Oscar Pond?

[fishys]

i would use clay pots hey get a pic when its set up

 

[Blacky]

to stop the evaporating water killing the roof and what i guess would be the floor on the next level paint it with a water proof seal the when the water hits it it just drip back in to the pond

you may need to attach a small timber border though to stop the water running down the floor cause when it hits the rasied border it would just drip back in the pond.

just ideas for you it may may-not work ??

as far as cycling the pond i dont think it would take any longer than normal tanks cause all you are waiting for is the bacteria to grow in the filters from what i remeber in earlier post one of the filters is in use at the moment if you were to use this as one of the main two filters and the last new filter as the one you were going to swap between tanks and the pond i would say around 1 to 2 weeks just enough to get some of the bacteria from the old one through the water and in to the new

or you can buy bacteria for filter from LFS comes in like an eye droper bottle
but i think you still have to cycle for a week for that stuff to grow

 

[DannyBoy17]

Fill the tank with feeders. That way, you can cycle, and give your O's a treat. I was wondering about a tarp over the pond, like framed with 2x4's. I wouldnt look too shappy, and would work.

--Dan

 

[Blacky]

thats interesting dannyboy and reminded me of somethin i saw on T.V once

the was this town so high up it got no rain clouds and had no source of water so what the did was set up frames with shade cloth on the so at night when fog settled on the hills the moisture was caught in them it had pvc pipe cut in half running under them this caught the water and drained into buckets

may you could incorperate this into your design have a shade cloth on the roof above the pond so when the moisture rises it catches it trickles into a pipe then back to the pond.

this would make a huge diffrence in water lose and also save you roof from water damage

still just thoughts for you

 

[nc_nutcase]

I’m liking the idea... will research more and probably implement something like that during cycling...

 

[pica_nuttalli]

While i'm thinking of it... Wardley's makes this amazing ceramic pond substrate. Its somewhere in between sand and gravel in its consistency and is just amazing for root-growth. The color leaves something to be desired (its almost exactly the color of an albino common pleco) but the way it curves and sculpts is beautiful. I had my pleco on it for the longest time and it was so facinating to see the way he would reorganize the landscape after every water change. It also vacuums like a dream.

You may want to look into it if you haven't already bought substrate material. I think a 15~20 lb bag runs about 8 bucks here, so its a bit cheaper than pea-gravel as well.

 

[nc_nutcase]

Seeking cycling advice…

Please critique my theory…
1. Fill pond with 1/3 capacity water (192 Gal as opposed to 578)
2. Get water to 75+ F
3. Add substrate, add new décor, add rocks/decor from established aquarium, add hardy fish and add existing canister filter from established 125 Gal aquarium w/ old filter media
4. Put new filter on established 125 w/ new filter media
5. Wait two weeks and move 2 wk old canister filter from established 125 Gal to pond and fill to 2/3 capacity
6. Replace canister filter on 125 with new filter and new filter media

Questions … At what point should I add plants? ... How important would it be to transfer filters as described? ... Should I start with an even smaller volume of water (116Gal or 6” deep minimum).

As I reviewed several articles on cycling a tank I found since I have material from an established tank and will be stocking the pond with hearty fish (Oscars) doing a cycle w/ fish made the most sense. When I used their equations (several were found) to determine the ‘__ gallons per inch of fish’ ratio I found the full pond to require more inches of fish than I plan to initially stock the pond with (understanding that 24” of Oscar will become 144” of Oscar in less than a year). This is why I chose the 1/3 volume to start as well as to work the filters in with at least some bacteria in the media.

Liner arrived today which means the only reason it is behind schedule is because I’m slacking… Half the reason for that is I’m regretting the associated costs with having it filled with water… and the other half is the pieces are getting heavy and it’s feeling more like work … I’m just slacking…

 

[DannyBoy17]

If you use colonzied filters, you will be cloning your other tanks, and therefor the cycle shouldn't take 2 weeks.

For a pond, I would cycle with feeder fish.

As for the plants, I believe as soon as you have the temp right, and the lights set up, you can add them anytime. They will use the ammonia and help a bit with the cycling process.

P.S I love slacking

--Dan

 

[nc_nutcase]

Random Update on construction:

So it looks like I’m less than a week behind schedule. I have 2 walls 96% complete (only have to sand the wood filler) and 2 walls that are 93% finished (only have to put wood filler on the face then sand it). All of this will get finished this evening. So…

That means as of tomorrow I will be ready to attach the 4 walls. That makes Thursday the day to reassemble without bolts to assure everything lines up (this has been done once before) and to ensure I have all the materials I need. Friday it is supposed to rain so most likely I’ll have Friday and Saturday for final assembly.

