Question
I want to apologise in advance for so many questions, I just want to get everything right! Anyways, I am currently setting up a half barrel pond for two of my fish, a common goldfish and a shubunkin, and I have a few questions regarding how to set it up:
  I bought one of those pond liner sheets but I am unsure of how to line the barrel with it. Do I just place it in, press it down to the bottom, cut off the excess, and leave the folds around the inside or is there some way to flatten those out? How do I secure the liner inside the barrel? Is it possible to use a staple gun around the edges or is there some kind of tape to use?
  The barrel is about 30-40 gallons and I am not quite sure what filter to use. Do you have any suggestions in regards to a good inexpensive filter or perhaps a way to create one myself for this small pond?
  Thank you  for your time and any suggestions you can provide for me!
  Sincerely,
     Trudi


Answer
I personally have never put a liner inside a container to make a pond.  I think that they usually put some sort of rim around the edge between the edge and the liner and then put in nails or staples.  If you just staple gun it around, it should be functional but may not look so pretty.  The liner does have to come up over the barrel edge, or it won't stay put.  You can't really remove the folds down inside the barrel but can even them out by hand as best you can.  As you said, you just put in the liner, try to adjust it, and secure it over the top edge.

There are a number of small fountains with little pumps and filters.  I need to get one for my 50 gallon pond myself.  It's hard finding one that's not too strong (squirting out the pond) with a long enough cord for me.  Plus, we have raccoons that play with everything.  The model I just looked at is at http://thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/206450/product.web
Wouldn't you know?  The cord's only 6 feet long so it's useless to me but maybe it would work for you. It is out of stock right now though.

Good luck!
Robyn