Dave I still consider myself “young” at coming on 54. I know that with regard to many on here I am still a pup. Not saying you guys are old. . . But . . .I have been feeling older all the time.
Bill, just checking in from Nevada, yeah, no ports. Some bridges over the Carson river; and the river brought wood drives where timber had to be gathered and hauled up. But that’s pretty much it for the V&T.
Really nice lift bridge; did you make that, or was that an LGB product?
Cliff.
Most of the bridge was on Thingiverse. I only remixed the on ramp to make an off ramp for the other side, when I was learning tinkercad.
Dave I’m expecting high tides from this photo. Is this port in Middle Earth? Not knowing your location my first guess was Dover, then the bay of fundy. Doing those stairs to get to get off a ship would be the last straw at the end of the day.
Rescued this off the verge last week.
I’m wondering if sinkholes have ports.
I’m having trouble figuring out if this will be of any use other than to breed exotic mosquitoes. Has anyone successfully integrated such a small water feature into their layout?
Bill,
If that is concrete, it will kill most fish slowly as the alkaline components leak out and turn the water basic. If it happens slowly enough, the critters may acclimate. You can seal the concrete to prevent that. If you do, that will easily house guppies and Gambusia sp. (so-called “mosquito fish”), but that is about it. Even then, you will want to keep it shaded.
With regards to plants, it is too shallow for water lilies with the possible exception of dwarf species. Even water hyacinth roots will go to deep down. You could probably get away with potted aquarium plants of the genus Cryptocryne and possibly smaller sword plants of the genus Echinodorus (Note that this genus keeps getting split up, so if you say “dwarf swords,” you’ll probably be OK.). Epiphytic plants such as aquatic mosses, “java fern,” and Anubius sp. would also work, as you attach these to drift wood and their rootlets eventually grow into it.
My first pond was roughly this sized. It was, as you read, a running disaster for the better part of a year. You can make this work, but your location will have to be perfect.
Eric
Bill;
This port was on my OO scale layout, named the Far Tottering & Oyster Creek Railway in honor of the Roland Emmett cartoons. High tide would have never gotten that high, It was just a long way down to the water Actually, I deliberately made the walls that high so I could dump ore into the barge easily.
Best, David Meashey
Thanks Eric,
It appears to be fiberglass with some sort of gravel imbedded on the surface . It certainly wasn’t on the radar until we saw it set out for the garbos to pickup. But it appears to hold 40-80 litres.
Like you we are at the end of the supply line. There’s a few really nice preformed ponds available in Melbourne , so we will have to plan to take a 8hr road trip to see them.
What would you recommend the minimum number of litres or gallons or depth to be looking for?
Bill,
You want at least 55 gallons. This will allow for some evaporative cooling without risking potentially deadly changes in volume and / or water chemistry. Depth is trickier. If you plan to put in a pump, then you are basically unrestricted in depth as long as the intake is at the low point. You want to prevent an anaerobic dead spot. Much more than 18" is too deep for the natural circulation from evaporative cooling to take effect.
Location will be a key factor. If it is in an exposed place, you will want fast growing surface plants to cover the surface to provide the shade. We use water hyacinth, which is invasive and illegal in many areas. If it is in a perpetually shady place, many of those plants won’t grow, but the shade source will have the same effect. This will, however, dictate you find submerged plants and / or decor to provide physical shelter for any fish.
Eric
Here in Virginia herons are protected, and they can empty the fish from a pond in a heartbeat! It is essential to provide protection (i.e. places to hide) for any fish your pond may have. It is also a good idea to have some fish that will prey on mosquito larvae.
Regards, David Meashey