Request for input:

I’m not 100% on substrate yet. If I had to decide right now I’d go with a thin layer (approx ¼ inch) of playsand for the bottom with a layer of light natural colored gravel on top of that (approx ½ - ¾ inch). This allows the sand to act as a barrier between rock/gravel and the liner yet gives me a top layer that is easier to clean. Question: Will typical playsand alter my PH (my PH out of the tap is only about 6.2 - 6.4)? What preparation must I do to typical playsand to use it in an aquarium/pond?

The liner arrived Monday so I’m as ready as I can be on that step, I haven’t decided on or purchased the substrate yet but that shouldn’t be too painful of a trip, I just made a large order of toys for the fish (filters, stone, driftwood, pots, etc, etc) so moving into the cycling stage should be rather smooth (As soon as the four walls are attached I will get more pictures available via my signature below).

Regarding cycling:

I’m taking the advice (I think it was Danny that said it) on cycling with feeders. So I’ll stock it with 200 feeder goldfish/guppies for two weeks then start buying up baby Oscars. Initially it will be stocked with 12 small Oscars. In a couple months as the 125 Gal gets crowded and the pond Oscars grow (I’m guessing they will grow amazingly fast) I’ll transfer the 3 Oscars from the 125 to the pond. Also there is a chance in April 3 of the Pacus will have a very accommodable home to move to where they will be well cared for. This will relieve my Pacu overload and open several doors.

 

[DannyBoy17]

Im so excited for you! Such an awesome project.

Did you say you bought the playsand? I would go with pool filter sand, but I am biased because I didnt wash my playsand well enough, and my tank was mud for a week.

Im lovin the Oscar idea. I will definitely be following in your footsteps, something a little small to start with tho .

--Dan

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i still recommend checking out the Wardley's ceramic soil. i think the stuff is great and since it's designed for ponds... :shrug:

looking forward to further updates!

 

[nc_nutcase]

4 walls 100% complete...

just arrived : tons of driftwood, filters, heaters, food, yada yada yada...

Had to work a long day today instead of being rained out but walls will be anchored together tomorrow (not early though... Saturday is day after Friday night )

Additional pics will be added to my signature tomorrow evening... promise...

 

[DannyBoy17]

Im getting excited . Use some big pond rocks as deco. They look soo cool, and create lots of caves. Here's one of mine. Plecos love it!

--Dan

 

[nc_nutcase]

Gorgeous set up Dan…

I tried to post pics but someone doesn't like someone elses software... but you can access them via the link at the bottom of my signature. Walls have been placed together and everything aligns as it is supposed to. Ran into a couple complications but they worked out eventually. This evening and tomorrow morning (early after noon, who am I kidding) I will anchor the four walls together. Then if all goes well I will be filling it up as I put the liner in place Sunday evening. I’ll post more pics once it has water in it.

It still looks like a bunch of lumber screwed together but I swear I'm making progress

 

[nc_nutcase]

Construction 100% Complete!!!

Pond Size:
535 US Gal (2,025 liters) *Max volume 630 US Gal(2,385 liters)*
Width - 5’4”(1.626m) ; Length - 5‘8 ¾“(1.75m) ; Height - 2’9” (.84m)*water to 2’4”(.71m)*


The last of the structural anchors were put on this evening. There is about an hour of clean up and sliding this thing over a few feet then it’s time to install the liner and add water. Even though all the numbers lined up during design… it seemed all the pieces fit into place during construction… I’m still nervous about filling it. That’s pretty much the test of my last 3 months investment. So I’m going to put the liner in Wednesday evening (Tuesday is water change day) and fill it to about 12”(30cm) as I put the liner in place. Then add 6”(15cm) per day until it’s full. This way if the structural integrity seems less than adequate… I may catch it before there is an explosion.

I’ve decided to go with 25% Coral and 75% Pool Sand (or black aquarium sand if I can find it at a reasonable price) substrate. Question… does anyone have a formula for converting Lbs of sand into cubic inches/feet? (3.5 cubic feet of sand for 1“-1.5 “{2.5-4cm} coverage) I figure around the driftwood and pots and plants I’ll have more but in the open space it will probably be pretty thin. That’s a decent average. I want to add something permanent that will bring my PH up but not enough that doing 50-75 Gal (10-15%) water changes will cause major fluctuation. I think (hope) this will work.

Until I find the right software (and I haven’t had time to look) I cannot post pics in the forum but click here or the link at the bottom of my signature for a few pics. I’ll try to post pics of the structural anchors tomorrow and pics of it w/ liner Wednesday.
Wish Me Luck!!!