I'm a noob with lots of fish!

35 posts • Page 4 of 4

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

funny thing about this whole thing is, these fish appear healthy in the tank so why take the fish out of the pond in the first place - this is what I don't understand

if the pond needed cleaning, then place a filtration system in it...don't mean to be rude or anything, but if you can explain why you took the fish out in the first place, maybe I'll understand it all.....a dirty pond or an unsightly pond may have looked that way to us humans, but if the fish were surviving for some time in the pond, why screw around with something that was just fine (((sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone)))

so could you explain this for me, I probably missed it at the beginning of the thread, so then just ignore me, but why take the fish out of the pond in the first place...thanks


Stampede
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:30 pm

by Stampede

I'll try to explain the pond, but it's going to be tough with only words. Basically this thing was built on a slope in my backyard. The side of the pond furthest from the house is a cinder block, concrete, and rebar retaining wall. This enabled the builder to build up what he needed to get the depth he desired for the pond. The side closest to the house was only dug out of the dirt. The problem with this is that over the past 12 or so years the water running from the back of the house down the hill has completely eroded the "front" side of the pond. Water has not only been running into the pond from the house, but it has also been running under the liner into the hole. Once this process started there was no way to stop it, so the builder just started covering things with rock to try and divert the water.

The initial plan was to clean the pond. Once we saw had bad it really was, we're talking around 100 gallons of sludge, I decided that the best bet was to at least get the fish out so I could drain the pond and clean it completely. Once we started draining water I saw how bad the hole actually was; the two sides are starting to cave in. This is when I came to the conclusion that if I'm going to live in a house for 15+ years, the last thing I'm going to stress about is a hole in the yard. Thats when I decided to pull the fish and kill the pond.....that is until I came here and my decision was reversed.

Believe me, if I could have let things be I would have, but I can't have a hole full of festering water sitting in my back yard. I'm sort of a control freak, and I'm an engineer by trade, so this issue has been eating at me for a while.


Stampede
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:30 pm

by Stampede

The redesign is going to be very nice for the pond and the fish. I'm more than doubling the capacity from somewhere around 660 gallons to about 1500. I'll build a retaining wall on the front of the pond to combat the erosion while keeping the back wall intact. I will have a filter/pump/waterfall on the "new" side pushing the water to the middle of the pond, while on the other side my other pump/filter will run a fountain to keep the circulation moving. The structure itself will be setup for the long haul, and the circultaion and filtration should allow for some easier maintenance. In the end I think it's a good move.....I just have to keep the fish alive.

I will get a test kit I promise!!! My boy's birthday was this weekend, and it was halloween, so hopefully I'll have a little freetime this week to grab it....when I'm not digging of course ;)

Thanks for all of the comments folks! You're making this fun for me!


natalie265
Site Admin
 
Posts: 746
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:48 pm

by natalie265

I'm excited to see your new pond when it's complete. What a fun project!

Where do you live? Just wondering about your climate, if the pond might freeze over and if so, how you'll combat that. I'd love a pond, but i think our winters in salt lake city are a bit on the cold side.


Stampede
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Oct 21, 2010 1:30 pm

by Stampede

I live in Florence, KY about 20 miles or so out of Cincinnati, OH. Typically our winters don't get too cold, but the water will freeze over. I can't say that I know much on this subject yet, but apparently the fish will head to the bottom of the pond and "hibernate" through the cold months. These particular fish have lived through several years of this already, and per the pond community forums that I just started looking into, this is perfectly normal. Some people do transfer their fish indoors during the winter, but I guess its really up to the owner.

I just spoke to a fellow designer here at work about concrete retaining walls and realized that I really have no idea what I'm doing.....I think I'm going to make some calls later today and try to get some relatively inexpensive consulting done for this design. I'd hate to build a wall if I don't need one.

I'm a noob with lots of fish!

35 posts • Page 4 of 4

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