basement pond

[nitrofish1]

i was thinking of having its own room and like 1 foot above the basement floor would be the height and the rest would be below floor level so i could put some couches in for easy viewing etc. id have to figure out filtration with the people who install it or take on this little project as the house is being built etc, probably wet/dry like dr. joe said though. id have to get some backflow valves installed in the plumbing to reduce or eliminate the chances of flooding, in which the fish would swim around the entire basement, and probably die.

my original thoguhts was a 10x6x6 pond. but my "koi for dummies" book said that for indoors, as well as outdoors, unless properly funded, and if you live in mild temperatures etc, that a 9x14x4 would be a good bet. the 9x14x4 would have the greatest volume as well as surface area, and i think it is a doable size. but according to the same book, it can properly house 2 full grown koi. i want to stock as if the koi were adults, so if i can only house say 8 full grown koi, im only going to buy 8 small koi to begin with, that way i would not have to part with any of them as they got older, id hate that idea.

 

[Dr Joe]

hi all.

the pond would be made out of concrete and most of the way in the floor so it would be easily viewable.

nitro

If it is just Koi I don't see a need for a heater at all. The inside of your basement will probally be around 70 deg.which will be just fine for them.

i wasnt going to heat the pond, but i havent heard things being taken into account like frost line and ground water level.... i just figured i just say hey i want one here and there it is. (of course with proper aeration and filtration)

Frost line and water table only pertain to dug, outdoor ponds. If you already have a basement, the water table was low enough, or else no basement. Were you thinking concrete blocks or forms to make the walls?

And exactly the reason I brought it up!

If the frost line is high (colder temps outside) and the water table is high (your physical location...in a valley or on a hill) it will directly effect the temps of the "in-ground" pond year 'round. basically 3x-4x the heating costs.

The water table and frost line may be low enough for a basement at the level it is but not if it was 4-5 foot deeper.

To insulate either an in-ground or above ground pond use atleast 2" Styrofoam sheets on side and double it for the bottom.

If you build above ground block with a liner, put the insulation between the block and liner.

Dr Joe

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[nitrofish1]

i could go either way, but i think it would be easier to have it made out of concrete into the foundation, but then again it would be less removable.

 

[Muske]

Now I see, def. check the water table if going below the slab. The hydrostatic pressure will be a lot of pressure on the walls of the tank. Not to mention added weight from the house that it will have to support if located on an outside wall. You may have to hire a structural engineer to figure out weights and surcharges.

 

[Dr Joe]

i could go either way, but i think it would be easier to have it made out of concrete into the foundation, but then again it would be less removable.

Look to putting some money into the filtration in a couple of years, so you can keep that many full grown fish (~200 inches of fish). They can become a part of the family worse than a dog! I would suggest going a little high tech, like high efficiency pump, pre-filters and and bead filter returned thru a large UV (pretty quiet too). Just pre-plumb accordingly (unless you are putting this into the mortgage).

Dr Joe

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[nitrofish1]

well, i was going to have it poured in during construction, so that part would be part of the mortgage, dunno about the filtration though. ive seen some pretty high tech filtration things that i can do. if the water table is an issue, should i make one above the floor out of conrete blocks?

so i can keep 200 inches of fish? that comes out to 5 full grown koi. ive seen many different opinions in books. iv heard 1 per 400 gallons, one per 35 cubic feet of water (since they use volume alot, with up and down as well as around), 1.5" per square foot, etc..... input?

 

[perfect_prefect]

i'd be more apt to say you can keep what you can filter for. if you have enough filter you could keep more than 5, if you have less filtration you may only be able to handle 3-4

 

[nitrofish1]

i'd be more apt to say you can keep what you can filter for. if you have enough filter you could keep more than 5, if you have less filtration you may only be able to handle 3-4

as with everything, it will probably be overfiltered. since its volume is about 3800 gallons, it will probably be filtered as if it was 6000 or so.

 

[Dr Joe]

A liner in either case would be simplest and easiest to renew.

In-ground with need to be an integral part of the foundation tied in with rebar.

Filtration is everything, but if you overstock and the filtration goes out for any number of reasons, you have far less possibility of survival (without backup systems).

High filtration will mean high flow, so a buffer of 'muffler' if you will, is in order to quiet the water flow to something the fish can live with/in.

Dr Joe

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[nitrofish1]

ok thanks. how many would you ballpark me if i didnt overstock and if i did a little?

thanks for the help again

nitro