Indoor Pond... My Family is going to think I am nuts!!

[melby1980]

Ok so after some consideration I want to make an indoor pond. It will be a few years before I can get it going but I really like the idea.

In my opinion when we purchase an animal it is a lifelong commitment. I always knew that irridescant sharks were not a good idea for a fish tank because of their size. While I was away my mother decided to purchase a few. Her oldest (about 5 years old) and nearing 18" is in a 55 gallon, the smallest about 5" -6" is in a 30 gallon. I plan on upgrading the 30 gallon to a 75 very soon to accomodate the growing fish that are in it (it also has a 6-8" Shubunkin Goldfish in it)

I do not want to deprive the catfish of the proper care (even though they were purchased without my knowledge or consent) so I AM going to do this. My family is going to think I am insane but they already have known that for years (I used to raise rats and have spent thousands on their vet care). I have never had a pond and I would like to have everything planned out carefully.

What equipment can I purchase now and store for when I am ready to set this up?

What equipment do I need for a pool that is 48" deep and about 26' around?

I currently have 3 irriedescant sharks should I plan on introducing more when it is up and running or should I stick with just the 3?

Again I am just in the planning stages we havn't even gotten into our new home yet so advice, ideas?

 

[necrocanis]

26'??? WOW, you could put dozens in a tank that size. You will need to start planning it now, and consider the filtration requirements for a pond that size, and also where will this be set up? i am assuming outside? If so you will need some mega heat to keep irridescent sharks outside. I would say that for 3 irridescent sharks you may want to aim for something in the 8'-10' dia range. Will be much easier to upkeep. If you truely want a 26' why not get some paroon sharks too lol. Depending on weather you are keeping it inside or outside heating will depend on how cold the ambient temprature of the room or outside will be at the coldest and how hot you wish to have your water. Filtration will be determined by the size and number of fish, plus how many gallons of water will be filtered. Not sure how many gallons that is, but I am betting it's at least 10,000 gals. that's a lot of heat, a lot of water, a lot of filtration, and a lot of electricity to run everything. I would suggest making a filter that is at least 10% of the total size of your pond. so at least 1000 gal filter for a pond that's 10,000 gals probably could get away with much smaller while the fish are small and upgrade it as they grow to meet the biological needs of the pond. You'll probably need dive equipment for cleaning unless you plan the filtration to blow all the debris from every possible angle. This is a massive undertaking. Some things you could get now would be 2 or more 2500 gph pond pumps. Start stocking up on nylon pot scrubbers for your biological filter, because you will need hundreds of gallons worth of them. Like I said though if you are just doing the three go way smaller on the pond costs will be way less and it will be easier to maintain in the longrun! Answer some of the questions for a more detailed response though and good luck. Make sure you post it up on MFK when you build it.

 

[melby1980]

Ok so I think I will go a little smaller on the size lol probably 18' around and 48" deep.
This is going to be in a well insualted basement so I know I am going to need a de-humidifyer. I will most likley keep the room temp in the mid to upper 70's. I also plan on having a back up generator to run everything on
since winters here can be pretty harsh. I would love to add some other fish in with them but not sure yet if I will. I have been browsing some of the filtration and other supplies online. I am going to go to my LFS and check out their pond supplies next weekend. Thanks for your reply and I most definitely will post photos when I get going on this project. My family actually were more understanding than I thought they would be and my mother actually likes the idea.

So still very much in the planning stages but at least I have everyone on board

 

[necrocanis]

Sounds good. That will be much more managable, but you will still have to enter the pond from time to time for routine maintenance. I am currently planning a bigger pond/aquarium right now. If you construct it right I would try to make a lid that has a small door on it for feedings and maintenance. That will cut down on the evaporation issue. with a pond that size to stop bowing on the lid you may want to attach a cable to the ceiling to hold the center up so that it doesn't crash into the pond, unless you can come up with some super strong bracing. I think that you'll be running several dehumidifyers for this one. A cool idea another member said would be to plumb the dehumidifyer right into the pond so you never have to empty it.

 

[santoury]

A big school of regular AND ALBINO iridescent sharks always is quite a sight.