DIY Indoor Stingray Pond (Inexpensive)

[Miles]

First, build yourself a hefty base. I made the pond 8x4' because you can pretty much buy everything at the perfect size or only will need a few simple cuts.

If you want, you could probably build it right on the floor. You could also use cinder blocks as the exterior framework.

[Miles]

I built the frame out of 2x12's, as they were all pre-cut and very solid for a frame. They are also fairly inexpensive as well. I put a $7 sheet of paneling underneath the frame, and put support nails every foot or so, to re-inforce the 2x12's from bowing out..

After the frame was well attached, we put in the soft pre-liner..

(Ignore the very ugly room in my new house, LOL, no time to pull the panelling yet.. Fish first, house later! :) )

[Miles]

Then we put in the pond liner.. It's the extra heavy duty kind.. You could probably go with a lighter one, but this was left over from a previous pond. We cut off the excess..

We also decided to get tricky and put in a bulkhead and overflow on the bottom.. :) :naughty: :grinyes:

[Miles]

Finished up the bulkhead.. Got it in place.

Then we added the trim around the outside.. Some nice fencing for very inexpensive.. A little sanding and it came out very nice. This helps re-inforce the 2x12's from bowing.

And then you have a finished product! Kind of..

The best part is yet to come, when I put a 'shell' around the outside of the wood..I can use whatever color and texture I want, and cut it to fit. I have a million of options.. I will also design a nice looking lid for it to hold the humidity in and create shade, but I will have an air exchanger anyways.

[Pangong_ilong]

:clap :clap :clap Like your setup.

[sam_cj]

very nice ray tank project. congrats bro miles! :thumbsup:

[Honda12]

Wow that is a pretty good idea.

[Micky_Fahaka]

very cool!!!!

[Loubard]

It looks very nice!

[throttle]

simple....very cool!:clap

[fishnthings]

i want to build one of these now..... great!!!!!

[born2lovefish]

That is sweet. Maybe after moving out I will make one!

[davo]

looks awesome miles, is it new? or has been tested? just wondered how well it worked and if there were anything you'd redo. How deep is it? Great tips and instruction. cheers

[slammer]

Excellant! That's even cheaper than my timber ponds! I love how it's nice and high. Can't wait for the "finished" pics.

[Miles]

We put water and tested it today.. Sealed the bulkhead and had it run a temp sump for a while.. Worked great :)

Its only 12" tall.. My carpentry work isn't the best and I'm sure some woodworkers could do a really great job on it.. I am going to cover up the outsides with a 'shell' of some sorts and make a nice lid for it eventually.. We will see. I will have more pictures when we get some fish in it and the shell around it. :)

[skinless]

yes, this is a very cool DIY. seems an inexpensive way to keep some rays.

[mjime714]

Thats COOL!! I would build something like that... if I were able to keep rays.

[davo]

i'd like to see updates, because this may be an option for me to try to. howd you do the lid?cheers bud

[b-man]

hi there

lets see some finished pics! btw i was curious to see how do you keep the sides from bow-ing outward due to water pressure? i can't really tell by your pictures you posted.

[Miles]

hi there

lets see some finished pics! btw i was curious to see how do you keep the sides from bow-ing outward due to water pressure? i can't really tell by your pictures you posted.

It has a 8x4' sheet of thick tagboard on the bottom that I got from home depot. It was only $7.. It's flimsey, but very solid lengthwise. I used it as the base, and put a screw in about every 12".. That, combined with the ledge around the top gives it structrual support, not to mention that 2x12's are quite sturdy. At 12", the tank is only 200 gallons and dosn't put alot of pressure on the sides anyways.

If I made it any taller, I would of made some center braces and used a sheet of plywood instead of tagboard for the base..

I still haven't made a lid yet.. Doing tests, working on plumbing it through walls, that sort of thing.. :) I think I am going to use a fabric for the lower part of the shell, to cover the stand but still allow easy access for storage.. The upper part of it will be covered with something cooool, you'll see :)

[rottbo]

fabric is a good way to cover it miles i did that on my old double 55 stand it made maintence easy

[stotty]

Congratulations on a Job Well Done:clap

[rob408]

This is crazy, I was just talking to my neighbor about making an 8X4 tank just like yours. It looks simple enough. Did you use anything to adhere the pond lining on the sides? I will tag along and follow this thread. I might actually do one by this summer.

[Miles]

All I used was 3" screws for the entire thing..

[rvrrays]

I like the fact that you got it up in the air and that you have a bulkhead for draining or filtering.

Very nice.

Colin

[Nic]

looks good miles

[Don4921]

i like it:thumbsup: :clap

[Miles]

I like the fact that you got it up in the air and that you have a bulkhead for draining or filtering.

