My 300g pond on the deck (to be honest - it's a kiddie pool...)

Member Posts: 90 Age: 23 Location: Athabasca, AB, Canada

These pictures were from last summer and the pond has been drained for the winter because my location gets more snow than sun (5 months of green, 7 of snow...). I brought the goldfish indoors, most returned to the LFS, but some are occupying my 65g.

The pond is actually an 8 foot wide, 18" deep kiddie pool. It is temporary until we can get the permanent one built in 2010-2011. Cheap, works awesome (just don't forget some padding under the bottom to prevent tears - I used old blankets).

The fish are mostly rescued feeder goldfish who had awesome colors (50-60), a couple of shubunkin, bunch of rosy-red minnows, as well as a few platies and a lone guppy who refused to give up freedom.
Sorry for the fuzzy pictures, none of the fish were eager for pictures and refused to sit still. Rolling Eyes

The plants are parrots feather (covers 1/4 of the pond --> 3/4 at the end of summer), cattails, water lillies, hornwart, water lettuce, water hyacinth, cana lilly, and some others.
The filter is actually a jerry-rigged Aquaclear 110 (we will get an actual pond filter/pump for 2009). The feeder ring is actually one of those water noodles, kept from drifting by being tied to the side with fishing line and a paperclip.

Pool: $50. Plants: $75. Fish: $25. Filter: $120 (on sale for $80) = Awesome pond within a college student's budget! :2cent:

Enjoy!

Banned Posts: 910 Age: 18

Wow thats nice. I am goin got be doing that in the summer. Where did you get the pond from and filter?

That is very cool, I would have never thought to use a kids pool that way.

_________________

Well done c_scherer123!

_________________
I'd have more aquariums but when I talk to my wife about it, she gives me the look!

Member Posts: 90 Age: 23 Location: Athabasca, AB, Canada

Big Severum Fan wrote:

Wow thats nice. I am goin got be doing that in the summer. Where did you get the pond from and filter?

Thanks,
The pond is sold basically anywhere with kids stuff - walmart, some hardware stores, etc. Filter was from the closest pet store (They may be the closest, but they are still 2 hrs away! Shocked

).

1nevrkwitz wrote:

Well done c_scherer123!

Thanks,
Just call me Crystal.
I used "c_scherer123" because it was the only username I didn't forget! Laughing

Very cool, Crystal. Thanks for sharing your pics.

Derek

Banned Posts: 910 Age: 18

c_scherer123 wrote:

Big Severum Fan wrote:

Wow thats nice. I am goin got be doing that in the summer. Where did you get the pond from and filter?

Thanks,
The pond is sold basically anywhere with kids stuff - walmart, some hardware stores, etc. Filter was from the closest pet store (They may be the closest, but they are still 2 hrs away! Shocked

).

1nevrkwitz wrote:

Well done c_scherer123!

Thanks,
Just call me Crystal.
I used "c_scherer123" because it was the only username I didn't forget! Laughing

ok I got to go find a kiddie pol

The Turtle Whisperer Posts: 1914

Be careful of those with dogs and little kids and stuff, they can cave in easily. The same time they sell those flexi pools at walmart, they *usually* have harder plastic ones around the same size. The only con, is if you have to take it down for the winter, you need to have somewhere to store it. Those flexi ones roll up pretty small.

Very cool, thanks for sharing! Very good way to have a pond on a couple hundred dollars!

_________________
"There he goes - one of God's own prototypes -
a high powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production.
Too weird to live, and too rare to die".

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

Member Posts: 79 Age: 35

Wow - what a brilliant idea, and the pond looks fantastic, and so does the fishies!

I'm a bit curious about the fish that has all the black on his back... Is it his colour or has he been ill? After we ended up with finrot (due to me being an idiot), and the fish got ill, the two that was affected the worst, after having gotten rid of the fin rot ended up with black marks. I thought this was normally from ammonia burns, but the water was fine. One turned black on about 90% of his body, and it took nearly a year until he went back to his glorious pure orange (but he looked really beautiful with the black, and as it mixed, and was all black and orange).

Banned Posts: 910 Age: 18

saint_felony wrote:

Be careful of those with dogs and little kids and stuff, they can cave in easily. The same time they sell those flexi pools at walmart, they *usually* have harder plastic ones around the same size. The only con, is if you have to take it down for the winter, you need to have somewhere to store it. Those flexi ones roll up pretty small.

Ok thanks for the advice.

Member Posts: 90 Age: 23 Location: Athabasca, AB, Canada

pokbg wrote:

Wow - what a brilliant idea, and the pond looks fantastic, and so does the fishies!

I'm a bit curious about the fish that has all the black on his back... Is it his colour or has he been ill? After we ended up with finrot (due to me being an idiot), and the fish got ill, the two that was affected the worst, after having gotten rid of the fin rot ended up with black marks. I thought this was normally from ammonia burns, but the water was fine. One turned black on about 90% of his body, and it took nearly a year until he went back to his glorious pure orange (but he looked really beautiful with the black, and as it mixed, and was all black and orange).

He is naturally black. I got him out of a planted tank where he was munching on snails. I have never seen a black comet/common goldfish before, but I think they look cool. Wish I could find another black, or better yet a true red color with black splotches (like the one kind of koi). But all I can ever find is white, orange and white, orangish-red and white, orange, olive, and an odd platinum/goldish color. I think the orange feeders with the black tops fins look cool, but the black tips are a juvie color which they soon lose... Rolling Eyes

Mine will be old enough to breed this fall. when I bring them in they warm up several degrees and that seems to cause egg laying even though it isn't spring...). Maybe I can get them to produce some nice offspring... Very Happy

The Turtle Whisperer Posts: 1914

I think there are black comets, they're just not as common as the orange or white. Like when I get feeder comets, out of 500, I'll have maybe 5 black ones. I usually put them in uh. less deadly tanks, since they're kinda cool looking.

The only thing I can think of if they're not comets, is that they're reject shubunkin or koi. I know one of the solid blacks I let grow out actually was a koi.