Kid's pond

by Kathrin
(Nothern Virginia)

We would like to build a very simple little pond for my 6-year-old son to play in...no fish and minimal if any plants. Just something to float boats in and splash around in. Right now we have a rigid plastic kid's pool that we run a hose into. I was thinking of digging a hole for it and putting a solar pump in (are they submersible?). We really need something we don't have to dump out daily and that won't allow mosquitoes to breed. Do you have any inexpensive ideas? And something a little more attractive would be welcome, too.

Many thanks

Doug says stay with the kids pond. 1) Plants and kids don't belong in same pond, the plants won't survive the movement. 2) mosquitoes love any kind of standing water unless you treat it with chlorine - that takes care of the plants and fish
3) solar pumps - why are you putting a pump in the kid's pond? You don't need to aerate anything and without expensive filters, you won't accomplish anything other than moving water around.
4) So - a tiny pond isn't something you want to let a child play in and make it work for fish/plants etc.

5) Sorry - but you're asking to combine a bunch of things that just don't work together (add inexpensive and attractive and you're pushing past what I can do) :-)

Stay with the kids pond - far easier, cheaper and healthier in that you can dump and refill easily.

Sorry - but that's the raw truth of this problem. It all doesn't fit together.