Very nice.

Colin

:WHOA:

Thanks Colin :D One of these days! :grinyes:





Appreciate the kind words everyone.. Just wait until my next update..

Ever seen 'Pimp My Ride'.. Well get ready for 'PIMP MY POND'..

[rayman45]

woah... never saw this post

nice work miles

[ChrisGray]

looks good cant wait to see pix when stingrays are in it

[Miles]

looks good cant wait to see pix when stingrays are in it

ask and ye shall recieve..

heres an update.. :) Ignore all the water under the sump, I had a lil accident..

[Miles]

Added some plants if you can't tell..

Put in an overflow box and laid it on it's side with a large powerhead and heaters inside.. makes it all 'ray safe'.. I also have some of these installed vertically in my other tanks, they are about 18" tall and if anyone wants to purchase some, PM me :)

Heres some pics of the plants and the male motoro..

[Miles]

I am working on finishing up the 'shell' and making a very cool 'lid' to provide shade/cover and less humidity..

Check out what I will be putting on the underside of the 'lid', as it will be able to be propped up at an angle with hooks, in which you can sit back and view the the entire pond from the other side of the room while lounging on the couch..

Pimp my ride? more like Pimp my pond!

[FishHeadSoup]

when can i hire you to build one for me???

wonderful ray tank!!! love the plants!!!

[Honda12]

Looks really good.

[rayman45]

need more rays

[davo]

that is looking really good, cheers for the updates.

[Waverz]

Looking real good man, its a perfect solution to my problem. I have 2 motoros in a 18" wide tank and need to get hem in a bigger tank ASAP. Looks like i will be building on of these this weekend.

Thanks for the killer idea!

[Waverz]

Just went and bought the lumber and liner. It costs around $150 for the whole thing. Alot cheaper than a glass tank with that amount of surface area.

[Waverz]

Mines done, i tried installing a bulkhead int he bottom and it leaked so i just slapped on my cpr overflow that was on my 125. Turned out pretty good and i think the rays love it.

Ill post pics tommorow.

[rottbo]

Mines done, i tried installing a bulkhead int he bottom and it leaked so i just slapped on my cpr overflow that was on my 125. Turned out pretty good and i think the rays love it.

Ill post pics tommorow.
where in iowa????

[suckerfish]

great work miles. i'm interested in this "overflow box". is it hang on? does it spill over the top, or through a cut slot in the wood? or is it inside the perimeter of the pond??? is it in addition to the bulk head at the bottom? or in conjunction with the bulk head? can you post more pics of the box please?
J

[Steve_89]

Very cool Miles :thumbsup:

Looks like a great way to set up a pond.

[Steve_89]

BTW the mirror idea is awesome :thumbsup:

[Opiate]

very nice...

[shwag]

nice set up bro

[MotoXXX9999]

Nice tank:)

[jarcher1390]

great idea im going to make 1 it will go well in ma fish house wen i move house thanks for sharing this brill idea

[dapike1979]

Good job I want one thank's for the pic's!!:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[MikeVance]

Awesome idea!
:grinyes:

[Aras118119]

I am going to have to make one of those now it looks awesome cant wait to see more pics.

[Miles]

great work miles. i'm interested in this "overflow box". is it hang on? does it spill over the top, or through a cut slot in the wood? or is it inside the perimeter of the pond??? is it in addition to the bulk head at the bottom? or in conjunction with the bulk head? can you post more pics of the box please?
J

The overflow boxes came out of some old PetCo tanks.. They are actually very effecient when set-up properly. This one is not part of the overflow itself, as that would of been much to difficult. Rather it is a casing for 2x250w heaters, and a 350gph powerhead that creates all the circulation the pond needs. It makes your equipment ray safe. Usually I paint them black and silicone them into my 50g tanks, but this one I simply laid on it's side. It has 3 chambers which can hold seperate medias, but 2 chambers are heaters and the 3rd is holding an XL sponge/powerhead.

Here are some more photos.. Not the best. I can take some from the 50gs if you want..

I have a ton of them too, for sale :)

[Alexraptor]

Awesome, just what i was looking for, im planning on keeping rays myself :)

[davo]

you do a lid yet miles?

[Alexraptor]

would this method work safley if one built it so that the pond goes all the way down to floor level? minus that particular overflow and sump setup of couse.

Have been looking at building a saltwater indoor pond.

[pacpakkie]

Nice pics!!!:headbang2

[ZOO YORK 207]

miles can i make a pond out of an old beer can that can hold around 80 or 90 gallons and just plumb in a filter system and put in a pond liner

[teamdynasty691]

Hi i am thinking about making one in my basement and i was wondering how much it totally costed you and i am thinking about making it 7 foot by 3 foot and a foot high. how many rays could i keep in thier. I need to upgrade my motoro to a bigger tank he is currentelly in a 75 gallon so he needs bigger!

