Help me plan for and design my new tank / pond

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Chicxulub

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Aug 29, 2009
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Hello all. I am about a year and a half to two years out from starting the physical construction of this project, so I want to start planning now. I am currently in the army. I get out in February 2014. When I get out, I'm going to move home and build a house. In this house, I want some sort of enormous, integral fish habitat.

The two things that I am considering now are:

1- An incredibly over sized conventional aquarium, on the order of 900-1100 gallons (120" x 54" x 36", 1005 gallons is what I'm considering) built into the heart of the house in such a way as to have three sides viewable, with one of the short walls painted black and connected to a dedicated filtration room.

Pros:
Cost (relative)
Ease of filtration (relative)
View-ability

Cons:
Difficulty in maintenance
Extremely limited on potential stock; I'm not going to be able to house more than two or three of our monsters for life in this. My goal is to house 1 GATF, 1 armatus, 1 tarpon, 1 silver aro, 1 CK, 1 RTC and ?? if not for life, for a very long time. I would like to eventually add a 'pima and gator gar to this mix, plus and undetermined number of others that I'm sure will eventually catch my attention. If I can't get custom glass made, would I be able to get away with this kind of mix with a 730 from Glasscages (130 x 37.5 x 36.5)?


2- An integral pond of several thousand gallons when I pour my foundation. most of it would be about 3' deep, but one side would slant down to roughly 8' deep and have a series of 24" by 96" x ?" viewing panels. I figure that would be much cheaper than a continuous viewing panel. This would also have a dedicated filtration room, but would more than likely be outside on the order of a pump shed. Anyone from the southeast knows what I'm talking about. This would be a true outdoor pond, which I feel I could get away with as I am moving to either Florida or Texas, the Gulf Coast either way. The plan for this would be to have the viewing panels in my "man cave" which would be your typical half sunken room. The pond would be 3' above the surface of the ground, so it would only be 5' below the surface. My rough estimate on surface area would be 20' by 10' with the viewing panels on the 10' side and my patio along side of the 20' side with the entire surface area of the pond enclosed in my screened porch.

Pros:
I could keep any FW fish that exists for life
Cool factor
Larger body of water would be very stable

Cons:
TREMENDOUS cost increase
TREMENDOUS power use increase
Difficult to filter
Difficult to clean


So. This is all I've come up with so far. I'd rather do the pond, but the potential cost of it is scaring me. I would want to keep the total investment at or below $10,000 so the integral pond may be out. Any suggestions? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?

I know either way I go, this is going to cost an amazing amount of money, and I'm prepared for that. I feel that I'm going to be able to get around that by building my house to this body of water, however. That is where you guys come in. Help me build my dream setup.

I'm going to update this slowly as things progress toward the breaking of ground on my new home in about two years. :)
 
Yeah, I imagine you guys probably do get a hundred tire kickers a month. I'll wait till I get closer and at least have pics of the property before asking I reckon.
 
Personally, I would go with option 1. You can always add another outdoor pond, but the thing is, ponds are hard. Not in their construction or anything (though this sounds difficult enough), but in their maintenance and stocking. You are faced with completely unpredictable conditions due to weather and etc.

Keeping a large pond running is going to cost TONS more, which you've already realized, and might not be something you can afford in the future (as in, you don't know the entire state of your finances 5 years from now, nor in 5 years will you know 5 years from then). Either has an initial cost which you evaluate your ability to handle at the time that it's being spent, but lets say that something happens for the worst and you fall on tough financial times, with option 1, you have a higher chance of being able to leave it running, but with option 2, you might have to shut it down.

My comments on option 1: You're going to want one of the rooms that the tank adjoins to be somewhere where you can maintenance the tank from, that'll remove headaches (or at least lessen them). As far as filtration, look to see what pacumom is doing for her (massive) tank. I always love her set ups, and this new one is no different.
 
I dunno if u thought of this, but what about an indoor pond? It is my dream setup so i'll mention it and maybe u can work it out. Basically the idea is having a big living room and having a 10'x6' stone indoor pond above floor level with a viewing panel on one or two sides, with a small stone waterfall one one side with a hidden filtration system inside it and lots and lots of pond plants. Basically smth between the two options u listed.
 
alexanian said:
I dunno if u thought of this, but what about an indoor pond? It is my dream setup so i'll mention it and maybe u can work it out. Basically the idea is having a big living room and having a 10'x6' stone indoor pond above floor level with a viewing panel on one or two sides, with a small stone waterfall one one side with a hidden filtration system inside it and lots and lots of pond plants. Basically smth between the two options u listed.
Click to expand...

Ya... With glass sides
 
Limiting factor for building mega tank / pond not money.

Most rate-limiting step to process is finding someone to work. Do not believe everyone saying "Oh economy is so bad no jobs no work oh so bad I cry day I cry night oh help me help me help me please." Yes, help get off posterior to build mega tank / pond, you think? Answer is no-one interested. I want someone to build mega tank / pond for me so I no need supervise plumbing, tie strings to PVC to keep straight and level while concrete setting, etc, etc. Think got enough money this can be done? Not true. Well, maybe true if you in 3rd world country where if no work, people starve. But not true in developed world. One person gave me price estimate of 5 digit sum, closer to 6 digit sum, with added warning he is not building to set price, because price can blow-out anytime. Basically saying minimum high 5 digit sum with no upper limit. I say, "OK, go ahead start work." But he stay home. Have asked 3 other parties to do this job, still nothing happened. Even said can pay in cash, still nothing. Will need now find own concreter, own plumber, own fibreglass-worker, own glass-fitter, etc, etc, also I need stand there every day, supervise every step. Otherwise, can move to 3rd world country where can have slaves.

So, best advice is sure, go ahead save up money, but even more important: read up on laying concrete foundation, tank/pond and filter design, plumbing, fibreglass coating, glass thickness and installation, heating, etc, etc, and if physically fit and can do manual labor, actually, no need get high blood pressure supervising, just do it yourself.

Hope am helpful,
Kuji out.
 
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