* Fish Tank Outside *

[ClutchOne]

Hello All-

My Name is John,
I live in Riverside, California-

I just got a 55 gallon Tank for my Outside Patio.
Im a Noob at Fish Tanks and Fish,
but I wanted a Fish Tank to be Outside on My Patio.
I just Filled the Tank with Water, and then Started the
Filtration and Bubbles without any Fish just to see
how the Water would React to being Outside.
I Let the Filtration Process Run for a Week.

(Actual Picture of My Tank)

As you can see In a 1 Weeks Time there was a Large
Amount of Algae that has Grown So I went to
Petco and Bought 2 Algae Eating Fish.

(This Type of Fish)

The Algae Eaters Look Happy so
Im going to Give them 1 week to see If they
are up for the Task of Keeping the Tank Clean.
If Not Im May go get 2 More

Im Just at the Point of Keeping the Tank Clean with
the Rapid Algae Growth.

I have not Selected any Fish Yet.

I Really want Koi and Gold Fish.
Small not too Big cause I know
they can Live in Ponds and Out Door Temps.

(Type of Koi I want)

I dont know of any other Fish that could Live w/
the changes of Outside Temps.

What Fish do you Suggest for an Outdoor Tank ?

Or will I run Into too many Problems with Direct Sunlight
and Hot July Days with cold California Nights that Maintaing
a OutDoor Fish Tank would be Impossible...





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[Davo86]

Koi and goldfish will very quickly outgrow the tank so aren't really a suitable option, and tbh if the otos (catfish) are surviving outside then the tank must be pretty stable as they are a fairly sensitive species.

I'd personally add a load of rosy reds, zebra danios and maybe a few pairs of Paradise fish, all of which can cope with a wide range of temperatures

 

[ClutchOne]

Koi and goldfish will very quickly outgrow the tank so aren't really a suitable option, and tbh if the otos (catfish) are surviving outside then the tank must be pretty stable as they are a fairly sensitive species.

I'd personally add a load of rosy reds, zebra danios and maybe a few pairs of Paradise fish, all of which can cope with a wide range of temperatures

I may have the Tank for 2-5 years,
So Im Thinking 5 Koi and 5 Goldfish.

Do you Think Koi/Gold Fish will Survive
with Outdoor Temperatures ???

If the Koi/Goldfish out grow the Tank I might sell them...

I like the Sound of Paradise Fish.
This one has Great Color ..

What Type of Paradise Fish can I get?

 

[walkers101]

as said the koi/goldfish will either rapidly outgrow the tank or you may stunt them badly

 

[Tolak]

Koi & goldfish are cold water species. Being above ground, and from the looks of it unshaded the tank will get way too warm for them. This is besides the fact that the tank is too small, from the look of it you have tall tanks with little surface area, which will create stocking issues.

 

[kizno1]

AS other have said koi and goldfish will get to big very quick and they wont like the shape of the tank a long tank would be best plus i think they would struggle to get through the tubes linking the 2 sides.

 

[Davo86]

I may have the Tank for 2-5 years,
So Im Thinking 5 Koi and 5 Goldfish.

Do you Think Koi/Gold Fish will Survive
with Outdoor Temperatures ???

If the Koi/Goldfish out grow the Tank I might sell them...

I like the Sound of Paradise Fish.
This one has Great Color ..

What Type of Paradise Fish can I get?

Koi and goldfish will outgrow the tank in 2-5 months nevermind 2-5 years, in 5 years, a koi should be around 3ft long,
The tank is more likely to be too warm for these species not too cold

Any Paradise fish will be fine, they are simply different colour morphs,

I didn't look closely enough at the pic before so never noticed the pipes, but with them in place you will definitely need to stick to smaller fish that can easily maneuver throughout the whole of the tank,

Not sure if this is legal where you are but catching a few small fish from your local river/stream may also be an option

 

[ClutchOne]

Ok-
Im Going for the Paradise Fish

Will my Algae Eating Fish be Ok in a Tank
that is Exposed to Sun Rays

I notice they Hide under Rocks when its Hot Outside...

 

[Tolak]

The sun will be your main source of heat. I have a 150 gallon tub outside for the summer, and a sheet of styrofoam for over the top during hot days. They get a bit of daylight in the morning before work, I uncover it in the afternoon around 5pm for some evening light. Uncovered during hot sunny days it will get past 90F, which is way too warm for my summertime livebearers.

Try to find something to shade the tanks during the day.

 

[Gvilleguy]

Good advice on the koi - my father-in-law has koi ponds and they easily grow over 2 feet long!

Also, I would not count on the algae eaters keeping up with the algae load you will get, especially in direct sunlight.

 

[OldMan47]

I also run a 150 gallon tub. Unlike Tolak, mine is in the shade most of the day and has a fountain arrangement that gives me some evaporative cooling. Full sun will make the tank's water quite warm and will make it impossible to stock most tropicals. If you can provide the shade, an outdoor tub arrangement in the summer can be great for the fish. This is a picture of my outdoor tub. It is much like the one Tolak has but I do not bother with the insulation that he uses.

This year it is getting even better shade than it did the year the picture was taken. With the heat we have had so far, the shade is more important than in a normal year.

 

[ClutchOne]

Good advice on the koi - my father-in-law has koi ponds and they easily grow over 2 feet long!

Also, I would not count on the algae eaters keeping up with the algae load you will get, especially in direct sunlight.

What could I do to Keep the Algae Down
in Direct Sunlight besides getting 6 Algae Eaters

 

[Rafael Dilone]

It looks like the algae eater is an octocinclus catfish. I am assuming that the direct sunlight which causes algae growth is his source of food. There are so many types of fish you can chose from in an outside tank/tub. Killifish would be great for such a setup. They are rather hard to get in LFS but if you are able to stumble upon some i would go with those. I remember Tropical Fish Hobbyist back in 05 had an amazing articles on keeping killifish in outside tubs with plants and a good depth within the tank to avoid overheating. As with depth in a planted setup there are cooler temperatures. With getting local water from a lake or pond you could possible get some of the daphnia that grows in it and when introduce to the tank outside with some source of food such as breed for them to feed on they will multiply greatly. You may have some cloudy water at first but it would clear up soon and you will soon see tons of daphnia colonies in the water. With tons of plants in the setup it will provide as some sort of cooling system for the greater depths of the tank/tub and the roots will provide safe housing for the killies if you go with that setup. You will also be able to breed them easily under these conditions. Under times where they feed on large sums of foods such as daphnia they are in closer conditions to breed. Killies are wonderful fishes which are not available in great numbers nationwide. I hope this got you somewhat interested in killies

 

[Gvilleguy]

I'm not an algae control expert - hopefully someone else with comment. But you might have to get used to cleaning the tank yourself (more often than if the tank was inside) to keep the algae down. By the way, I think that is a really cool looking tank design with the connecting tubes. Keep us posted on what you stock and post some pics!

 

[Jenste]

while the tank is very interesting in appearance, you need to take into consideration that DUE to its unique shape, you need to plan a light stock - - there is actually only a small amount of back and forth swimming area, even considering those little connecting tubes. you have minimal surface area by having two tall tanks connected, which is essentially what you have. LONG rather than TALL tanks is where you get more room for stocking, because fish generally spend most of their time going back and forth, NOT up and down.

keep this into consideration while planning a stock


obviously, no gold fish or koi should be considered for this tank...there is no such thing as a "small goldfish" and certainly not a "small koi".....simply YOUNG goldfish and koi

small schooling fish would actually look fantastic as they are slim and will have no trouble going through the tubes, and it will infact look interesting as they shoal from one side to the other


you may want to invest in a canopy over the tank to keep some sunlight out, otherwise you may end up with an overheated tank and dead fish come mid summer. also, what do you plan to do in the winter to keep the tank from freezing/glass from cracking ?