[Miles]

The supplies was less than $60, but like I said.. most of the stuff I had around my house, and the pond liner is going to be the largest expense.. I believe it was over a hundred dollars.

I would go 8x4 because that is the standard that most boards come in (plywood), so you won't have to make any cuts.. I didn't.

You can use a beer can, I guess.. ?

You can get pre-built horse troughs that are fairly large (300gish) for under $200 as well, they seem to work well for ray owners.

[suckerfish]

thanks for the explanation, Miles. i see the boxes are pretty much circulation, heating and bio. i'll be doing something similar for my pbass. and Li can't come anywhere close to my fish:screwy:
did you glue in the bulk head on the bottom or just thread tighten?

[mafia_69]

niceeeee

[mafia_69]

ive got a pond with koi. im thinking of getting that though

[mafia_69]

anyone knows where to buy?

[mafia_69]

anyone?

[mafia_69]

one last thing.
what to feed them?

[matc489]

nice pond :headbang2

[matc489]

Nice setup :thumbsup:

[Danh]

How bad does that evaporate? I guess it would depend on where you are also.

[KJP]

MAFIA. YOU CAN BUY THOSE AT ANY TRACTOR SUPPLY CO., BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THEY HAVE THOSE IN PORTUGAL. MAYBE ORDER IT ONLINE.

[casper753]

very nice ..:D

[carl_in_florida]

Can someone post a link on the care and requirements for a ray?

Thanks,

Carl

[Miles]

The first requirement would be not living in Florida :(

[Kuda]

thats a great idea,

[carl_in_florida]

The first requirement would be not living in Florida :(

What's up with that? I thought they like higher temps?

[Kuda]

i am about to build this ray pod of yours, with an extreme amout of filtration, how many rays could i gouse in it

[zhuangsw]

bro mile,

the tank looks nice, with the lenght and the width. but wads up with the height? poor rays cant do comando climbs or swim up and down much.. =(

wads the height of the pond?

[Brent]

looks nice
great new ideas for me

[chillaxe]

really great idea

[Miles]

What's up with that? I thought they like higher temps?

Most SA Stingrays are illegal in FL.

[Miles]

bro mile,

the tank looks nice, with the lenght and the width. but wads up with the height? poor rays cant do comando climbs or swim up and down much.. =(

wads the height of the pond?

I've noticed they don't care to swim up the side much when they have enough area to swim. Most of them are wild juveniles that are being Quarantined. The tanks lack of depth makes for less water volume, therefor less concentration of medication($$).

You could hold alot of juveniles rays in a pool like this, I've done up to 10 at 7-8".. But even if you have a huge filtration system, you would need to do daily water changes. The volume of the pond I am guessing is around 150g, with water in it. This means your nitrates will climb real fast, and your ammonia could spike easily if you overfeed.

[RadleyMiller]

Nice:headbang2 and some say us Petsmart guys don't know about fish!

[doubledragon]

Hey guys, those are some awesome ray tanks definitely something I'll be lookin at doin in the future! That setup would also be cool for so many other species. You just opened up a huge can of worms for me...Thanks

[vicedretard]

i noticed the caption at the end said (very inexpensive) i was wondering what inexpensive was ....cause that is a damn nic pond you got there buddy...i am amzed that it turned out as well as it did.congrats:jaw: :mwave: :cheers:

[tx_bandit_01]

That sound cool to have stingray pond

[T]

that is the best lookn pond i have seen. and especially since its soo cheap to make.
hahah i would make one. but i dont like labor... so i have a industrial bin LOL

[JOEG.]

that is a great idea....

[vicedretard]

i still want a freshwater ray...especially after seeing this niffty lil indoor pond.

[chenaus]

WOw ive been thinking up ways on how to make something like this.
WOuld it be rude to ask how much you spent on this setup?

[Unknown-Soldier]

very cool ting to do i wish i had the money for that!!! make it and go get a shark and some rays HAHA

[bigbipo]

ALSOME DIY PROJECT!!!!
What are the demensions?

[vicedretard]

must admit that is probably one of my favorite indoor ponds i have ever seen...garuntee top three on my list for home made.

[Demon_fish]

i am realy thinking about doing this. i have wanted to do a DIY aquarium for a while but the cost always got too high. dont think ill do rays inn it though. thanks for the idea!

[freshyfishy]

Looks sweet.

[Hasi]

Thats awesome and suitable for anyone!

