Oscar Pond?

[DannyBoy17]

I wouldnt mix them, I dont think itd look good. I think play sand would look spectacular in a pond aswell. I love your choice of fish (12 O's ). Are you goin to be using a sump filter?

(Sorry if I missed that in the above posts).

DB

Edit: BTW, if you want a substrate that'll make your O's stand out more, tell us what kinds you are getting. Albinos and Tigers look great in black/dark enviroments, while Reds look awesome in super natural (riverbed bottom gravel) enviroments.

 

[nc_nutcase]

playsand or a whiter sand is what I had in mind. It will be filtered initially by 2 Magnum 350 canister style filters one with a UV light. The design is so that a 3rd Mag 350 can be added and easily removed to support cleaning of other tanks (I know it will beat up the filter but damn does it make Tuesdays/Tank cleaning day a lot nicer). I have CRYSTAL clear water in my 125 Gal because of my Mag 350 w/ UV

The O's will be a mix... Two Albinos and ten a blend of other non dyed O's.

So Im picturing off white sand, tan drift wood, w/ dark green plants along two of adjoining walls behind the wood. Should give a nice contrast that will allow the dark fish to be easily seen. At least I think it will...

 

[Rybka]

I have a few questions...

1. How much would it cost to run such a "pond"? food wise, electricity etc...
2. How would you go about water changes?
3. You've got the right idea...I support you 100%

 

[nc_nutcase]

I have estimated construction costs but no clue on running it, as I'm not done building it and this will be my first of such ponds. but basically its one big filter and several 250-300 watt heaters. The heaters are what’s going to gobble up the elect, but guess what it would take to run four or five of them and that’s the bulk. As far as food that totally depends on what fish you have. With a dozen Oscars I'll anticipate going through a $7-$8 bag of pellets a week and one $6 pack of frozen _______ every other week (I like to rotate their treats so I left it blank), and $3 in crickets per week. So that’s $28 every two weeks... something like that.

Water changes will be the same as anywhere else, just bigger. Hook up my vacuum and start sucking. I have a drain near the tank so Ill send their waste water straight down the drain (although my bushes will be disappointed). I have a 50 Gal can I use for different things which I will use to age water this way when I do a 20% water change (100 Gallons) 50 % of the 'new' water will be aged for a couple days and 50% will be straight out of the tap.

I highly appreciate you supportive comments. I hope to not sound arrogant here as I share details of my project, it's just that I'm excited.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

sorry, i know this is 6 or 7 posts behind... regarding oscar poop:

have you considered snails? (i'm always singing their praises somewhere )
one of the best things about snails is that they reprocess fish waste, which in turn means messy eaters don't gunk your substrate up as bad. snail poo is also a lot smaller and less noticable than fish elimination. i actually consider madagasgar trumpet snails to be a premier clean-up crew. they're a burrowing snail, so they'll help keep your substrate turned (preventing anaerobic pockets) and they rarely eat plants. they also have a very attractive shape and coloration, getting to be at the absolute most two inches in length. madagasgar trumpets also get eaten by only a few fish, so they last longer than ghost shrimp or round snails.

you could probably get your LFS to swipe you out a few for just a couple of dollars. i actually got mine free!

i love snails. they are so scary; my pond snails once ate a jumping spider alive. really, they'll eat anything that doesn't eat them first.

 

[DannyBoy17]

NC Im really intrigued by what you've got goin here. Could you post some pics? Im hoping to attempt to breed Oscars, and it'd be a lot more cost efficient if I could take the pair for an indoor pond, and move them to a large tank, instead of having several large tanks.

Great thinking.

Where will this pond be? It will cause a lot of humidity, which Im sure you know. Im thinkin a fish room would be gold with this kind of project, just heat the room, no heaters.

Also, have you thought about adding a plexiglass window? just a small little slit, give a nice in pond view. I am thinking about attempting a plywood tank, thats where I got the idea from.

Again, cheers on the project.

