My above ground "pond"

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
N

nitsua98

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 4, 2008
41
0
0
Florida!
Well, after seeing some threads about the metal frame pools at Target.com, I had to check one out. At $50 plus shipping, I figure I have nothing to lose. Anyways, I have had it set up on the side of my house for about a month now, no problems yet.

As mentioned before, the filter is no good. I have it hooked up to empty into a bin with filter floss and bioballs. This was supposed to be temporary, but the filter is still running after constant use.
I took a picture of the filter's cartridge after a week of use-
pooltank007.jpg

And this next picture is after I hosed it off, it has held up well for a few rinsings so far-
pooltank011.jpg


Ok, so I really don't plan on using this forever...I am ordering a larger pump to hook up externally inplace of the filter that came with the pool.

So, I now have a problem. It gets too cold to keep true tropicals here, so I am probably doing a native pond. I am adding more plants constantly, but only have one bucket to use. I fill it up at a local canal and bring it home to dump in the pond.

I have around 100 mosquito fish, along with a baby large mouth bass. The bass is only there to eat the fish because they have done their job of cycling the tank. Actually, the bioballs were from an established tank...

Well here are the pictures of it so far-Yes, it is very un-level, but I had no other choice but to place it where it is now.

pooltank014.jpg

pooltank015.jpg

pooltank018.jpg

pooltank019.jpg
 
A shed would be a good idea actually...I never thought about that. I could actually make a greenhouse type shed and use it for plants too. I would need to search around for the paneling and find out if it would actually hold any heat in.

As far as the liners thickness- I was suprised how thick it was...It is also semi-rigid. I still am not going to risk it with any large spined fish like plecos or larger cats. I'm going to stick with smaller fish too. I want to do a basic florida native pond, with some of the more unique florida fish.

I was thinking a lot of bluefin killifish, least killifish, swamp darters, sailfin mollies and maybe some others I can get hold of...I want this to be self-sustaining except for food and some water filtration. That means no 'big' fish.
 
Water looks really clean and clear after a month of service. I think slow cycling is the key to a clean pond. Good Job.
 
Yeah, I have to net out the leaves every day to keep it clean! I was thinking about letting the leaves stay, but I don't want coffee colored water from the tannins.

The filter really has suprised me too...I added some filter floss and a lot of bioballs and I would say it makes a decent filter for small to mid sized fish. Plants will still be my main source of filtration, though.
 
I have been thinking about putting one of these in a basement, I was thinking of adding a 45mil pond liner for piece of mind. I did order the "pool" because there is no way to beat that price... Looks good so far.:headbang2
 
Is it ridgid enough to retro fit a skimmer?

That will help w/leaf removal and maint. Skimmers also help w/ other dirt and debris that blows in and is removed before it settles.
 
Muske-If you mean rigid enough to cut into and add a skimmer, no way would I trust it for long. I don't even like the two holes for the filter...

kgby13-Those bottles are filled with my old oil and coolant from my car; you wouldn't want to drink one of them!! I just threw them outside because I thought one was leaking in my garage...I never brought them back in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom