Indoor "pond"

Okay, so after having found out that I was reading my tests wrong, and
going back and redoing them, I've found I did indeed have high ammonia
levels for my poor koi.
I've spent the last two days trying to figure out cheap ways of building an
indoor pond (it's winter in canada, apply whichever stereo-types you wish
) and came to this conclusion:

Canadian Tire sells a product called
Simple-Set Translucent Pool Package, 12 ft. x 30 in.
and it includes the pump. It's roughly 1300 gallons of water, and the pump
moves between 500 and 1000gph.

I figure since it's approved for use with small children, it ought to be
safe for my fishes. That is to say, it won't leech any evil plastic
chemicals, or do any other unhappy, unexpected things.

I've also been 'researching' complaints about this product. The only ones
I've found that relate to keeping fish (I don't care if small kids can't
sit on the side), are that the upper ring often deflates. I mostly expected
this since I've never seen a rubber air containing device hold air for very
long, be it beach-ball, or air mattress, or one of those stupid airplanes
you inflate and hang from the ceiling, only to have go limp a day later.
If that becomes too much of a problem, I'll just slit the top open and
stuff it full of styrofoam or something.

Can anyone think of why using a tub like this would be a -bad- idea?

TIA

And sorry for the crossposting. Last time I posted to more than one aqua
group without crossposting, I got yelled at

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 03:46:22 GMT, Jon Pike
wrote:

Okay, so after having found out that I was reading my tests wrong, and
going back and redoing them, I've found I did indeed have high ammonia
levels for my poor koi.
I've spent the last two days trying to figure out cheap ways of building an
indoor pond (it's winter in canada, apply whichever stereo-types you wish
) and came to this conclusion:

Canadian Tire sells a product called
Simple-Set Translucent Pool Package, 12 ft. x 30 in.
and it includes the pump. It's roughly 1300 gallons of water, and the pump
moves between 500 and 1000gph.

I figure since it's approved for use with small children, it ought to be
safe for my fishes. That is to say, it won't leech any evil plastic
chemicals, or do any other unhappy, unexpected things.

I've also been 'researching' complaints about this product. The only ones
I've found that relate to keeping fish (I don't care if small kids can't
sit on the side), are that the upper ring often deflates. I mostly expected
this since I've never seen a rubber air containing device hold air for very
long, be it beach-ball, or air mattress, or one of those stupid airplanes
you inflate and hang from the ceiling, only to have go limp a day later.
If that becomes too much of a problem, I'll just slit the top open and
stuff it full of styrofoam or something.

Can anyone think of why using a tub like this would be a -bad- idea?

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Please keep us posted on how it works out.

The Drunken Lord wrote in
:

On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 03:46:22 GMT, Jon Pike
wrote:

Can anyone think of why using a tub like this would be a -bad- idea?

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Please keep us posted on how it works out.

Will do.

My koi's graduated from the 55 to a 80'ish for right now. It's a completely
new, totally uncycled tank, but I'll be able to do daily water changes very
easily. I've got a hose and drain within literally 6 feet of it. So I'm not
worried about ammonia while he's in there.

Has anyone got experience cycling a 'tank' that size though? Not the
80'ish, but the 1300'ish tank. Should it cycle through at the same rate, if
I've got sufficient filter media, and flow rate?

--
http://www.neopets.com/refer.phtml?username=moosespet

if it is reasonably cheap yes, should be fine.
As a quarantine tank for new koi I use a 100 (now I have a 150) rubbermaid stock
tank. it is freestanding and deep and easy to heat if necessary since it is plastic
self insulated. I put bird netting over the top and elastic (from material store)
all the way around. easy to pull the netting out, but keeps the damn jumping koi in.

I plunk a board across the end and constructed a simple gravity filter.
http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/...AVITY%20FILTER
altho a bucket filter probably would work fine if it was upgraded to a 5 gallons,
dont use gravel, use polyester batting
http://www.mu.edu/~buxtoni/puregold/...re.html#BUCKET
now here is my veggie filter for my pond in the basement
http://puregold.aquaria.net/mypond/V...ie_filter.html
Ingrid


Jon Pike wrote:

Okay, so after having found out that I was reading my tests wrong, and
going back and redoing them, I've found I did indeed have high ammonia
levels for my poor koi.
I've spent the last two days trying to figure out cheap ways of building an
indoor pond (it's winter in canada, apply whichever stereo-types you wish
) and came to this conclusion:

Canadian Tire sells a product called
Simple-Set Translucent Pool Package, 12 ft. x 30 in.
and it includes the pump. It's roughly 1300 gallons of water, and the pump
moves between 500 and 1000gph.

I figure since it's approved for use with small children, it ought to be
safe for my fishes. That is to say, it won't leech any evil plastic
chemicals, or do any other unhappy, unexpected things.

I've also been 'researching' complaints about this product. The only ones
I've found that relate to keeping fish (I don't care if small kids can't
sit on the side), are that the upper ring often deflates. I mostly expected
this since I've never seen a rubber air containing device hold air for very
long, be it beach-ball, or air mattress, or one of those stupid airplanes
you inflate and hang from the ceiling, only to have go limp a day later.
If that becomes too much of a problem, I'll just slit the top open and
stuff it full of styrofoam or something.

Can anyone think of why using a tub like this would be a -bad- idea?

TIA

And sorry for the crossposting. Last time I posted to more than one aqua
group without crossposting, I got yelled at



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.

more water, fewer fish, faster cycling. especially if you use polyester batting or
gravel (in a gravity filter). ponds dont actually "cycle" unless somebody dumps a
LOT of fish into them. I always keep a sharp eye on any new pond (and even my pond
in spring) just to make sure. inside light is essential maybe for algae growth which
contributes to controlling wastes. also, heat is very important to getting the good
biobugs established. at least 72-75oF or so. INgrid

Jon Pike wrote:
Has anyone got experience cycling a 'tank' that size though? Not the
80'ish, but the 1300'ish tank. Should it cycle through at the same rate, if
I've got sufficient filter media, and flow rate?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List
http://puregold.aquaria.net/
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unfortunately, I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for any of the
endorsements or recommendations I make.