I can give you some more personal opinions of my own to confuse you more if you would like... I would definitely suggest a type of filter other than an undergravel filter. I have used both an undergravel filter and then an external hang on the back power filter (I think I have a Whisper Filter) and the underground filter was o.k for a few tiny tropical fish like guppies but Goldfish are huge chunky fish and make a lot of waste that kept plugging up the filter even with vacuuming with a siphon, plus goldfish love to pick in the gravel and they would keep uncovering the undergravel filter. I think the Aqua Clear filter you ordered is a good choice as long as you bought in a size that is recommended for your size tank (usually the box says what size tank range the filter is designed for so that is pretty easy) About a cover or a hood, I have covers on my tanks because I am paranoid about fish jumping out. There are the premade ones in the store that have a built in light already but they are kinda pricey, especially if it is sold seperatly from your tank. I am terribly cheap so when I got a used tank from a friend I went to a window store and had them cut plexiglass to fit on the lip of the tank so fish would not hop out. Because I use an external filter there is a little black plastic tube and a "waterfall" lip that returns the water to the tank so the cover stopped about an inch or so from the end to allow for those things to fit in the tank with the lid on. Of course store bought hoods are generally precut to allow for things like filters and heaters to go in. I guess the question about gravel depends on what type of filter you use. If you use an undergravel filter: yes use gravel. If you use a different external filter like your Aqua Clear that hangs on the back of the tank then you can have a choice depending on how much work and the decorative value of the tank. If you just want the tank to keep the fish alive over the winter then I suppose you would be fine w/o gravel but there would be nothing to hide the fish poop and you would need to siphon rather often to get rid of the poop. Normally gravel is supposed to have good bacteria that helps regulate nitrogen and ammonia levels in the tank and to break down wastes. Plus I just think tanks with gravel look nicer but if this is just gong to be a tank you use over the winter then gravel could be optional, I am sure other people have different opinions though. I don't know about how well hyacinth would overwinter in a tank...I tried that last year and nothing lived. I am trying water lettuce this year and they seem to be doing ok so far, maybe they are ok w/ lower light levels? The problem I had was since all of my tanks had lids the water hyacinth were too tall to fit in them and have the lids on to keep the fish in so I had to put the hyacinths in a separate bucket. You probably don't *need* a light if you are just keeping fish in a tank and they are not stuck away in the complete dark but if you are going to use it to overwinter plants too then you would probably need a light. I have a separate light with a reflector shield that I got at a garage sale (cheap me again) and I sit it on top of the plexiglass cover and that gives enough light for the aquarium plants I have (java moss, java fern, some water lettuce, Aponogeton bulbs and Azolla) to grow well w/o too much algae growth. If you know the info on the type of bulb in your light maybe compare it to information on lights they sell for fishtanks? I would think your light would work perfectly well but I just experiment to see what works so I do not have much expertise w/ lights. Lots of people have fishtanks w/o live plants so seeing as setting up a fish tank with all of these fun toys can be very expensive you may be able to get by with just the tank, your filter, siphon and buckets for cleaning, a bottle of dechlorinizer (cheap), a cover would be nice, gravel is nice too and maybe some plants (plastic or real) to make the fish feel comfortable. They were used to being in a pond below ground but suddenly they are in a tank with see through walls and normally they are a little nervous and jumpy before they get used to seeing all the movements outside of the glass. Well, this seems to have become a huge ramble but hopefully this helped (?) and didn't just confuse you and make you want to run away screaming.

Great suggestions! We have played MAster Gardener Bingo to introduce new members to the group at their first meeting after training. I divided a sheet of paper into 25 squares and put some gardening characteristic in each one. The instructions are to get the signature of someone in each box who has: a water garden, grows raspberries, starts their own vegetable seedlings, sells at a farmer's market, has more than 3 types of lilies, etc, etc. People mingle and talk, and when their cards are filled with signatures (cannot repeat names if you have a large group), we play BINGO by pulling names of people present out of a hat. When you cover five people's names in a row, you have a winner!

H. purple comet is superb. Delicious. I was shocked when I tried it. (Most tomatoes I have grown in this area have been dissappointing.) HPC is the best of 12 cherry varieties I have grown. Blondkopfchen, green grape, and blondkopfchen are also must grows, but the HPC was a cut above. HPC had the worst spot in my garden and still had decent production and no disease issues. It tastes similar to, but better than purple russian. None of the big blacks I have grown here have been worth the effort. I am growing two purple comet and two Delicious this year. I am only growing one each of my other thirty something types. Over twenty new ones this year. Only growing again the HPC, delicious, blondkopfchen, galinas, granny cantrell, purple russian, green grape, lemon boy, ildi, aunt ginny purple, burstyn and taxi. I am not just singing the praises of HPc because I have seeds to trade. But, if anyone does want to trade, please check my tradelist.

Yes, the pictures help. Consider finishing off the open space at the property line with a hedge of tall shrub, like chokeberry for example. Keeping it simple with one species would be compatible with the bamboo. If you wanted something shorter and wider, one of the taller panicle hydrangeas could be a good look in a hedge Who owns the retaining wall that's falling over. It would be good to get that fixed and plant the area. But to know how, with what, you'd need to provide shots that show the area with your house as background, straight on. If it has too much length for one picture, take overlapping shots from a single camera position as you just did for the backyard.