DIY Economic pond :)

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AndrewMack

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Feb 8, 2007
499
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Fleming Island FL
So I wanted a pond sense my 300g plywood build is on hold. So I went and bought a 8'x8'x18" pool with a 20mill PVC bottom, I started digging and im going to put down 1/2" felt underneath and that will also help keep warm on the 8 days a year it gets cold here. the area i put it in is in direct sunlight till about 2pm so im not to terribly worried about temp. although it will be monitored and covered if needed. so im sure i will get a ton of negative remarks for this as i do for everything else but its all good :headbang2PS i love digging in florida, this took me all of 2 hours with a lot of beer breaks http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e304/AndrewMack/DSCF6335.jpg
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almost done
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negative talkers have their heads a certain place pay them no mind for they speak with no mind

looks like it will be a fun pool to start with
 
a flat nose shovel and a 36 or 48 inch level would be very handy for the bottom. smooth it out with the shovel and float it with the level to get the ripples out.
:goldfish::goldfish::goldfish:
 
not a bad idea, ill see if anyone at work has a flat shovel and big level, regardless im going to put down a few inches of sand then the 1/2" felt so it can kind of self level. well every over at AC was hatin on me when i said i wanted koi and i was a terrible fish keeper lol so im going with shubunkin and my friends pacu for the summer till his 4000 is finished. How can i stop roots from puncturing the liner? about how many shubunkins can i have in there and what would you guys recomend for my filter, im goign to use pot scrubbers and filter floss
 
About how many shubunkin can I house in here? if they are only 4"s
 
Looks like a cool project.....can't wait to see it when it is finished!

I made myself a filter out of a flower pot. It is filled with sponges and scrubbies. I have a water hose attached to the pump and it feeds the water to the flower pot (top) and then have a hole at the bottom of the pot that acts as a waterfall. Total cost me about $20 not including the pump....the pump was $28 shipping included off ebay (aqua active 400 gph) If you have any questions, just let me know.
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I would say you could put about 10 shubunkins in there. That pond should hold about 650 gallons right?
 
Im not sure the box says 550g but when i calculated it i got more. its 8x8 and 18"deep but will most likely only be filled to the 17" mark. what about an algae eater for this? I was thinking a common pleco then bring him in for the winter in my 300g but i hate moving large fish around more then i aboslutely have to. Only 10 shubunkins? is that full grown? 10 full grown would be awesome but when they are small that pond will look empty. How big is your pond?
 
Stock levels will be determined by your turn over rate. At 650 gals. i would start w/ at least a dozen. I wouuld think any LFS of nursery would give you a break 10+ fish. If not, find one that does.

Don't rush to get the fish. Set it up and let it run for a few days to check parms. and any tweaking that will be necessary. Keep an eye on the temp, but since it's in the shade in the afternoon, you should be good. The 18" depth isn't ideal, due to temp swings, but this is your first pond. I give you 3-4 weeks before your surfing craigslist looking for something bigger. Trust me, people always say they wish they went bigger, but you have to start somewhere.

You could also start w/some cheap feeder comets as "canaries" for the first week or so. The only problem there is the def. need to be QT prior to introducing any nicer stock. Your friend would hate to loss his Pacu I'm sure.
 
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