indoor pond
- Thread starter necrocanis
- Start date
suckerfish;151842; said:
No, dechlorinator removes the chlorine and heavy metals from tap water. A filter grows beneficial bacteria which breaks down ammonia into nitrites in nitrates, thus keeping your water quality good, you need to dechlorinate your water though for this process to happen. When you start up a new filter, it has none of this good bacteria, so you need to cycle the tank i.e. carefully establish the benefecial bacteria in the filter etc.
The filters purpose is to suck waste from the tank into the filter where the bacteria lives, where the waste breaks down as the bacteria absorbs the ammonia from the decomposing matter. The filter also provides surfaces for the beneficial bacteria to live on, and a constant supply of oxygen via flowing water.
By the way, nice looking pond
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Tokis-Phoenix;911236; said:No, dechlorinator removes the chlorine and heavy metals from tap water. A filter grows beneficial bacteria which breaks down ammonia into nitrites in nitrates, thus keeping your water quality good, you need to dechlorinate your water though for this process to happen. When you start up a new filter, it has none of this good bacteria, so you need to cycle the tank i.e. carefully establish the benefecial bacteria in the filter etc.
The filters purpose is to suck waste from the tank into the filter where the bacteria lives, where the waste breaks down as the bacteria absorbs the ammonia from the decomposing matter. The filter also provides surfaces for the beneficial bacteria to live on, and a constant supply of oxygen via flowing water.
By the way, nice looking pond
lol, I only used that house filter for a month. I reversed the flow, and put filter floss, and pot scrubbers inside it. It was fine for a short term deal, but when I moved the first time, I added 3x350 gph canister filters, eventually when I moved again i put 2 fx5s on it, and currently that's what it still has on it with just the big rtc x tsn hybrid living in it. he's currently 35". The new pond, has just one fx5 and a 15 gal rubbermaid container with filter floss and lots of pot scrubbers. This filtration will be taken out as soon as I can find some of those 55 gal plastic barrels, that no one seems to have around here. Here's a few pics of the new pond, and it's still cycling. This thing cycles like an up and down rollacoaster! Oh and the overhead pump that was hooked up in the pic has been replaced by a 1200 gph pump. Enjoy
How many watts of heat are you running right now and whats the temp? I just purchased a 1000watt heater that should be in on Tuesday so then I can add some of the monsters into the pond.
I didn't have any cycling trouble my levels stayed constant throughout thus far with about 12 various sunfish 3-6" in there for 3 weeks or so now and 300lbs of sand and a couple anubias plants for a short while. I added a 350gph power head at surface level to keep the water from being still and to add a little current but eventually there will be another 500gph or so one setup in a different area for more cross current across the pond either at the top or the bottom. Nitrites and Ammonia are always zero for me. I am however having trouble with my pH, I added about 800 gallons worth of Discus Buffer to drop my pH and it hasn't really responded that well it dropped from 7.8 to 7.5ish but is holding there so I'm picking up alot more buffer this afternoon and also when I get some driftwood in there it should help also. You think the pool filter sand could be keeping the ph high? Thanks, looks like we will both be up and running about the same time but you'll have your real filtration up and running
~Trent
I didn't have any cycling trouble my levels stayed constant throughout thus far with about 12 various sunfish 3-6" in there for 3 weeks or so now and 300lbs of sand and a couple anubias plants for a short while. I added a 350gph power head at surface level to keep the water from being still and to add a little current but eventually there will be another 500gph or so one setup in a different area for more cross current across the pond either at the top or the bottom. Nitrites and Ammonia are always zero for me. I am however having trouble with my pH, I added about 800 gallons worth of Discus Buffer to drop my pH and it hasn't really responded that well it dropped from 7.8 to 7.5ish but is holding there so I'm picking up alot more buffer this afternoon and also when I get some driftwood in there it should help also. You think the pool filter sand could be keeping the ph high? Thanks, looks like we will both be up and running about the same time but you'll have your real filtration up and running
~Trent
This filtration is only temporary until I can get the massive filtration levels that I want. I have a good design that I picked up for those 35-55 gal blue plastic containers that seems pretty fool proof. It was origionally designed for highly stocked koi ponds, so I feel certain that it should do fine for high levels of catfish stock also. Might be the pool filter sand, I have mortar sand in my 350 and seems like the ph is a little high also, but doesn't seem to bother my catfish at all. that and the ton or so of giant river stones. Thinking of just putting a few of those in the pond for hiding spots. My whole setup is temporary until I get my monster tank built. This is a really good cheap way to keep big fish though. My ultimate goal is the 8,000-12,000 gal tank I am planning to build over the next 2 or 3 years. Hopefully the pool will last until then. I am afraid to put driftwood or anything in this pool because seems like everytime I do anything to it, it springs another leak that I have to patch. Would be fine, but my garage doesn't have a drain.
got some of my fish moved. Will be adding more once the filtration has adjusted to the new occupants. Fish moved in are 2 oscars 1-11" and 1-12", 2 channel catfish 1-10", and 1-12", and 1-14" tsn. Oh and 1-10" plecostomus. Still not sure I will be adding any substrate, maybe once I get the improved filtration on it though. Here's some pics.
Here's some update pics of the pond. Stock list goes as follows right now.
2 channel cats, 1 tsn, 1 jau, 2 oscars, 1 ckf, and 1 plecostomus. That's it for now, but the rtc will go in there in less than a week. I have the barrels to make the true filtration that I need. I will more than likely chain connect 3 of them for this pond, and I will be making one for the smaller pond also. So that will be 165 gals of filtration on the 1100 gal pond. Running it at 1500 gph for the time being. Will be adding additional areation and heat. Threw in a couple pics of the other pond too.
2 channel cats, 1 tsn, 1 jau, 2 oscars, 1 ckf, and 1 plecostomus. That's it for now, but the rtc will go in there in less than a week. I have the barrels to make the true filtration that I need. I will more than likely chain connect 3 of them for this pond, and I will be making one for the smaller pond also. So that will be 165 gals of filtration on the 1100 gal pond. Running it at 1500 gph for the time being. Will be adding additional areation and heat. Threw in a couple pics of the other pond too.
