehuti
12 years ago
I couldn't find a barrel clamp so I used a bicycle wheel.

{{gwi:132728}}
tinfoilhat
Original Author
12 years ago
Robert,
I remember seeing that one and it was probably swirling in my head when I made this one. But I made a vow a few weeks back on this forum to get in touch with my feminine side and side by side yours is a male predator while I think mine is more of 20's torch singer. Her come hither long eye lashes and the Angelina Jolie lips purr, "Hey sailor wanna dance?" She demands they walk thru barbed wire to get close to her while her sharp edges say not to close. She is a seductress and Joan of Arc in chain mail. She is...
Wow, I think these romance novels really are helping me.
sunnyca_gw
12 years ago
Robert & Tinfoil I think those two fish would get along great together, Robert's would forget he was a predator & fall head over heels in love! Tinfoil, swamp I went in was real, no cement bottom just muck & wasn't until I was in H.S. that I found out there were areas around town where there was quicksand, so I could have just disappeared. We were coming home from a movie when I was in Jr. high, I saw a car go off the road right before the bridge, I had said on way into town that we were going to see 3 things,fire, car accident & man drown. I was shocked at myself & said I didn't know where that came from. Forgot it until Mr. C. driving us home said, there's the fire, old shed in field was burning. Seconds later we saw a car going off next to bridge & Mr. C. yelled, ask that man in the yard for a rope, guy's going to drown, I'll bet there is quicksand down there, car was going down very fast & they threw rope out to the guy while we all held on to it(attached to front of car too,we pulled like crazy & got him out as car completely disappeared. Wow was I shook up! I'm not into knowing the future at all. Mr. C. said that was what saved the guy is knowing what was going to happen, guy was drunk but we told him what had happened. Man in yard said he didn't even see the guy go in the river as he was watering. I don't think they even tried to get the car out, By time we left you couldn't see anything was there except car tracts into river. Quick lesson on how dangerous quicksand is tho. Jan
Calamity_J
12 years ago
Tinfoil: YOU are So FUNNY!!! lol! Just made my day...starting off with a good laugh!
Robert: Glad You reposted your pic, I sure wish I could(have time)learn how to weld....DH would loose me to a scrapyard dealer!lol!
Jan: What an Amazing story, thank you for sharing it!
spedigrees z4VT
12 years ago
Love your aquatic critters, especially the turtle!
toomuchglass
12 years ago
I'm in love with Robert's brain . Actually , I'm

"in ENVY"

of Robert's brain. Everything he touches turns to artistic gold . *sigh* ;)

Rusty Pond Critters

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