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we did discover four salamanders hiding among the plants, but most other life forms would not have lived.

When we finally worked out all the kinks and placed flat rocks around the edge of the tub, added outdoor lighting our old tub ended up being esthetically pleasing. However, it took us awhile to figure out the best way to recycle something that might otherwise have ended up in a landfill. When all was said and done we were pleased with the results by the end of the season. By fall of that first year an early snowstorm prevented us from emptying the pond. Lesson number two. Without bailing the water before winter the spring water ends up murky with debris. The water plants did not over-winter properly, so we were back to square one.

The following spring we continued our resolved and we marched off with an undaunted air to a local greenhouse and began our trail and error process all over again. We bought more water plants and decided to make a couple more ponds. During a fall clear-out at a local department store we had purchased some sturdy wading pools and choose what we thought would be a suitable place for our ponds. Once again tactical error was made. After placing one pond in the front yard we were dismayed to discover that it had become a catch all for the multitude of seeds falling from nearby trees. OOPS, something else we had not considered. Deciduous it difficult to keep the pond clean and that leads to extra work. "Oh well, this was all a learning experience," or so we kept telling ourselves. After setting the pond up observing the plants for a few days we decided to add a couple of snails and a fish. The fish died within twenty-four hours. The snails were hardier. They continued working hard all summer to keep algae in check and are continuing to do so in our indoor aquarium over the winter.

So an important reminder to all prospective water gardeners the correct positioning of the ponds makes maintenance easier. During this stage of our self-education process we kept a few plants and snails but no fish or salamanders. The one lone salamander left in indignation when tried to introduce a fish into HIS turf. Once he bumped heads with the rather large black algae eating bottom feeder he scrambled up and out of the pond. At that point we were feeling discouraged because we had inadvertently killed a fish and annoyed a salamander and we had no creatures in any of our ponds. We were beginning to wake up to the fact that setting up an eco- friendly

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