Newbie Question. about Cold weather.

[nfored]

I have been wanting to have a couple Koi, and/or a Cat. I have an uninsulated sun room. I was thinking about building a small wooden Pond with 2x4's and pond liner, Could I get by with just using a small aquarium heater just to keep the whole thing from freezing over?

I have zero knowledge about ponds or koi, I know the basics of fish keeping; I just need to know some things to look out for, and also the temperature requirements.

[Muske]

Is the sun room attached to the house or a greenhouse out in the lawn?

If attached to the house, I think things should be no problem for heating and stock options.

[hankn]

If it is a sun room and enclosed but not heated, koi will manage fine without adding any heater. Koi make it through the winter even in ponds that freeze over.

[nfored]

Its a ghetto rigged sun room attached to the house. Who ever built it didn't insulate and you can see areas where its open to the outside. This room gets as cold as it is outside.

Thanks for your input.

[Muske]

Great stuff in the gaps and a space heater will help keep it warm.

[nfored]

Thanks for all your help everyone, I wish I could start building today, but I have other fish needs to handle this tax season. You have given me great Head start so I can sit down and figure every thing out.

One last question, do ponds have the same water change requirements as our tanks do? will I need to do 50% WC each week?

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

no
i dont think so anyway
i dont do many water changes on my tanks(1 every 3 months) and when i do it never is 50 percent and i have a gar in one tank( alot of bio load due to thier food)
ponds might be different but i dont think you will have to do a 50, unless u start having problems with water parameters. just do small ones and test ur water

[nfored]

You don't have Nitrate problems?

Thanks for the advise, I have been given a large Pool filter, and pump. My uncle had a pool and decided not to use it any more since the public pool was so cheap. So he gave me the sand filter, If only I had a transporter to move the whole pool to my house, That would have made an awesome pond.

[Ben268]

Water changes would be the same as a tank of similar size, with similar filtration, and similar stock. Bioloads all the same whether you can see through above, or the side. ;)

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

You don't have Nitrate problems?

Thanks for the advise, I have been given a large Pool filter, and pump. My uncle had a pool and decided not to use it any more since the public pool was so cheap. So he gave me the sand filter, If only I had a transporter to move the whole pool to my house, That would have made an awesome pond.

Nope.
i sume times go 6 months without water changes. Ph 7, amonnia 0, nitrites 0, nitrate 10 ppm

[Muske]

If no substrate then I would say do WC maybe monthly at 50%. I don't do any WC's on my outdoor pond, but it is heavily planted and has a gravel bottom that contains a huge amount of BB.