Looking for small pond (fresh and salt) inspiration

[ichthyogeek]

So I've got a 4'x3'x2' tub that I'd like to put fish into. Right now I'm looking for inspiration and top-down pictures of people's fish. While I can find goldfish ponds everywhere, it's harder to find tropical indoor ponds. I know I don't really want cichlids or turtles. But I'd love if I could get some top down photos of archerfish, dwarf lionfish, tangs, goatfish, tobies, and the harlequin tuskfish.

I'm also open to other (non-cichlid) ideas, especially with large fish that I can see (no guppies/small loaches, etc.). I'd do a ray, but I don't think the tub is large enough surface area wise (or even filtration wise)..

 

[tlindsey]

So I've got a 4'x3'x2' tub that I'd like to put fish into. Right now I'm looking for inspiration and top-down pictures of people's fish. While I can find goldfish ponds everywhere, it's harder to find tropical indoor ponds. I know I don't really want cichlids or turtles. But I'd love if I could get some top down photos of archerfish, dwarf lionfish, tangs, goatfish, tobies, and the harlequin tuskfish.

I'm also open to other (non-cichlid) ideas, especially with large fish that I can see (no guppies/small loaches, etc.). I'd do a ray, but I don't think the tub is large enough surface area wise (or even filtration wise)..

twentyleagues

 

[Deadeye]

African butterfly fish?

 

[Manning99]

African butterfly fish are great but are quite notorious for jumping, if the ponds open top might be an issue.

 

[Deadeye]

I thought that could be an issue, but I figured the pond would be too small for a conventional aro, so next best thing.

what about polys?

 

[twentyleagues]

Here is mine. Yes there are some precautions and fish knowledge you need to not have jumping issues. African butterflys would be awesome but I'd worry they would be even more prone to jumping then polys. Very important to have a small mesh net to cover the pond when not viewing, smaller the mesh less chance of the fish getting caught in the net if they were to jump.

 

[twentyleagues]

So I've got a 4'x3'x2' tub that I'd like to put fish into. Right now I'm looking for inspiration and top-down pictures of people's fish. While I can find goldfish ponds everywhere, it's harder to find tropical indoor ponds. I know I don't really want cichlids or turtles. But I'd love if I could get some top down photos of archerfish, dwarf lionfish, tangs, goatfish, tobies, and the harlequin tuskfish.

I'm also open to other (non-cichlid) ideas, especially with large fish that I can see (no guppies/small loaches, etc.). I'd do a ray, but I don't think the tub is large enough surface area wise (or even filtration wise)..

I also used two of these ponds when I had salt water. One had sharks, bamboo and coral cats ( it was to small for the bamboo cats eventually) and a couple of rays. The other one had non coral safe fish as all my displays were reefs, a couple angles a couple triggers.
Lion fish would be really cool!

 

[Deadeye]

What about a piranha pond. The perfect home defense system.

 

[Kolton13]

Maybe a Large catfish would be awesome. You could do a small kind of ray.

 

[ichthyogeek]

What about a piranha pond. The perfect home defense system.

I'm fairly certain that the whole 'piranhas eat people at any whim' thing is an overdone myth...but regardless, thanks! I don't think I'd go with them because they're basically illegal everywhere I look in the USA...

Maybe a Large catfish would be awesome. You could do a small kind of ray.

Maybe? For the larger less active catfish, probably something less than 1', but for the more active ones, less than 6" so they'd have adequate swimming space. What type of ray are you talking about? Ideally it would be less than 1' in diameter (less if the tail was long)....