As some of you may know, I have recently acquired 3 Salmontail Catfish which grow quite large. I've been thinking and I've come to the conclusion that another tank won't be possible for me (parents...), an outdoor pond would probably be acceptable.
First of all, materials to make the frame and body of the pond would be your standard 2x4 house frame stud material and 15mm exterior grade ply. My plan is to have pond approx. 3m long, 2m wide and 1m deep so I would make a well supported frame using the stud and screw and glue the hell out of the ply to attach it to the stud. I'm also planning on having the ply layered 2 deep with the joins on the first, outermost layer covered by the midsection of another piece of ply. What product (available in Australia) would i be able to use to waterproof and seal the inside of the pond with? I already have plenty of exterior paint to seal the outside, exposed bits with.
Filtration is my next step. I was thinking of hooking up a large overhead flow through filter running the length of the back of the pond so it would be like 3m long and probably 50cm wide and say, 50cm deep. I was thinking of packing the first half or so with Jap mat and having a hydroponic sort of setup for about 1m planted with plants that are able to live emergent yet still look attractive and grow fast enough to remove nitrogenous wastes and provide brilliant surface area on the roots. I would reserve the final 50cm of filter to be packed with coarse filter wool to polish the water a little bit before the water goes through a big PVC pipe spray bar at the other end. I was thinking of running this off a 10,000LPH (2500GPH) pond pump at the least and covering the section filled with Jap mat and filter wool with a piece of ply. Opinions?
Other fiddly things I would need are a suitable overflow in case of rain. I was thinking of cutting a notch out about 50cm long and 10cm tall out of one ends in the centre to allow excess water to spill over and out. Top up would be achieved via the garden hose near where I plan to put this pond. I was thinking of using twin 400W heaters for in winter/autumn to keep the water from getting too cold (say, 15-20*C in winter). I was thinking of leaving the pond bare bottom except for a few PVC pipe tunnels and pieces of driftwood so that the pond pump wouldn't get clogged with sand or gravel. I would probably shade the whole setup with something like 50% shade cloth strung across 4 uprights (2 on each end of the pond). I'd also like to make a frame out of stud material and fine bird mesh to keep unwanted critters out.
If these 3 cats go in there, I was thinking of adding another couple of big ******* fish that can handle cooler water in winter such as a barramundi or 2 or a murray cod or something along those lines. Any other big, temperate, tough fish suggestions that are available over here?
The one problem here is that I haven't told dad my plans for this so its at least 3 months away while I figure out how to persuade him :help: LOL.
First of all, materials to make the frame and body of the pond would be your standard 2x4 house frame stud material and 15mm exterior grade ply. My plan is to have pond approx. 3m long, 2m wide and 1m deep so I would make a well supported frame using the stud and screw and glue the hell out of the ply to attach it to the stud. I'm also planning on having the ply layered 2 deep with the joins on the first, outermost layer covered by the midsection of another piece of ply. What product (available in Australia) would i be able to use to waterproof and seal the inside of the pond with? I already have plenty of exterior paint to seal the outside, exposed bits with.
Filtration is my next step. I was thinking of hooking up a large overhead flow through filter running the length of the back of the pond so it would be like 3m long and probably 50cm wide and say, 50cm deep. I was thinking of packing the first half or so with Jap mat and having a hydroponic sort of setup for about 1m planted with plants that are able to live emergent yet still look attractive and grow fast enough to remove nitrogenous wastes and provide brilliant surface area on the roots. I would reserve the final 50cm of filter to be packed with coarse filter wool to polish the water a little bit before the water goes through a big PVC pipe spray bar at the other end. I was thinking of running this off a 10,000LPH (2500GPH) pond pump at the least and covering the section filled with Jap mat and filter wool with a piece of ply. Opinions?
Other fiddly things I would need are a suitable overflow in case of rain. I was thinking of cutting a notch out about 50cm long and 10cm tall out of one ends in the centre to allow excess water to spill over and out. Top up would be achieved via the garden hose near where I plan to put this pond. I was thinking of using twin 400W heaters for in winter/autumn to keep the water from getting too cold (say, 15-20*C in winter). I was thinking of leaving the pond bare bottom except for a few PVC pipe tunnels and pieces of driftwood so that the pond pump wouldn't get clogged with sand or gravel. I would probably shade the whole setup with something like 50% shade cloth strung across 4 uprights (2 on each end of the pond). I'd also like to make a frame out of stud material and fine bird mesh to keep unwanted critters out.
If these 3 cats go in there, I was thinking of adding another couple of big ******* fish that can handle cooler water in winter such as a barramundi or 2 or a murray cod or something along those lines. Any other big, temperate, tough fish suggestions that are available over here?
The one problem here is that I haven't told dad my plans for this so its at least 3 months away while I figure out how to persuade him :help: LOL.
