Professional Ultimate Predator Pond

[Pond Pioneer]

... I'm gathering the knowledge so I can build ponds for those enthusiasts who have kept these fish for the decades that is required. All I want to do is provide an opportunity for those people to do so.
If I get it right, that seems like a cool, novel idea of a service that's not yet provided out there. There may be a niche market for it. Of course, those who have a lot of money can already find that service and e.g., have their monster tank built out of acrylic like on those TV shows. I imagine your edge would be an offer of an economical construction for the those in the middle class - neither millionaires, nor DIY-ers. Of course, a viewing window is a must, a large one, and perhaps multiple ones. I don't think you will find much interest from people for simply ponds.

...How tall should the walls be? I see that OFR doesn't have any.
OFR don't keep fish that can or are known to jump out of the pool pond, I assume. An Arapaima can clear a few feet, so I'd think 5' walls around the enclosure could suffice. This is where a netting would be more economical but maybe less convenient in use.

...Also for figuring out filtration. I need to know the protein contents of frozen bait food so I can calculate how much filtration I need. Would you know the protein contents of the common food for them?
The pellets usually carry 40% protein. The frozen fish can be thought of to consist of 70%-80% water, the rest roughly all protein. Just my thoughts.

On your database that lists the temperatures for the fish. When it has the climate but not the water temperature for the fish, so I just go by what water temperatures occur in those climates? If so, what is tropical, subtropical, Temperate water temperatures?
Very roughly... tropical is steadier, 70-90 F; subtropical can vary wildly, down to 45-50 F during cold spells and up to 85-90 F; temperate usually freeze over in winters, so 36 F for the low, don't exceed 65-75 F in summers. Just my thoughts.

Is there some learning resources you would recommend for how to care for all the animals that you listed? I understand experience trumps overall, but I would still like a good base of knowledge. For example, people suggested Elasmobranch Husbandry Manual: Captive Care of Sharks, Rays, and their Relatives to learn about the care necessary for sharks.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I am not aware of a comprehensive book or even books. There are books on various fish families. But monster fish keeping is relatively very new and I believe one has to dig up info perhaps from reputable online sources first and foremost. No easy way out in the form of a compilation. MFK is a great source but unfortunately there is no reporting discipline on MFK and one has sift through much filler to glean gems of knowledge.

 

[Pond Pioneer]

Elegantly put. Maybe there should be a crowded effort on MFK to make a book. What if we gather the top experts into one fish, say a Redtail Catfish. They would discuss it amongst themselves and once a conclusion is made on the proper care. That can be summarized into one page and discussed, maybe I can help mediate it as I have no bias towards keeping predatory fish for obvious reasons. Once we develop a single document for one fish. We can use that as a template and applied to the next popular fish and so on. Slowly dwindling down to the most random fish, using your database.

Once we cover the main species, then it could go into keeping community tanks once we have a solid team of experts. I don't think it would be necessary to go into filtration as that is widely known. Maybe topics like feeding habits, growth rates, tank size, temperament, health issues. This would also be a great benefit to the veterans as they won't have to keep giving the same answers over and over. They can link the book.