Thanks for sharing Miles

[ryry278]

looks amazing.. working on a 3 foot wide 5 foot long and 18 inches deep any filter suggestions for stingrays

[HASSAN]

WHY THE PHOTOS DON'T APPEAR !?

[Mem]

WHY THE PHOTOS DON'T APPEAR !?
I believe you need to have 10 (Ten) posts to view the photos. Try logging out then back and in viewing again.

[porky]

Great idea for an inexpensive pond! Thanks for sharing your experience!

[Zoso]

that is a sweet inexpensive but good looking setup

[erider]

i am just about ready to build i just need idea for a lid.i work in hvac and we have drip pans for large units.they are 2" high and just about every w & l,but black.i would like something that looks nice.

[ays]

looks great!

[frasertheking]

cool:headbang2

[art]

hey man whats better to put a ray in ? an aquarium or an indoor pond

[art]

please reply

[khayman218]

Nice setup!

[krj-1168]

Very nice - stingray pond. :)

[gunn55]

http://www.anythingfish.com/Todd's%20Cement%202500/Todd's_Concrete_2500_Gallon_Aquarium.htm

[mr_jars]

that setup is money.. props

[cram]

nice work!

[pounder]

more pics!!:popcorn:

[BrtnBoy449]

sweet idea you had there

[shinypenny]

Hey Miles, Just wondered if you had any pictures of the tank with lid now?

Also, I was considering the design, if you pushed the height to 2' then do you think that you would need exterior support for the sides, like 2"x2" running up the outside of the legs? Then a pair of 2"x2" cross supports maybe.

Could you even just seal the inside instead of lining it. This would reduce the cost quite a bit, and reduce the chance that a ray could poke through the lining, what do you think?

[Miles]

The ray won't poke through the lining.. especially if you get it extra thick..

All of your ideas could work well in theory though! If you add more height, just add more bracing around the outside and maybe cross bracing over the top..

No pics of the lid.. I gave it away.

[Jkoziatek]

nice job man

[filiportela]

great job miles ;)

[pirarucu319]

superb nice..
look like motoro there..
got tiger??
thanx for sharing

ANCIENT MONSTER RULEZ :arapaimag :asianarow

[edotero]

Great idea

[Oscarboyz]

how many rays did u end up putting in there?

[basslover34]

Rays are so cool, I think you need to have a huge tank for them though .. and I just don't have that kind of space... untill that one faithfull day that the kids get old enough that I can convert their play room into a tank ;-)

[severum1]

Nice. How many rays do you have in it?

[pirarucu319]

really nice setup..:nilly:
how many ray in that tank??

[malawi haps]

great idea !! Nice job.

[stingray man]

How tall is the part that will hold the rays i might have to do somthing like this soone

[Miles]

12".. used 2 x 12's

[cerdmw]

That concrete aquarium page is sweet. 2500 gallon aquarium in the basement...there's a new goal!

[oscarface]

nice

[oscarface]

Nice Job!

[draigo]

this will be my next diy project

[Cammo X]

u sold it??

Cammo X

[Miles]

Yeah this pond went away a long time ago.. :)

Great thread..

[MUNSTA]

Great DIY project

[snaggle]

Any new pics?

[Miles]

Heres some pix from when there was Rays in it..

[snaggle]

What is in it now?

[Miles]

sold it..

[brisil]

looking good

[stingray94]

That stinks that you sold it. How thick of a pond liner would you suggest to do something like this? And what do you think the possibility of a ray poking through something like this is? thanks for the idea I am really considering building something similar.

[Miles]

I used a thick liner, but with something that shallow you wouldn't need a thick one, just be careful. The rays won't poke the liner.. unless maybe they are adults and breeding .

[chrisngo]

Did you sell the pond to pursue something else? or was there more negatives than positives with maintaining it?

Chris

[Miles]

It was a great pond..

Sold it because I was no longer importing stingrays.. didnt need it taking up so much space.

It converted to a bearded dragon habitat.. then a turtle habitat..

now its the work bench for my pottery studio.

[stingrayJK]

Miles,
I would like your permission to use you design at my shop for my smaller fw rays and pups that will be born soon .....hope you don't mind . Your design is just top notch bud.

Also would you mind sending me any plans and other suggestion on improving the design ?? I am going to set up along side my 5800 gallon indoor ponds for my adult rays and splice them into my existing central filters system. I have plans to build 4 of your designs for that system plus 2 more on a independent system for my vet area for new arrivals.

Thank you in advance,

Jason
CEO/OWNER
Dark Rivers Hatchery LLP.
Harpers Ferry,WV

[Flash]

Sorry if you answered this, but how did you drill a hole in your liner?

[Flash]

bump

[EMH79ca]

Very nice