small pond on the cheap - Aquarium Advice

tomherndon · 09-20-2008, 09:50 AM

Apologies in advance for lack of photos!

So I'm not ready to dig a hole, trench water and wires to it, add a liner and call it a pond in my yard, but I needed a place for some classroom goldfish that were getting too large to go back to school every year (20 gal limit in my classroom (self imposed). And I really do want a dug in pond at some point.

I searched craigslist, etc for discarded tubs, but never found one that would work. Then I realized that the livestock suppliers (cows, etc) carried plastic troughs built for water that sit above ground. Rubbermaid makes a 50 and a 100 gallon. (maybe even larger)

These rigid tanks can be placed about anywhere with just some brick/rock beneath to level them. I purchased a 50gal for $70. The footprint is an oval about 4' long and less than 3' wide. It's about a foot deep.

I made a DIY filter by placing a pvc section with a t-fitting vertically in a small, thick plastic trashcan (with the T at the bottom) and then back filled the whole thing with river rock and cut a drain about an inch below the top with a male/female fitting to form a bulkhead that I fit a 5/8 ID plastic hose.

I included a small (80gph) pump (seated inside a caulked clay pot to prevent accidental emptying of the pool if any water line accident occurs) to lift water about 18 inches from the bottom of the pot to the top of the filter So I'm sure it's nowhere near 80gph.

There are three 4" common comets, a 3" shubunkin and a 3" sarasa (? white with orange splotches) comet enjoying it for now. I don't think can fairly add more. I'm estimating that I keep about 40+ gallons in the main pool with about a 2-3 gallon reservoir in the DIY filter.

I placed the whole setup on the NE side of the house which is also shaded by oaks whose lower limbs haven't been trimmed so it doesn't get direct sunlight and it's close enough to the exterior outlet that I can hook a surge protector into the outlet and hide the sockets under a plastic bin.

I turned over some clay pots and dishes IN the pond to give the fish some cover/hidey spots (looks like smurf village) and poured about 1/2" layer of natural gravel on the bottom.

I haven't put plants in yet. I was a little intimidated by the price of hardy lillies (native) at the local garden supplier and think I'll wait until spring.

NC winters haven't been very harsh lately and I think I can place a heater if things turn cold.

I really like the trough cause I can move the whole thing in an afternoon if I want OR if other changes occur, I can get all the hardware in the shed in less time.

any recommendations on plants for next spring and any other changes I should worry over?

fijiwigi · 09-20-2008, 02:53 PM

My father in-law has a pond that has been setup for about 5 years. 5 years ago he put some feeder goldfish in and they are now huge like 6-9 inches. Its just a small home depot type pre-formed pond tank probably about 70gallons or so. With about 12 or so fish all pretty big and a pleco. All he has is 1 150 watt aquarium heater with a water pump that pumps into a bucket that has a carbon filter and its PVC piped to pour over some rocks to make a waterfall and flows into the pond. He didn't pay for anything except the fish since the pre-formed pond was given to him. Its setup next to his garden on the side of the house. He has been collecting plants from the mountains every summer and its really starting to looke good. The plants have grown over everything and looks like a scene from the mountains.

I would assume you could get what you need for extremely cheap right now since its end of season I know someone that works at Lowe's and she says all the pond stuff is like half price right now

tomherndon · 09-21-2008, 09:17 AM

what's the overwinter temps at your FIL's?

I'm wondering how leaving my above ground set up will affect the heating needs if we get the unusual NC piedmont winter (one that involves freezing temps for more than a day or two at a time). I'm guessing if we get a forecast of extended cold, I may have to bucket them inside through the snap?

fijiwigi · 09-21-2008, 02:24 PM

We had days in the single digits during the winter and the fish were fine they go into a hibernation state kinda there blood flow slows down as long as the heater keeps the water from freezing they do ok. Even though the water did freeze one year on the top and the fish still survived gold fish are pretty hardy

09-20-2008, 09:50 AM	#1
tomherndon Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 70	small pond on the cheap Apologies in advance for lack of photos! So I'm not ready to dig a hole, trench water and wires to it, add a liner and call it a pond in my yard, but I needed a place for some classroom goldfish that were getting too large to go back to school every year (20 gal limit in my classroom (self imposed). And I really do want a dug in pond at some point. I searched craigslist, etc for discarded tubs, but never found one that would work. Then I realized that the livestock suppliers (cows, etc) carried plastic troughs built for water that sit above ground. Rubbermaid makes a 50 and a 100 gallon. (maybe even larger) These rigid tanks can be placed about anywhere with just some brick/rock beneath to level them. I purchased a 50gal for $70. The footprint is an oval about 4' long and less than 3' wide. It's about a foot deep. I made a DIY filter by placing a pvc section with a t-fitting vertically in a small, thick plastic trashcan (with the T at the bottom) and then back filled the whole thing with river rock and cut a drain about an inch below the top with a male/female fitting to form a bulkhead that I fit a 5/8 ID plastic hose. I included a small (80gph) pump (seated inside a caulked clay pot to prevent accidental emptying of the pool if any water line accident occurs) to lift water about 18 inches from the bottom of the pot to the top of the filter So I'm sure it's nowhere near 80gph. There are three 4" common comets, a 3" shubunkin and a 3" sarasa (? white with orange splotches) comet enjoying it for now. I don't think can fairly add more. I'm estimating that I keep about 40+ gallons in the main pool with about a 2-3 gallon reservoir in the DIY filter. I placed the whole setup on the NE side of the house which is also shaded by oaks whose lower limbs haven't been trimmed so it doesn't get direct sunlight and it's close enough to the exterior outlet that I can hook a surge protector into the outlet and hide the sockets under a plastic bin. I turned over some clay pots and dishes IN the pond to give the fish some cover/hidey spots (looks like smurf village) and poured about 1/2" layer of natural gravel on the bottom. I haven't put plants in yet. I was a little intimidated by the price of hardy lillies (native) at the local garden supplier and think I'll wait until spring. NC winters haven't been very harsh lately and I think I can place a heater if things turn cold. I really like the trough cause I can move the whole thing in an afternoon if I want OR if other changes occur, I can get all the hardware in the shed in less time. any recommendations on plants for next spring and any other changes I should worry over?

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09-21-2008, 09:17 AM	#3
tomherndon Aquarium Advice Regular Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: North Carolina Posts: 70	what's the overwinter temps at your FIL's? I'm wondering how leaving my above ground set up will affect the heating needs if we get the unusual NC piedmont winter (one that involves freezing temps for more than a day or two at a time). I'm guessing if we get a forecast of extended cold, I may have to bucket them inside through the snap?