16'x12'x3.5' in-door pond

[tomojsg]

so im planning to buy a pond thats foot print is 16'Lx 12'W x 3.5'H from a LFS that used it as a koi pond at the store but no loner in use... hes giving me the filter & everything i need to run it but the filter is a canister filter system or similar in sort using a big drum with pvc pipes and a return pump... what i want to know is will this one filtration system be suffice to handle all the bio load & keep the water crystal clear? also i was wondering if it was possible or a good idea to cut a section off the wood frame & pond liner to make a viewing window panel on one side? if i do cut it off and put the window for viewing it will be a glass or acrylic around 1" in thickness with extra support frames & layers of sealant around it on the inside. so is the viewing panel a possibility? will it break down from pressure or can it work?

its either i buy this pond or make my own with similar footprints.
any feed back or other ideas as to build a cost effective in-door
pond is greatly welcomed.

 

[tis-star]

woah O.O

 

[tomojsg]

yup my tanks just dont cut it so im goin big with the big boys or quitting the hobby! lol XD

 

[shellies215]

It's been done with the liner and the window. There's a tank built that way somewhere in the DIY section, but it's going to be difficult to seal the liner to the window, and that's a lot of water if it spills.

 

[tomojsg]

im planning to glue the liner to the wood then add a wood frame around it and seal the glass or acrylic to the wood with another wood frame on top of it

 

[shellies215]

The problem is most sealers/glues won't stick to the pond liner.

 

[tomojsg]

really? dang thats a bummer =T ... guess ill just be making my own pond instead of buying this one then

 

[shellies215]

I'm not trying to shoot down the whole idea, I'm just saying make sure you do plenty of research as to what will/won't work so you know what you're getting into. I'd hate to see anyone waste time/money on a failed project due to lack of planning.

 

[tomojsg]

well ive been planning to build my own pond but a lfs i stopped by today had the pond empty and said i could take the pond & everything for a few hundred bucks so i was thinking about experimenting with it with the whole viewing window idea but if its gonna be that difficult id rather just build a pond myself or build a big tank with plywood and 2x4 and add the viewing panel by spending a bit more but i understand where your coming from thats why im constantly looking at other peoples build on here. also do u think adding a uv light is a good idea? most likely it will be one strip bulb of those low watt/weaker reptile/pet uv light added to the other lights.

 

[tomojsg]

can someone give me their blueprint on their diy tank with a viewing panel? i already have the blue print down for when i make it but since i havent started yet i wanna see other peoples blue print and think of other ideas also.