catherinet, I don't recall the name but it may have been PA bluestone. I went to several different nurseries, comparing prices and sizes. I discovered that some pallets had thinner rocks than others and chose the specific one I wanted. catfishsam, we only have the one store locally. They are building a new location a few miles down the road and will be moving, so maybe they'll get some new merchandise in after they move. I hope so. I'm not paying good money for rusty junk! I would have to have it delivered, since the largest vehicle I have is a minivan - I couldn't even move the 300 gallon tank in that! I love the look of the metal tanks when they are buried. They look so much nicer. But I don't think I'm up to digging a hole that large. And I really want the metal sides to be out of the ground so they get hot and heat up the water for my tropical waterlilies.

Hi aggierose, I'm no expert on pumps and filters, but I'll share with you what I know. I have 2 in-ground 300 gallon Rubbermaid stocktanks. One is a lotus bog and the other is a little pond. I can't remember the exact size of my pump, but I think its 450gph. I don't have a pump in my lotus bog. In the pond, I have a little waterfall and it works great. My pump sits inside a filter box at the bottom of the stocktank, with a tube running up and out through the waterfall rocks. If you have a pump outside the stocktank, yes, there will need to be a tube that goes from the stocktank to the pump, and then another one that goes back out to the stocktank. You could put that tube to a small fountain, so to aerate the water. Just be aware of how much soil you will need to move, in order for the stocktank to fit. Its alot more than you think! About the stocktank plug. What I did was to put some plumbers tape around the screw and screw it it tight. Then I took some caulk and went around the plug, just to be on the safe side. You will definitely need a pump and filter with those fish, since they make alot of ammonia. Plant lots of plants in your stocktank.......some oxygenators on the bottom, something like a small water lily to cover the surface and then 1 or 2 plants on milk crates that give some height (like an iris, pickerill rush, etc.) The milk crates work well because they give the fish places to hide from things like raccoons, heron. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will give you advice about an outside pump and filter. Good luck.

I totally agree, for such a small pond, I have gotten so much pleasure: watching birds splash around, the fish darting, and pond plants grow so fast too! I love sitting on my deck and just watching the pond. I was surprised that more people don't have the metal stock tank ponds, I guess they don't fit into every landscape though. I got my pond from Western Farm Center here in Santa Rosa, CA, which is just a farm supply center, anywhere you can buy livestock feed, chicken coops, or any other farm supply will most likely have stock tanks, but you may have to order the size you want, I did. Mine was $130 before tax, but it was definitely worth it. Digging is one of my absolute favorite blogs, even though I don't live in Texas, it's a great way to visit without having to deal with the heat, humidity, or mosquitos. Another one of my favorites is danger garden, she has an amazing eye for design and she has the same size stock tank as me, she actually has 11(!!) in total in her small Portland yard. Stock Tanks: They're not just for cows! Any way, I am so jealous of your pygmy purple trop. water lily, I really want a trop. too but they are so expensive! I think that's odd because they grow so darn fast. Really I want one of those Victoria amazonica water lilies, now I just need a bigger yard, heheh... But really though, I do want a trop, but I also want something with fragrance, really intense fragrance, and also dwarf, tall order, but if it's out there I WILL find it, Mwahaahhaaha!!! I don't know what color the flower is, because the friend who gave it to me had it in a tiny (1 ft tall, 2 ft wide) pond, so in all the years she had it, it never bloomed. No tags, either. So it will be a surprise, I will post pics when it blooms, and it will bloom, it better if it knows what's good for it. Here is a link that might be useful: Danger Garden-Pond

I too had water leaking over a couple of days-I checked the drain and it was okay. After draining the stock tank I found a hairline crack going down the side 12 inches from the top. I tried several things to fix it evening using a torch to melt the cracklines together-this worked for one year-what I ended up doing was putting a pond liner inside the tank and its working fine now