--Dan

 

[nc_nutcase]

I LOVE the idea of some form of 'window' into the tank. Since this is my first of such projects I didn't want to take too many chances though. If I were to do a window I would want to use PVC sheeting as a liner with certain areas clear Plexiglas (or glass if you have glass working skills). But higher costs and higher risks detoured me.

I expect humidity to be an initial battle. My basement is broken into three rooms and one is our animal room. It also will house the crates of our 105 lb AM Bulldog and the 7 lb Min Pin / Chihuahua and a 4‘ python. The overall room is approx 12' x 30'. Initially I will use one dehumidifier, and a fan to circulate moist air. Also the 'basement' is odd. The house is one story from the front and two from the back so the floor of the basement is ground level to the back yard and has a garage bay door (great for airing it out in the summer, creates a lot less draft than you would think in the winter). The basement is on average only 5-10 degrees colder than upstairs in the coldest of winter. I’m actually hoping the pond acts as a heater for the rest of the basement.

If I were going to convert a room into a pond room I would either be sure to cover the tanks or use an outdoor grade paint with some sort of sealant. If humidity gets out of control in my basement my last resort will be to cover the pond ($250 for a 6’x6’ piece of glass thick enough to span the middle, already priced it)

Also very important 550 Gal is about 4,500 lbs. That would challenge the structural integrity of even newly built average quality homes (and just because yours is big and fancy doesn’t mean they beefed up the structural strength; I am a construction material technician / Inspector professionally). Therefore I wouldn't put anything near this large on anything other than a concrete slab. and even then it needs to be against a wall preferably in a corner.

As far as pics... right now its not too impressive as it is simply four beefy walls in a pile. By tomorrow night they will be sanded and assembled. The liner is due in Friday. If everything happens on schedule then by Sunday it will be either filled with water and starting it's cycling process (which I'd love some guidance on, should I just treat it like an aquarium? will the massive gallonage require longer cycling time?) -or- there will be a soaking wet pile of broken lumber in my basement and I will be the whiniest baby ever seen.

Right now I'm on a break from working on the walls. I'll take the camera back down with me and take a few shots (pictures not whiskey), but don't expect to be impressed. This weekend when it has water in it is when it will be worth viewing. Also once it's proven itself structurally sound I will make some cheesy, free, pop-up filled web page sharing many pics and construction details and struggles / triumphs of it's initial functioning.


I've raised many an Oscar but haven't ever tried to breed them and haven't ever had them breed on their own. With the dirty dozen (12 Oscars) in the pond I'm sure I'll have at least a couple pairs. I plan to make arrangements in the pond for them in case they choose to breed on their own as well as make some other aquarium they can use for spawning in due time. Ya never know… one good spawn and I may need a bigger pond.

 

[DannyBoy17]

I hear that.

Im thinking about building a pond that is raised about 5 feet off the ground, held to gether by bricks, with the inside being lined with plywood then liner. I will have a window in the front, and you will be able to walk up a couple steps to get a better view from above. Im not planning on building it for a while, saving up for the materials and tools needed. By the way, Im 16yrs/old, so your opinion is better than mine. Will this structure hold up? Im afraid to make it any higher than 2 feet, because of the extra pressure on the base.

--Dan

 

[nc_nutcase]

**I've been asked to post pics of the pond... well it doesn't look much like a pond at this point, but the link in my signature below has a few pics of the side walls under construction. Fill date is still this Sunday.**


16 is the perfect age to build such a thing. Your old enough to figure out how to do it yet young enough you might get your parents to share the bill (assuming your building it at their house).

Structurally... if you build it right you can build near any size structure out of brick/concrete that can hold water (picture the Hoover Dam). It is also completely feasible that you could create a practical design to build a Pond as you have described. I also have a fantasy design of a 10'x10' @ 4-5' deep pond in the corner with a ceiling high waterfall and a 4-6’ stream running out along each wall at the same depth. All having frontal glass windows for viewing. Having raised areas so water and small fish can transfer between sections but large fish cannot. It totals in the neighborhood of 9,000 Gallons. It's about a 50/50 chance if I ever attempt to create such a thing, and about a 5% chance I do so that big, but yes such projects are possible, if properly designed, planned, financed and constructed (now I’m only 3 outta 4... anyone have 10 grand I can borrow?)

