outdoor pond

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thesoul2008

I'm kind of a big deal
May 12, 2008
523
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39
Alice Springs
au.youtube.com
i am about to buy a new house :) and it has a very small outdoor pond there (more of a water feature) it gave me an idea i though hey why not extend it a bit and make it into something really nice i can put fish in!!!

so i guess its going to get 50% sun every day as it is up against the house so it will get shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon..... can i put a wide variety of fish in there or am i better of sticking to goldies :)

not to sure on dimensions yet but if need be im sure i can make it quite large..

can i get some cichlids and a small clean up crew for the algae?
 

Lupin

Registered Member
Sep 21, 2006
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Lupin Information Super Highway/Goldfish Informati
thegab.org
Real Name
Paul
Where are you located? Not sure I know where Alice Springs is.lol What is usually the temperature range during the whole year including winter season? Do you have pics of the pond?
 

thesoul2008

I'm kind of a big deal
May 12, 2008
523
1
0
39
Alice Springs
au.youtube.com
in the middle of Australia (the desert) winter from 0 - 30 summer from 15 - 50 degrees Celsius
if need be i am electrician so i could find a way to get a heater there (if i HAVE to)
 

Lupin

Registered Member
Sep 21, 2006
21,430
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Lupin Information Super Highway/Goldfish Informati
thegab.org
Real Name
Paul
50 degrees Celsius is too high. Never heard of a climate like that. I'll let the other Australian members chime in for the possibilities. In the meantime, this might be worth reading.:) Make a list of fish available in your stores. You could try tropical fish in it provided the temperature is kept steady especially during winter.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1232281&postcount=30
 

chenya

AC Members
Apr 29, 2006
100
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Central IL
0 celsius would be what 32 F and 50 celsius 122 F

With that being said. Any fish, koi and goldfish included, would have a hard time thriving in those temps. (At least the high end) You would have to have some massive water circulation to help prevent the water from becoming too hot in the summer. Going deeper would also help but at 122F/50C it would have to be more than 3 ft, IMO. Here they suggest 2 ft for goldfish and at least 3 ft for koi.

Keeping your tropical fish in a pond can be done but 32F/0C in the winter would be way too cold for most fish. Yes you could have a heater but that would be major $$$$ to heat a large pond enough that the fish would survive. Koi and goldfish on the other hand would have no touble in the winter.


Our winters can be as cold as -20 F (Thankfully it has been awhile since we have seen temps that low. Now windchill is another story) and summers it can get up to 110F with mid to upper 90's being more average. My pond is 3 ft deep and I keep koi and goldfish. I have at least 70-80% pond cover to help keep the water cooler. Mostly with water lillies and water lettuce. I also top off the pond with fresh water to help cool it down. My water temp in the summer can be has high as the upper 80's. When it does get that high I stop feeding them and might only feed them a couple times a week instead of everyday. In the winter I run a deicer to help keep a small hole in the ice. More severe winters I might run 2 deciers just in case.


Here is a website that you can check out. I have found it to be helpful. http://www.americanponders.com/
 

thesoul2008

I'm kind of a big deal
May 12, 2008
523
1
0
39
Alice Springs
au.youtube.com
ok so if i was to shade over the pond that would drop the temp a lot to maybe a 40 degree Celsius which would be fine for my tropical fish but in winter i have to keep it warm somehow mmmmmmmm........... something for me to think about......... im sure there would be an easy way maybe run a long pipe just under the ground and keep a flow of water going through it that should keep the temp up........ or buy 20 heaters lol :)

my plan is to put the pond next to the pool (saltwater pool) so it wont matter if some splashes into the pond will still be a few meters away......

can i maybe put the pump for the pond next to the pool pump (where there is power points) and run pvc/hose to the pond and use it for the inlet/outlet? that will help keep the water hotter as it will be just under the surface where there is more heat. or will running it to far make it harder for the pump if so can i use a joiner into a larger pipe to stop back pressure....

let me know your thoughts on what i can/cant do.....

i would still like to keep cichlids but if i have to i can settle for goldfish :)

i dont really have a limit to how big the pond will be i have a very large area there i either need to fill with the pond of with decoration rocks around it.

for a rough idea on size it used to be a double car park i need to fill :) so i could nearly turn it into another small pool haha
 

thesoul2008

I'm kind of a big deal
May 12, 2008
523
1
0
39
Alice Springs
au.youtube.com
also one more thing how do i work out what is a good size pump for the size pond i build is there a formula for that?

and i know pool filters use sand to clean the water i am wondering if i made a barrel filter if i could put some sand in there would it do the same thing or is filter media a safer option....... dad just replaced his whole pool set up after it caught on fire gave me the idea for sand figured if its good enough for a pool should be good enough for a pond

http://www.zelbrite.com/faq.htm
 
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