BasilB I have a situation where I need a holding tank sort of too so I am anxious to see the replies to your post. We have sold our current home where I have a pond with about 12 goldfish that are between 4 to 7 inches long. I have had all these fish for about 7 years now and feel very responsible for them. I am concerned for their well being as The new owners have indicated they "don't know what they will do with the pond...how hard is it to fill in...etc" So at this point I must get the fish moved with me somehow. problem is I am having to completely move myself and daughters (close move-only about 10 miles down the road)as my husband is deployed. I am not able time wise(or skill wise..haha) to build a new pond right now at my new home. Any ideas out there for a container/way, etc to keep my fish safe,alive for about a month until my husband is home for a few weeks? I have about 3 weeks to make a plan but I am stumped because of the number of fish and their size. Thanks all momof3

few more feet and then put in some perforated piping and some peashingle to bed it down then ==================== Realize that this pipe needs to lead some where. You'll have to dig a fairly long trench where you lead it to drain. No idea why you even need this because when you put your pond in and backfill around it no water will get underneath it anyway. Drain pipe like this is usually put near basements, cellars to stop it from creating hydrostatic pressure or flooding. Also, if you're getting this much rain, and have such a small pond, consider putting in an overflow drain. Some sort of slot with a hose on it so the water can just gracefully exit the pond when the rain is heavy. If not, it will just overflow over the entire thing and you if you have fish you'll have them flopping in the yard. Remember to screen this overflow pipe or tube so the fish can't get out that way.

Wow, thank you everyone for the responses! SCDeb, thanks, & yes I am aware of freecycle, I think I had mentioned it above. I am now just planning on going to the recycling center to get what I need newspaper wise, probably for the cardboard too. I have been scanning Craigslist and Freecycle daily for anything local I can use. So far nothing. I was thinking maybe I could throw some old blankets in there, glad to see some of you have used that as well. Also was thinking of using my son's old eggcrate foam padding stuff (can't think of the name right now, lol) from his old bed. Of course, the dog's found it in the bag I had it in on the bag porch and decided it would be a fun thing to chew up, lol. My luck! Is that the kind of thing you meant that you used SCDeb & Horton? Gary, all I can say to that is..Wow! LOL! Sandy, lol..I am in the small town around. We're just a tiny lil borough :) A big thing for me is using things that will decompose, such as the papers and cardboard. That way when I dig up the pond, I can just bury that stuff and not have to worry about it. I try to be environmentally friendly as much as possible. SCDeb, Here are some pix of my current pre-forms: When I started, 4-10-08, as you can see I don't have anything in the way of a winter garden yet..gotta work on those evergreens. 4-19-08 This is how it looked 7-14-08 Alot more growth since the 14th, it's amazing how fast it all grows! I'm sure I'll be posting pix of the new one! :) Again, thanks so much for everyone's help! O & Horton, if your not the pond guru, your pretty dang close!

Just as an adjunct to Mike,s post. If you have a lot of rocks to fill between then I would suggest you use the mortar mix that contains hydraulic cement. It would be more economical than using straight H.C. Water Stop I believe. If in the future, a crack does appear after you have cemented the rocks together. You can mix up a slurry of Hydraulic Cement [Water Stop] and paint it over the crack[s] using a paint brush. Or paint a sealing coat over the mortar mix joints after they set. It makes a great sealer used this way. Hydraulic cement contains more lime than ordinary cement, to make it set up quicker. That is why it gets hot when you mix it with water. It is advisable to wear rubber gloves, if you intend pressing HC into the spaces between the rocks with your fingers, as the wet lime can remove a layer or two of skin from your hands. "Horton"