no electricity indoor mini pond

[WaterWaffle]

Kiddy pools are all over the place right now and I recently got a Common pleco (no my idea) but he's a problem in my current tank. I can't afford a bigger tank and thought setting up a kiddie pool in my basement (there are EXTREME temperatures outside here) would be a neat idea. I can't use electricity because that would cost a lot of money over time but I do think I could get one if there is no electricity. Would this be possible? I couldn't have lights so that means there would be no plants to oxygenate but I do think I could make a gravity-fed filter without any heaters. I was thinking I could make a filter using how gravel vacuums work or would it stop siphoning eventually? It would just be a goldfish pond with my pleco and nothing that requires heat. Would this be possible and how would I do it? I might need lights so what's the most energy efficient lights out there just in case?

 

[TheWolfman]

Return the pleco to the store, someone else will be able to care for it. Honestly the reason no one has responded to this is because the idea of a kiddy pool with no filtration, plants, or heat is a death sentence for any fish that’s placed in it. Not to sound harsh but, buying a fish that you can’t probably care for and then buying more fish that you can’t care for is always A bad idea.

 

[WaterWaffle]

Actually, I didn't buy the pleco. It was a gift and the only pet store near me is an hour away and I don't have two hours to spare to bring it back. Do you have any other suggestions? I want to see if I can give it a good home before making the trip. It will not be permanent, just until I finish my degree and get my own property to build a real pond.

 

[Dloks]

I wouldn’t put any fish to die in a puddle of water. That’s exactly what that is. A puddle of water there is zero filtration. Due to the laws of gravity your gravity fed filters will require some type of motor to return the water back

 

[Drstrangelove]

If cost is a concern, then a pond in the basement isn't going to work. First, you'll still need to spend money on heating the basement (or the fish will die), and second, you'll spend even more money dehumidifying the room due to the pool.

Also, consider that a shallow pool with no filter (thus, no surface agitation) is an ideal place to cultivate mosquitos.

If you want to keep the fish, a second tank of the proper size will be cheaper to manage than the pool, imo. Radiant heat in a home (not a basement) will be much closer to what you need. A tank with a small heater, in a room at 73, should be able to run for much less than it costs to dehumidify and heat a basement.

If you get a new tank and only have the pleco, you should be able to get by with a pretty low power filter.

 

[WaterWaffle]

Thanks for the ideas. I think I'll take him back to the pet store. I love plecos but I'm just not ready to care for a large one quite yet. Mabey I'll get a bristle nose instead.

 

[WaterWaffle]

Before I offend anyone else I just wanted to say I had a kiddie pool I never used, decided to think out of the box and thought that maybe I could put it to good use but would never intentionally sentence a fish to death.

 

[Drstrangelove]

Before I offend anyone else I just wanted to say I had a kiddie pool I never used, decided to think out of the box and thought that maybe I could put it to good use but would never intentionally sentence a fish to death.

I didn't take it that way. You asked and did so out of concern as to whether or not it would work. It was quite reasonable to me under the circumstances?

 

[WaterWaffle]

Oh, not you I just didn't want people to think I am insensitive to the lives of fish because I know some people think fish are just decorations and not living creatures and it drives me crazy when people think that because my fish mean a lot to me. I am sorry if I came off as offended.

 

[Deadliestviper7]

Oh, not you I just didn't want people to think I am insensitive to the lives of fish because I know some people think fish are just decorations and not living creatures and it drives me crazy when people think that because my fish mean a lot to me. I am sorry if I came off as offended.

If you added a filter and a couple heaters (for winter) it should work