When your dealing with wood/lumber you simply have more break points you have to consider and a whole different form of adhering material together. Almost no size screw is going to hold any size piece of lumber in place with the outward force of 5' deep water. They key is having boards criss-crossed in such a way that they cannot snap under the given pressure, then anchor opposing boards together so that they pull against one another. Thus each side walls is as strong as the one opposite it.

Due to the limitations of regular lumber and hardware I came up with two systems which each should hold the necessary weight, and constructed them both into the design. It’s overkill… but it’s better than the alternative.

 

[nc_nutcase]

Okay... so although construction is a couple days behind (the liner is late) assembly is going nice but behind schedule. I'm starting to put more time into confirming thoughts on decor.

One big question I have is does anyone know of any online suppliers of larger pieces of drift wood or any aquarium friendly wood pieces? The place I am looking now has it for $6.00(US) per US pound. Scary thing is I'm looking to cover about 2.5 feet out from two of the 6 foot walls... meaning I'm going to need about 12 - 15 pieces between 15" - 24". Each piece I expect to be an average of 6 lbs. Meaning $6 x 6lb = $36 x 12 - 15 pieces = $432 - $540. YIKES. Any alternatives to natural wood or rock as decor?

 

[DannyBoy17]

For massive projects like that, buying commercial bogwood isnt very practical. I would say, walk down to your nearest stream/lake/pond, and steal some! Also, you can find huge rocks ANYWHERE! I found a few beauties, brought em home, boiled them (it was challenging, VERY big pot )and tossed em in. They look great . If you are looking for some massive peices of wood, I would keep searching, ask around. Im sure you could find large peices for a lot cheaper than $6 / lb.

--Dan

 

[ecto1]

I wonder if I can convince my mom to let me build an indoor oscar pond... hmmmm...

Had I the money, I'd call up a swimming pool company and ask them to build me an indoor pool. I'd get a few arapaima, some pacus, and redtail cats.

So, any millionares out there that are feeling rather generous?

 

[FrAnK3333]

Post pictures, I want to know what it looks like.

 

[nc_nutcase]

Right now each of the four walls are 85% complete with just some finishing work to be done. Assembly of the walls should be smooth. The liner was due in Friday but didn't show. Fitting the liner is a job I've yet to tackle but can't see as too hard. There are pics of the four walls as of a few days ago on the link in my signature. Updates soon.

 

[andywg]

A great thing for helping liner to be protected in koi ponds is old carpet. Just chuck it underneath the liner all round, then for extra security put another layer of liner on. It is possible to lay double liner so that if the top layr breaks it balloons up immediately telling you of the problem. I'm not too sure on how but I'm sure the Coldwater section can help you (as most Koi and Goldfish are in ponds).

If you were to use sand and gravel then over time the sand would all work its way down to the bottom leaving the gravel on top.

I would always be careful with trying to do a concrete sealed with a paint style substance as they have a tendancy to be not too much cop after a few years. My advice would be Fibre glass, it may cost a little but will hold the weight of the pond and can be any colour you like and is far more resilient [sp?] than liner itself.

I myself have a project for a huge pond in the future (around 5-6 thousand gallons to house a few Red Tail and Tiger Shovelnose catfishes). and am lookign into raising it and putting in some viewing panes. The panes are quite easy as you just construct the pond up with a hole for them. Make sure the windows overlap by around 3 inches to ensure a good space for the sealant and brace it in when fitting. Once the tank is full the pressure of the water will holds the pane in place (Acrylic is best for large structures).

The only problem I can see would be evaporation. Heated ponds will do that (especially with the dream tank with a ceiling high waterfall). The guy in the US who built the first 4,000 gallon reef tank/pond had to break it down as the water was destroying his house. However I'm sure you've thought of that (if not try a few Reef forums as there is usually one guy - at least - on each forum with a monster in the basement.

HIH,

Andy