Cycling a 3000 Gal Pond.

[batang_mcdo]

I justfinished building my pond.
its 3000 gal, i added12 inch Iridescent shark into the pond.
I'm preparing the pond for 7 pcs 24 inch arowanas.

but want to make sure its safe and ready for them.

I just cleaned one of my sump which is really dirt, i rinsed the dirt into my sump. I'm just curious if my pond will cycle with only the 2 Iridescent sharks?

 

[Drstrangelove]

Okay, let me see if I have it right.

I assume you mean that these are the current size of the fish based upon your post. IF what you mean is that the arowanas are small now and will one day become 24 inches, then you are probably fine and you can disregard the rest of my post.

However, if what you means is this:

1) you have (2) 12-inch fish in a pond
2) you are going to add (7) 24-inch fish

Then you currently have around 3 lbs of fish and you will then have around 27 lbs of fish once you add the arowana. Your tank will go through a mini cycle if you feed the fish according to their current size and appetites. Three lbs of fish will generate far less BB than you need and you will see spikes in ammonia and nitrite. It will seem gradual at first because the pond is so large but if you feed the fish to their size, your ammonia will ratchet up after every feeding and not come down to the earlier levels. In perhaps a week or more, ammonia will start to come down again depending on the conditions of the water and the pond. Eventually nitrite will spike similarly and that will be more pesky since that bacteria populations takes longer to duplicate.

You can of course do large % water changes to try to keep this under control. Another plan might be to start off with very light feedings and work gradually up to full feedings over the course of 2-4 weeks.

 

[Hoplo]

It will cycle, but it will only cycle for the bio load of the fish that you have in it. When ever you add new fish to a tank/pond it will go through a mini cycle. So when you add the 7 arowana that is a lot of load for the filter, and it will go through a cycle. If when adding the arowana you add the filter media from there old tank it will help minimise this effect as most of the bio filter is in that.

Also if you do a large fish less cycle in the pond before adding the fish it will make the adding of the aroawna a lot less stressful on the fish, and less likely to loose any.

 

[batang_mcdo]

thanks guys, Yup I have 2 inch fish right now as test fish.
I have washed some dirt from my aquarium sump which are really dirty, but I think having only 2 fish in the pond, there might now be enough ammonia to cycle?
But i think i'll ad a 24 inch aro first, then gradually add the others in when i'm sure the filter can handle the full load.

 

[Oscarum monstruoso]

On that big of a volume Id go with a urine based fishless cycle.

 

[Athleticfisherman]

thanks guys, Yup I have 2 inch fish right now as test fish.
I have washed some dirt from my aquarium sump which are really dirty, but I think having only 2 fish in the pond, there might now be enough ammonia to cycle?
But i think i'll ad a 24 inch aro first, then gradually add the others in when i'm sure the filter can handle the full load.

I would love to see pics of your pond !

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

 

[Hoplo]

I would love to see pics of your pond !

Sent from my SM-G900W8 using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

I would second that motion.

 

[batang_mcdo]

Here are some pictures.

 

[monroekwok]

holly cow that's a nice set up, how is that thing heated?

 

[Allan01230]

Nice! I would go with koi the blue and silver and orange. Sorry just me.