Starting Massive Cichlid Breeding Ground ~2500 gallons

[QueenslandeR]

i like it, would be good to have one but dont have that kinda space to put it

 

[WJC05]

Brought home a huge load of rocks out of a local creek. Im going to have to get about 4 more huge loads to get what I want...

Here are some pics though...

 

[big train]

Im not really wanting hundreds of fry... I just want to be able to look in my pond a year from now and be like, well that guy wasnt stocked in there. And see several fish that were raised up from fry...

I dont want to raise hundreds because I dont have room and I dont want to get into selling. Just enough to have fun and be able to have like my own little part of cichlid nature

U will get that easy in there the pics look great u will have a awsome pond all those rocks and hiding places u will have a ton of fry growing in there i would have to get a couple of small rtc ,snc once your cichlids get big in a year or so and u would have a monster setup forsure.

 

[Ripdevil]

dont know if you were asked already, but i really like the pond, where can i find that same one?

 

[Miles]

A little late, but heres a few thoughts..

Obviously the weight of rock isn't a risk on the pond liner? I would of thought iti was..

I also see you are going for a more aesthetic look, and it looks good.. I was under the impression of functionalty..

I was going to say buy a TON of PVC piping ranging in all sizes from 1-12".. chop them into various sizes chunks, and litter them in massive piles all over the tank. Also use eggcrates underneath the piles of PVC to house fry.

Just my 2 cents..

 

[Mystix212]

I love the rockwork. As miles said, PVC works great but for your looks I would keep it hidden under rocks and driftwood.

 

[WJC05]

dont know if you were asked already, but i really like the pond, where can i find that same one?

The 2500 gallon one was bought at walmart. Dont know about your local walmart but at mine they are on clearance now for 79.99 which is a absolute steal.

I personally like my 1100 gallon better because its made of a tougher liner than the walmart one is. Its the Intex brand which is found at target. If you ever get one make sure its the intex brand. Reason is my sand and sun brand from walmart has a small leak in it. Doesnt hurt much because i have a huge drain in my basement. I use it for a automatic water changing system. It has leaked ever since I put it up and filled it with water, so it wasnt the rocks or anything that made it leak.

 

[WJC05]

A little late, but heres a few thoughts..

Obviously the weight of rock isn't a risk on the pond liner? I would of thought iti was..

I also see you are going for a more aesthetic look, and it looks good.. I was under the impression of functionalty..

I was going to say buy a TON of PVC piping ranging in all sizes from 1-12".. chop them into various sizes chunks, and litter them in massive piles all over the tank. Also use eggcrates underneath the piles of PVC to house fry.

Just my 2 cents..

Do you think the PVC pipe will work better than the rocks? Im not worried about looks, I just started stacking the rocks together and thats what came out. How long should I cut the PVC pipes? Long enough for fish to get in or in little tiny sections or what? Sounds like a good idea and Ill definetaly use it.. Probably be much easier on my back than packing those rocks around

 

[WJC05]

Went down to TN and picked up some guys to start the pond off. A member from WW breeds a lot of citrinellus and labiatus and I managed to pick up several F0 and F1 large guys as well as about 20 growouts he was growing out in his pond. Picked up some other guys too.. Brought back three 35 gallon rubbermaids full of bags of fish to the top.. LOL

Took a few pics when they were introduced. The water is a little cloudy due to the fact that I only have biological filtration running right now. No type of mechanical. Just added some low micron socks and material a few hours ago and the pond is already looking better..

Its hard to tell but several of the bigger ones you see are at the 10-12 inch mark. They look like babies in this large pond

 

[Mystix212]

Looks like they love the rocks. PVC should be 2-3 times the length of the fish. Like a dark cave pretty much. Shorter caves mean more light penetration.

The sand looks great.