Currently planning my indoor pond and it's going to be a 10ft diameter intex pool, 1200 gallons. Stock so far will be my 3 red belly pacu and my TSN. I want to add a silver arowana and a red tail cat. I'm not buying the red tail but will wait until I see one being offered free from a small tank and give it a good home here. Would this pond be big enough for these fish for life? Or at least a few years then I can possibly upgrade to a 12ft diameter 4ft deep pool?
RTC and TSN
- Thread starter Jhncf
- Start date
The pool is just 2 feet deep which I think would be too short for pacu. And I doubt the aro will survive with those mates.
The other issue is that long before those fish reach full size, you'll need to be doing 100% water changes 2 - 4 times per day. That stock can weigh up to 600 pounds, so even at 1/4th that weight, you'd be adding 56 ppm of nitrates per day. (So water quality will likely be very poor.)
A 12 foot diameter, 4 foot deep pool only reduces it to a daily 100% change, so it's better a little longer. Those are fast growing large fish, so, the deeper / larger pool gives you another year, not years.
None of this really takes into account the size discrepancies that may be a problem, nor the territorial issues.
The other issue is that long before those fish reach full size, you'll need to be doing 100% water changes 2 - 4 times per day. That stock can weigh up to 600 pounds, so even at 1/4th that weight, you'd be adding 56 ppm of nitrates per day. (So water quality will likely be very poor.)
A 12 foot diameter, 4 foot deep pool only reduces it to a daily 100% change, so it's better a little longer. Those are fast growing large fish, so, the deeper / larger pool gives you another year, not years.
None of this really takes into account the size discrepancies that may be a problem, nor the territorial issues.
Last edited:
A good filter will help and 100% water change even per week says that the filtration is not up to purpose but this is the UK. Other countries love water changes. I agree with constant drip though, the solution to pollution is dilution so set up a good drip, good filtration and water change according to nitrate levels assuming ammonia is a non issue.
Strong pothos or any above water plant growth is great, an algae scrubber would also be a great addition.
Water changes on daily basis as a band aid in my opinion.
Strong pothos or any above water plant growth is great, an algae scrubber would also be a great addition.
Water changes on daily basis as a band aid in my opinion.
Thanks for the reply. Just did some reading and if I stuck with the 3 pacu, the TSN and my giant gourami the max weight these fish would get to in the wild is less than 250lbs. The TSN was a rescue from a 180 and is now in my 300, it's around 20" long. The pacu were given to me by an LFS because he couldn't sell them and I bought the gourami myself. I don't want to sell them because I know nobody here in Scotland has a tank anywhere near large enough and I've never heard of anyone with a tropical pond here. This 10ft pond is the best life available for these fish so hopefully I can work it out. I'm thinking of using planters around the edge of the pool with emersed plants to suck up nitrates too.
In my opinion your biggest problem will be heat loss you really need to insulate the whole thing and these pools are not designed to deal with any mishap spines on the catfish long term. I do 30 percent water changes a week on my tropical pond and my nitrates never go above 30ppm i personally dont recommend 100 percent water changes or agree they are necessary. If you could put an extra linear inside of the pool and insulate it really well including making a cover, use a very large filter and do regular 30 percent water changes you will have a large successful pond
My garden pond I just dug a 6 foot hole with a digger then built up 2 foot high round the edge in overlapped railway sleepers screwed together in an overlap, it is like Lego, you could make up a box out of sleepers, put celotex / kingspan on the bottom and sides and drop in a liner (I used a box weld liner made to size, it just drops in). As above make a lid that is insulated (hard fix half with lights) then flip up other side with see through plastic.
I made a trough 8 foot long and 15 inches wide out of sleepers and put that on the top to create a veg filter and pumped water from pond in to trough and back to pond but pumped via a uv filter and big pressurised cylinder. This is about 3000 gallons.
I grow all sorts in the filter like watercress but indoors this would need a lid as you would get condensation but it could still be done.
I made a trough 8 foot long and 15 inches wide out of sleepers and put that on the top to create a veg filter and pumped water from pond in to trough and back to pond but pumped via a uv filter and big pressurised cylinder. This is about 3000 gallons.
I grow all sorts in the filter like watercress but indoors this would need a lid as you would get condensation but it could still be done.
Nice idea and good start of a project! I agree with the advice given above by our peers. Rubber liner is a must. Pacu and any live plants do not mix AFAIK. The pacu will destroy whatever part of pothos will touch water.
Pacu will grow to their max or close. TSN - I'd not worry about it ever getting to 36" or bigger. It'll get lucky to reach 30" and they are a slim fish, unlike RTC, which too will not get up to 5'-6' but will stay at 3'-4' max.
If you are thinking of doing the 12' pool anyway later, I'd skip the 10' altogether.
Pacu will grow to their max or close. TSN - I'd not worry about it ever getting to 36" or bigger. It'll get lucky to reach 30" and they are a slim fish, unlike RTC, which too will not get up to 5'-6' but will stay at 3'-4' max.
If you are thinking of doing the 12' pool anyway later, I'd skip the 10' altogether.