Garden Ponds are a great way to enjoy your California backyard

Indoor Aquaria A ridge of sand one and a half inches deep should line the edges at the bottom. This will leave a hollow in which the loam can be placed ; then, when a layer of sand is placed on top of that, the loam is not visible either from the sides or the top. The sand should incline slightly to the front, detritus and other waste matter will then fall to the one edge and so the task of removing it will be easier. Stone chips may be placed over the sand, but there is a slight drawback to stone chips and that is, uneaten food may become lodged in the crevices out of the fish's reach, and so decompose. The advantage of using the chips is that the plants will have some protection from being uprooted.

To stock the aquarium under discussion (i.e., 24 ins. x 12 ins. x 12 ins.), plant in the centre towards the back, a root of Sagittaria natans and on either side of it, four roots of Vallisneria. In the centre of one of the shorter sides plant a large clump of Star Wort, and on the other a similar clump of one or other of the cold-water Myriophyllums. The clumps should be planted as described in the chapter on plants. In the two front corners plant either Elodea crispa or E. densa, and, on a stone in the centre of the aquarium, a sprig of Fontinalis.

For the surface of the water any of the floating plants will suit, in any case duckweed, frogbit and crystal wort should be introduced.

Before planting starts an inch of water should be run into the tank ; if the water is just poured in anyhow, our carefully arranged strata will be disturbed ; to avoid this a piece of paper can be laid on the sand and the water poured on to it ; the same procedure must be observed when filling with water after planting, otherwise not only will the soil be disturbed, the plants will be uprooted.

Allow the aquarium to stand now for at least a fortnight, longer if possible, so that the plants will have a chance to establish themselves. If any of the plants die, others can replace them and it is a good plan, after about a week, to place a dozen ramshorn snails in the aquarium ; they will devour any dead vegetation and by so doing will help to promote growth in the plants. If the snails do not accomplish the task efficiently it is advisable to snip off, with a pair of scissors, dead leaves or any sickly-looking stem.