Fish, The Facilities & Ponds

Container Ponds

Container ponds.

The “container pond” is often as small as half a whiskey barrel with a plastic or pre-formed plastic lining. You’re almost always talking about less than two hundred gallons with this type of pond because they have to be able to support their own weight when positioned on a flat surface like a deck. They are absolutely perfect for patios, and city apartment balconies.

Being a container pond does not eliminate the chances of having the beautiful sound of a waterfall. All one might do is position a smaller container pond above a larger one, with a spillway from the smaller-upper pond to the larger lower receiving pond. I have a small patio container pond which is home to two small comet Goldfish. I really like my container pond because it’s almost maintenance free and it’s like a “tiny slice of nature” in a very small area.

There are numerous plants which flesh out the attractive appearance of the container pond. They are virtually leakproof and they are inexpensive overall to set up and maintain. A sponge filter is most commendable for this type of pond.

The only disadvantage of the container pond is its necessarily small size. The small size will limit your success with “collections” of fish. You really shouldn’t attempt to keep any large fish, or numerous fish in this type of facility. It is more difficult (if not impossible) to maintain acceptable water quality in the container pond than it is in the larger ponds. For better success keeping even the fewest of fish in the container pond, choose small fish, make sure a small pump is moving the water around for oxygenation, and keep it from becoming blistering hot.

Preformed Ponds

The “preformed” pond is designed to be easily transportable in it’s final shape. Once transported to the pond site, a hole is excavated and the pond is set into the ground. When you fill in around the preformed pond, you should fill with sand, ad run water from your hose down in between the pond and the ground to ensure compaction of the sand around the pond. In most instances, these preformed ponds depend upon burial for support of their own weight.

The newer fiberglass preformed ponds overcome this problem but are not aesthetic when left above ground. Frankly, preformed ponds completely “RULE”. I have seen them in sizes up to one thousand one hundred gallons.

One of the reasons I love the preformed pond is because they have “shelves” built into them which allow you to set plants in pots on. They are movable when you move from one home to another and they are almost leak proof because of the durability of their construction.

 

 

 

Enter your email address for a free PDF of this article including its images.

Enter your Email Address

My Favorite Amazon Recommendations

Items and content will not show in "Reader View" check your browser.

This is The LCD Screen Scope
We Did The Tutorial With. I did a twenty page tutorial (Here's the tutorial) with video, audio, images and even little parasite movies to show you how to use a microscope. 

This Filter is Good For BIG Dirty Tanks
I've been wrestling with water quality with the turtles. The sponges work GREAT, but in THOSE turtle systems where they eat MICE the poops are bulky. This filter can handle it. In "Tortu's" tank, it's got an 800 gph pump and it rocks. 

PraziPro for Flukes
They nailed it. Figured out the solubility and worked out the dosing. It works. 

PraziPro

Buy Some Good Koi?
No, this isn't really for the 'high end' collector y'all. But for someone who isn't near a decent garden center, here are "good-to-quite-good" Koi you will like at a very good price. I know these guys personally.

Buy Koi Online

Best Food, Ever
It's made for (and I discovered it for) my Blood Parrots but the small size, intense color enhancers and excellent formulation make it superb young-Koi food. Oh, and it's AMAZING on color-cichlids like Flowerhorn and Blood Parrots. 

Pro Air 60 Aerator is a VERY high output air pump pushing my whole fish room (17+ drops), and I have one at home driving everything there, and I have one as a back up. 

Formalin Malachite (Not dilute)
There are formalin malachite preparations at 10%, 22% and 37%. There's economy in the concentrates. Hard to get Prime shipping because air transport is curtailed. This is a good value on 32 ounces. 

Topical For Koi and Pond Fish Ulcers
I like 7% tincture of iodine because it stains but it's hard to hurt anything with it. Used with a WOVEN gauze, this works well to clean and disinfect a wound. Only use ONCE. Do not 'repeatedly' scrub wounds. 

Confectioner's Glaze 
Is the way to bind a medication to fish food. Gone are the days of paste food and oil. The write up is done, it's RIGHT HERE.

Koi Health & Disease
Hopefully this link takes you to the newest edition by PRIME to get it to your house the fastest. 

I have over ten of these Titanium Heaters in my fish room and at home. They're a paradigm shift in aquarium heating. They're titanium and 400W for under $30! Whaaaaaaaaat?

CyroPro by Hikari is safe and easy for Anchor Worms and Fish Lice.

Whatever heaters you use, back yourself up with a temperature controller, it'll turn on, and off your heaters. If your heater seizes "on" at least the thermostat will stop a tragedy. 

LifeGuard by Tetra is a tablet version of a tame 'chloramine-t' or 'halamid' compound that's easy to get and good on bacterial infections, in baths. 

Antimicrobial
If you're making medicated feed for a larger group of fish, this will come in handy. Dosing is available in the site. 

For me, filtration-of-choice
For aquariums, even small Koi holding facilities or small ponds. These sponge filters are cheap, easy to clean, and they clear hazes very well when used with some Accuclear or similar.

Rubber sided, round, nettable tanks
Make great hospital or quarantine facilities. They SHOULD cost about $200-300 depending on size, but this, lower quality unit (while panned in some reviews) may be good. Don't overfill and make sure it's propped up.

1200 Watt heater, on a thermostat held securely above the waterline, works GREAT as a large tank heater. That's all I'll say because there's risk of electrocution and all that. But then, even in a bucket you could get killed. Sound like fun?
I have several of these ALLIED PRECISION stainless ones that are a couple years old. Working still. 

Potassium Permanganate 
500 grams could be a lifetime supply but it's 50% more than the 100g cost wise, for 500% more amount. Dosing is in the site and the book.

What Does Ajax Eat?
I looked for something well formulated, with meat as the first ingredient. Something UNDER $2/lb and something they could deliver for free. And this was it. He looks and feels great on it.