Pond Build

[Shane]

The results from today's work. My back is killing me. Total water volume will be just over 200 gallons (780 liters). Total cost of bricks, liner and pump/filter will come in at about US $160.

[Firestorming]

Looks good, nice neat work, are you a little OCD by any chance?
What is going to call it home?

[Jools]

Nice work. Are you going to run a filter on it?

Jools

[Scleropages]

Looking good, Shane. Makes me want to start my pond project at my house. Probably have to wait a year or two more, though, as I have to clear out a large dog run first.

My back is killing me.

Mechanism of injury: repetitive lumbar flexion under load (see third picture down)

Treatment plan: use rum drinks and a tempurpedic bed as needed with copious quantities of ice for the low back and the drinks

[Shane]

you a little OCD by any chance?

lol, I don't think so, but this is my third brick laying project at the house so I have become pretty good at it. The dirt work should of course look good. My wife did it and she is an archaeologist

Are you going to run a filter on it?

I had not planned to, but I found a Tetra pond filter for very cheap online so will add it for a bit of filtration and water movement. The main filtration will be plants.

Mechanism of injury: repetitive lumbar flexion under load (see third picture down)

Treatment plan: use rum drinks and a tempurpedic bed as needed with copious quantities of ice for the low back and the drinks

Outstanding diagnosis and prescription! I have an icepack on my back as I type this.
-Shane

[Shane]

PS Initial load will be 12 X Congo tetras and two Barbus fasciolatus.
-Shane

[Suckermouth]

Tropicals in Virginia? Interesting. I assume you'll move them in at the end of the season?

[Shane]

Yes, Milton. I shhould get about 3-4 months of outside tropical pond keeping in here. I assume you would get more in Alabama.
Even an old kiddie pool and a few plants is a lot of fun for the summer. One of my local club members has several large (5 gal) plastic water bottles with the tops cut off she uses as outside summer tanks for small tetras and livebearers.
-Shane

[Suckermouth]

There's a good warm period in Alabama, but I'm in an apartment with no place to put such a pond. Besides, most anything I'd want to keep in a pond would be a big beastie.

[jp11biod]

outdoor tropicals is something I have not done and would be interested in trying. I would love to see some links to good articles on how to do it without feeding all the local racoons and birds.

JS

[PseudaSmart]

Was it as hot down in VA as it was in MI yesterday? I would have started the treatment recommendation earlier.

On a serious note. Do you have any issues with animals at night wanting to share your pond?
Jim

[Shane]

The new view from the fishroom. Medicating myself with cold beer and ice on the back, but very happy with my new pond.
-Shane

[Shane]

And up close. No idea if I will have issues with the local wildlife. I'll just have to wait and see. Temp after fill up from the hose is 65F (18.3C), but that will warm up tonight and tomorrow. Circulation/filtration is oversized (550 gph) but I am ok with that.
I am thinking about starting off with some

Corydoras paleatus

.
-Shane

[bigbird]

wow look good. Hope it works. This also inspires me, but will have to wait for 2-3 years till the kids get older. Wow would be nice later to see photos when you add some plants. cheers jk

[Bas Pels]

This also inspires me, but will have to wait for 2-3 years till the kids get older.

Wize words. People don't always realize ponds - and water in general is nice to look at, but very dangerous for small children

Imagine how you would feel if you'll find your 4 year old drowned in your own pond. Personally I'd rather shoot myself

Wait untill the youngest is at least 5 before you start building a pond. Even a small one.

[Scleropages]

Alternatively, you could just build a fence around your pond/pond-area to keep the kiddies out.

[coelacanth]

Best things I ever kept in a pond like this were some Gymnogeophagus, big bug eyes looking to the great foodgod of the skies and the colours were like nothing you'd see in an aquarium. I also like the Dwarf Hoplos I had outside, being active they were much more visible than Corydoras.

