Stock Tank Water Feature

by Mark Lyon and Jane Tillman

Click here to view a PDF with images of this feature being built.

This idea originated with Deborah Denney, MD, and Thomas Fisher, MD of Burnet, Texas. They have several solar-powered stock tank water features on their property. (By the way, their property Denney Ranch 2 Nature Preserve, is open to birders and nature enthusiasts for a small fee.)

We installed this water feature at our land and attracted the first bird within about 10 minutes of installation. The pictures are of that water feature.

The pluses of this water feature are that it does not need refilling often, it has moving water which attracts birds, there is no danger of children drowning in it, and it is unlikely that it will be stolen. The fact that the water is constantly recirculating means that there is little to no algae buildup, and mosquitoes don’t breed. Because the top of the tank is pretty well covered with rocks, landscape fabric, and a shallow pan, there is little evaporation.

Check with your electrician if you have concerns about the electrical supply needed for the aquarium pump. When you buy the aquarium pump, you will get a transformer with it that is 12 volts and safe for use around water. Any outdoor outlet you are using should be GFCI protected. Or install a solar pump.

Materials Needed

  • 2’x2’x4′ stock tank (American Farmland Tank, $69.99, stock number 2177201) from Tractor Supply Company.
  • All thread rod, also from TSC (3 2’6″ lengths cut at Tractor Supply with 6 matching nuts, I think 1/2 inch diameter all thread rod and nuts). Under $10.
  • Welded wire from Montopolis Supply on 183 (either 3″ or 4″ squares, overall size 2’+ by 4’+). Again pretty inexpensive (about $10). Montopolis Supply is located at 255 US 183 in Austin. Phone number 512-385-3270.
  • Wire mesh (Lowe’s) with small openings to keep the rocks from falling through. Under $10.
  • 12V aquarium pump (online source: www.wholesalepump.com, Jebao 388-LV with transformer). $26.00 plus shipping.
  • Timer (Utilitech Digital Programmable Timer, Lowe’s, Item #155550). $15.97.
  • 3 feet of half-inch clear plastic hose to get the water above the surface. Lowe’s.
  • Metal cookie pan (shallow, size about 10”x13”x1”) or similar to keep 3/4” deep water for the birds to bathe and drink.
  • A piece of landscape cloth –like weed barrier cut to the diameter of the tank and placed over the mesh.
  • Crushed granite or small landscape rocks to put over the landscape cloth or use various rocks strategically placed to hold down the metal cookie pan, or use some combination of granite and rocks.
  • 18 gauge electrical cord if you need to extend cord from 120V supply (and pump transformer) to 12V pump, Lowe’s—we used about 50 feet—obviously, this will depend on the installation

Directions

Drill ½” (or slightly larger) holes in the tank about two inches below the upper lip of the tank as shown, inserting “all thread” with nuts to support the welded wire, wire mesh, cookie pan, and rocks.

Trim welded wire to fit shape of tank.

Trim wire mesh to fit shape of tank. Cut hole in wire mesh and welded wire to allow placement of pump on tank bottom and to allow pulling pump to surface if it needs servicing.

Use 12V pump with transformer so that voltage at water feature is safe. You will probably need to splice a longer electrical supply line if the 120V outlet is farther away than the cord supplied.

Just use inexpensive 18 gauge electrical wire (2 conductor), soldering the connections, using heatshrink to cover connections.

Make sure electrical connections are waterproof, since you will be burying the 12V supply cord. If the connections are not waterproof, the first time it rains, the power will short, which will definitely stop the pump, if not damage the timer.

Attach plastic hose to pump, cut long enough to pump water above surface, so that the hose will “drape” over rocks, and the water will cascade down rocks, creating a waterfall. This sounds good, and looks good.

Place pump on bottom of tank, with power cord running up the side of the tank and over, then down and running below ground level to the 120V outlet and transformer. We directly buried the power cable deeper than would be disturbed (in our case, about five inches). Just drag a tool along ground to make a five inch deep trench, place power cord in trench, and cover.

Find suitable rocks to make the top of the water feature look good.

Fill tank with water to just below wire mesh/all thread rods. Remember that water will pump right down to the bottom of the tank, so unless there is drought, you will rarely, if ever, have to add water. It would be a good idea to check occasionally, clear debris from the cookie pan, and adjust rocks, if necessary. We ran a small water line to our water feature, but you can use a water jug to refill.

Plug timer into 120V outlet, set timer to provide power during daylight hours, plug in pump.

Go to water feature and adjust hose in rocks to give best result (water running over rocks, not spraying out into air and then hitting the surface) while still giving a “running water” sound to attract the birds. We somewhat wired the plastic hose in place assuming that raccoons might disturb it, but it does not seem to be an issue for us so far. We also used tape to secure the electrical cord to a piece of rebar on the back side of the tank, so that it would not shift.

Deborah Denney is experimenting with some variations to the landscape fabric as she experienced some shredding of it by animals. I will ask her to share some details and share with you if interested.

Questions? Please contact Mark first or Jane Tillman.