CJ's 20 gallon starter

cjinVT

About as simple as it gets because my pump hasn't arrived.
4 Goldfish in a 20 gallon tank with a planter with holes in the bottom sitting on top. I'll syphon the water into the planter till the pump comes.

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I'm about to move the water and fish to a different tank because I recently read that you shouldn't have gravel in an AP FT. The water was starting to look a little green, then yesterday the water or maybe just the gravel took on a red tint. Anyone have any thoughts on what's causing the red? I have hard well water and the scale that builds up in the water heater is that same rusty color. If the red is from iron in the water I shouldn't have to add any, right?

Actually, only half the water is from the well, the rest is from my pond.

Most of the ice is gone from the pond, 2 weeks after my bull got out and walked about 10 feet on the slushy ice before I convinced him to come and get some grain. A couple of merganser ducks flew in (you can barely make them out in the pic). I'll catch a few more carp and catfish to stock my tank when I can. I broke down and purchased the goldies at the store.

cjinVT

Next question.
Since I'm transferring the fish to a new tank I'm wondering if I should move the tank to the floor (and out of the sun). Should the FT go under these plants or (with another 2x4 for support) go at plant level and have plants above that?

DéjàVoodoo

I'm a little supprised nobody has replied yet. Fish do not need light to grow or to be happy. The only thing sun on the tank will do is promote algea growth - so yes, I would move it.

cjinVT

This system has progressed - but I have a question about a future outdoor system.
Has anyone made floating fishtanks? Not floating cages but actual FT.
Our pond (see above) tends to get very low in the summer but my husband thinks the water in the FT would stay cooler if the FT was in the pond. I suggested making a pond within a pond with liner and outlined with tires. The problem would be during a dry August the pond wouldn't have any water around it due to dropping water level of the pond.

If we went with the big FT from Tractor supply (8x2 625 gallons) this would weight roughly 5000 lbs. Seems like an awful lot to float. I suspect we might be better off burying the FT but DH may need to hear it from others with more experience.

cjinVT

The pump finally arrived. The current version of the system is a 20 gallon fish tank and 2 coolers (1 about 12 gallons, the other about 10). Mostly filled with gravel (needs even more). A bit of wool to trap solids and block gravel from coming out of the spout/hose. The hose from the pump Ts off to the 2 coolers. I was surprised that no one has used coolers (as far as I can tell). No real plumbing is involved so it's a good starter setup. Just have to take the lid off.

I bought a $16 digital timer at Home Depot which works great so far (you can set it to the minute).

The kids caught a surprising amount of gold fish from my pond - 1 is about 5 inches - too big for the 20 gallon tank?

cjinVT

About that floating fish tank.
My husband's latest thought, or perhaps I misunderstood him originally, is to make a floating pond with pond liner. That way you're not floating all that water just the liner, I guess.

I just contacted my state approved source for trout who recommends an 8-10 deep pond. Most of our property is on ledge so digging is out of the question. I'm going to view this guys set up Friday (he apparently does a little AP too).

BatonRouge Bill

I'm not sure that you will get the same temperature buffering effect floating in the pond as burying in the ground as the pond heats in the summer the water turns over from convection and often pond temps will get quite warm in the summer. I don't fully understand the mechanism But the water temps in a still shallow pond won't trend that far behind ambient. But you may know the effects in your area a lot better than I being from a much warmer climate.
But if you do want to try it those inflatable pools would seem to accomplish what you are trying to do and there are people who raise fish out of them.

cjinVT

BatonRouge Bill wrote:

inflatable pools ...

OK, now we're getting somewhere.

But now that I'm thinking about it, I don't think it'll work. The problem is the one out of 5 years we get a hot dry summer. My trout supplier said I need to be able to add cool water to a trout pond. My well water is cold but if it was added to a inflatable pool I think it'd heat back up too soon.

BatonRouge Bill

You may want to look at Rupe's thread with bakki showers for cooling the water. viewtopic.php?f=18&t=3142&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=705
Not sure how long your summers are but as far north as you guys are you should have a plenty long enough trout season.

cjinVT

The season is long enough. The problem is that the pond is fed by a spring and run off (we live on the side of a mountain). Roughly 1 out of 5 years is hot and dry. No run off, almost no spring, lots of evaporation. The deepest spot is 15 feet but it'll drop to 5 ft during a drought. The surface area get reduced by 75% too. The pond is a figure 8 so as the water level drops, the pond split into 2 and the 2 ponds shrink & shrink.

A small pond with an aerator that I can cool down with well water would be fine. I'll check out that thread though, thanks.

DéjàVoodoo

cjinVT wrote:

I bought a $16 digital timer at Home Depot which works great so far (you can set it to the minute).

Do you have a part number and maybe a picture of that timer?

Thanks
Mark

RupertofOZ

Most cheap digital timers are programmable done to the minute, or even seconds...

The problem is... many have only 8 on/off cycles per day... 20 cycles at most...

cjinVT

GE 7 Day Indoor Plug-In Digital Heavy Duty Timer with 2 Grounded Outlets
Model # 15079 Internet/Catalog # 100685884
Store SKU # 545912
$16.98/EA-Each

A max of 20 cycles. If you were willing to have the pump run for 15 min and off for 50 or 55 minutes I think you'd be OK. Or lengthen the off time at night only.
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xh3/R-100685884/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

DéjàVoodoo

cool - thanks. At $16 that will be a whole lot easier then mods to the existing timer I have! Not real picky about times yet.

TCLynx

Hum, I kinda doubt a floating tank in the pond will be all that effective during the "hot dry" summer which are when you would need the cooling most.

I do recommend reading Rupes threads as he has managed to keep trout alive through summer and I'm fairly certain his summers are generally hotter and longer than in Vermont. I have the impression that Rupe's climate is a bit more like the Dry South of the USA but I could be wrong.

Of course the people who grow trout in your area are gonna know more about it than we do. I guess during the hot dry part of summer you might do some extra water changes so your trout would get cooler well water and your dirt garden plants could have some extra drinks of fish water.

I know people here in winter who keep their tilapia alive by dumping system water and using the 72+ F well water to keep the tilapia alive.

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