[Shane]

Just letting the pond mature a bit. I added a handful of dace from the creek behind my house to "seed" it while I wait for the weather to warm up a bit.
-Shane

[coelacanth]

Watch out for the natives carrying something that the exotics may not have the immune system to cope with, even if you shift them out well in advance there could still be something wicked this way comes.

[HaakonH]

Looks really peaceful and nice, Shane

Strange how some claimed-to-be-exclusively-tropical species of fish adapt well to lower temperatures. A friend of mine has a large tank (1200 liters) outside his house, built into a garden stonewall. We decided to put some fish in there that normally wouldn't be expected to last all year under the outdoor conditions we have here on the Norwegian west coast, but still were thought to be able to handle subtropical conditions. Some were brought back indoors as the temperature in the water dropped gradually in the autumn months, but two species seemed to thrive. One of those was

Corydoras paleatus

, the other was a hillstream loach of the Gastromyzon genus or something similar. We monitored the temperature closely, and we were very surprised when it dropped to 5 degrees Celcius during the winter (the tank was heated enough to keep it from freezing) and these fishes were still going strong! As I write this, they have lived outdoors for 2 years, surviving the cold with seemingly no problems.

Haakon

[Bas Pels]

Corydoras paleatus is said to survive under ice in winter. But I don't think your average Norwegian winter is acceptable

Gastromyzon is often kept too warm. Hillstream loaches might swim to the glacier - and even in the tropics, that's cold

[Shane]

Watch out for the natives carrying something that the exotics may not have the immune system to cope with, even if you shift them out well in advance there could still be something wicked this way comes.

Truth be told, I am far more concerned with store bought fishes introducing a disease than healthy wild fishes. All the years I spent collecting my own fishes I only very, very rarely had to treat for disease. Now that I am buying fish from stores again I had to dust off my aquarium disease handbooks and buy several medications.
-Shane

[Shane]

I'll get an updated pic posted soon, but the pond has been a smashing success. The surface is covered with darting fry from two species of native cyprinid as well as cherry barbs and white cloud minnows. I added a group of

Corydoras paleatus

and expect fry to show up soon (there is a summer downpour forcasted for this evening). The bottom and sides now have a nice coat of algae, so I'll soon be adding a group of

Ancistrus hoplogenys

.

The emersed and aquatic plants have been growing like mad and I plan to move several more aquatic plants from the fishroom out for some summer sun.

Last night there was a lot of very loud frog activity coming from the pond. Went down and checked this morning and spotted a dozen clusters of fresh frog eggs, so we'll have pollywogs too.

-Shane

[2wheelsx2]

Wow, this is a very neat little project. Seems so little when you see it relative to the space, but in reality, 200 gallons is probably a lot of work to keep neat and tidy. It would be so neat to have frogs and other creatures spawn in the spawn but alas, the raccoon, crows and coyotes would have a field day in my neighbourhood. You don't have any wildlife "fishing" expeditions in your backyard?

[Shane]

Here it is.
-Shane

[Scleropages]

Looks great. I'll bet your back is feeling better by now too. Keep taking those rum drinks, as needed, for prophylaxis.

I bet if you keep small enough species of fish, nothing as far as raccoons, bears, nor piscivorous birds are going to try to eat them.

[indiCa]

Awesome fish room and a porch with a pond right outside of the door, very nice!

[scientist0724]

It looks great Shane! I'll bet you are enjoying that new addition by sitting next to it with a cold cocktail in hand.

Arlene

[Janne]

Last night there was a lot of very loud frog activity coming from the pond. Went down and checked this morning and spotted a dozen clusters of fresh frog eggs, so we'll have pollywogs too.

Maybe you should take out the frog eggs if you want to save the fry from your fish... I like frogs but not with fish

Janne

[Shane]

I am thinking the same thing Janne. That said, these are from tree frogs so I am not sure that they will have a negative impact. I would feel much different if they were from bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana).

Check out this really cool link for Virginia's frogs and toads.

http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociet ... rginia.htm

-Shane