Can I get your opinion on above ground pound.

[wednesday13]

Have any pics? and thank you I ended up putting the braces 24" apart but i will sneak another brace in-between them!

Was focused more on documenting the window at the time lol… dug these up for ya tho from my own MFK “archives” haha…

 

[wednesday13]

Kinda hard to make out the center brace and the final layer of 2x4 i capped the frame with. I wrapped them in pond liner before screwing the top layer down.

 

[Hellothere116]

Was focused more on documenting the window at the time lol… dug these up for ya tho from my own MFK “archives” haha…
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Awesome thanks for digging them up! Looks bad ass!

 

[Hellothere116]

Was focused more on documenting the window at the time lol… dug these up for ya tho from my own MFK “archives” haha…
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Also out of curiosity what thickness of plywood did you use?

 

[wednesday13]

Also out of curiosity what thickness of plywood did you use?

I recycled a skateboard ramp i had in my garage for this build haha… so it was 2 layers of just under 1/2” ply. Can prob get away with 1 layer of 1/2” or 3/4” for “overkill”. Id guess 2x4’s are cheaper than ply these days. With 12” bracing. 1/2” ply should b more than adequate. U can save $ by using insulation on the floor instead of ply.

Another good point jjohnwm brought up is to raise the frame off the floor to keep it warmer. It will also let everything dry out if/when it does get wet. Would have to ply the bottom that way and support it well but it may last longer. Mine lasted about 2 yrs. Pacu ate through the liner and the frame rotted/molded so i tore it down. Painting the frame to waterproof it would b smart. Had i raised it off the floor or painted the frame it would have lasted many yrs longer.

 

[Hellothere116]

I think that the practicality of this idea would hinge upon how or if your garage is insulated and heated now. It might make sense to put a layer of insulation on the walls and ceiling if that's practical.

Otherwise, I personally wouldn't even consider it unless you are going coldwater. I shudder to think of the cost of heating it to tropical temperatures. And maybe it's just me, but...I wouldn't want a pond with a cover. I want to be able to see my fish all the time directly, without the need to open it up.

I have a smallish stock-tank/pond in my basement. I tried heating it and quickly gave up on that idea; it's now always at ambient room temperature in my somewhat-heated garage; maybe 55-60F in winter, 65-75F in summer. Even uncovered, the humidity is easily controlled with a dehumidifier. Right now my basement is around 25-30% humidity, and the de-humidifier never kicks on. In summer, the humidity is maintained between 30 and 40% by the dehumidifier which runs constantly, but would be up around 80-90% without. Mold hasn't been a concern.

An important point is that you would want your pond elevated above the cold concrete floor. Mine stands on a pedestal of concrete blocks placed on end. Not only does this keep it much warmer but it's a much more convenient and comfortable height for observation, and would make draining much easier if you use a siphon.

If you have jumpers, a "wall" made of the clear corrugated plastic used by me and many others as tank lids works well. Cut it into 6-inch strips (or whatever height you want) and then fasten them together to form a circle of the correct size to sit on top of the pond wall and discourage jumps. Stock tanks usually have a deep groove or well running all around the top edge to increase rigidity; the ring stands up perfectly in there, doesn't hinder observation or feeding, and is easily and instantly removable if you need to.

Finally...a quartz or other radiant heater can be set up and pointed directly at the tank or pond, to provide some supplementary heat in extreme periods of cold. These things heat objects rather than the air in between; it's astonishing how effective they can be at adding additional heat when used this way.

have any pics of you elevated stand?

 

[jjohnwm]

have any pics of you elevated stand?

Actually, no; it's got a fabric "skirt" around it to hide the junk I store under there from prying (i.e. my wife's...) eyes.

Calling it an "elevated stand" is a bit grandiose. It's just six concrete blocks, stacked 2 deep in three piles arranged in a triangle under the round stock tank. I put a piece of scrap plywood on top of each one to spread out the support. Ideally, I would have cut a big round piece the size of the tank, but...I didn't do it ideally.

 

[Hellothere116]

Actually, no; it's got a fabric "skirt" around it to hide the junk I store under there from prying (i.e. my wife's...) eyes.

Calling it an "elevated stand" is a bit grandiose. It's just six concrete blocks, stacked 2 deep in three piles arranged in a triangle under the round stock tank. I put a piece of scrap plywood on top of each one to spread out the support. Ideally, I would have cut a big round piece the size of the tank, but...I didn't do it ideally.

gotcha and beautifully well said!
Im going to go with 2by4's every 2' apart with 5x17'' long and they will be 12'' apart from one and other (pic gives a idea) 1/2 ply wood then insulation on top or maybe insulation inbeween the 2by4's maybe just maybe and then the 19/32mm really ply wood?!

 

[Hellothere116]

gotcha and beautifully well said!
Im going to go with 2by4's every 2' apart with 5x17'' long and they will be 12'' apart from one and other (pic gives a idea) 1/2 ply wood then insulation on top or maybe insulation inbeween the 2by4's maybe just maybe and then the 19/32mm really ply wood?!

with the wall i was going to us 8 3/8s lagbolt as well to help hold it together on top of the screws! (my dad just freaked me out on the dand thing bowing out so im just making word of this lol) i wouldnt mind tap coning the base but would it be needed maybe?

 

[jjohnwm]

Tapcons???

Are you trying to make sure nobody steals it? Or that an errant breeze when you open the garage door doesn't send it skittering across the floor?

This thing is going to weigh well over 4 tons. Drilling holes in the concrete underneath it to fasten it down won't do anything good...but might conceivably increase the chances of the slab cracking. Forget about Tapcons.

I'd be more concerned about those unfinished wood studs in contact with the bare concrete floor becoming damp and eventually rotting out. Read what wednesday13 said about his indoor pond.