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#1
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Tropical Aquarium in a Pond?
I can already hear the howls of derision, and taste the flames of
scorn g. Don't get me wrong -- I like koi. However, I also find the extremely large variety of tropical freshwater fish fascinating. So I am wondering whether it might be possible to bring the worlds of ponding, water gardening, and tropical aquaria together in the same place? Has anyone in the group ever attempted this, or know of anyone who has? The first obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "why would you want to do this, you couldn't see them? -- you can see koi." Well, suppose one side of the pond was next to your living room, and had windows into it. Like, well, the aquarium at your local zoo? (I'd rather not get into all the practical issues of design and engineering yet -- I'm only just starting to think at the very conceptual top-level.) The next obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "what happens when all these tropical fish are subjected to freezing temperatures?" Well, suppose this affair was to be installed in S.E. Asia, where it never freezes. (Which if this thinking works out, will be the case.) If you haven't lost interest by now, and already gone on the the next post, we are now at the crux of the matter. It would appear to me that this concept would have to deal with at least all of the same issues that a koi ponder would have to address. Plus, the additional untidy little detail of, "how do you keep all these cute little fish from being sucked into and lost or chewed up in all of the ponding apparatus?" I have gone through many of the designs in rec.ponds, and in AWGS and Koiphen, and this has been a very interesting and enlightening experience for an (obvious) newcomer. I think some of this hardware technology, and the bio-filtration systems are just wonderful! But is it possible to apply it to little fishes? Is there a way to keep them from all being sucked into a Savio skimmer, or a Spindrifter bottom drain? Is there any wishful hope that fishes generally tend to avoid things that try to suck them in??? Or are completely different kinds of filtration, (and a whole lot more manual effort) going to be necessary? (After, {if?}, I hear from anyone in this group, I will address something like this to rec.aquaria.freshwater -- however, conversely, they won't know anything about all of this wonderful ponding technology that is available.) Thank you for all your endurance if you have made it this far with me. And most certainly, thank you for any thoughts. Regards, David |
#2
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Well with the exception of the window which will be expensive but not
too difficult technically, you do a good job of describing most tropical fish breeding facilities. However I would bet you are looking at more trouble than its worth.. a 250 gallon tank mounted into the wall can be protected from the elements .. No huge temp swings, no falling leaves, no flooding the fish out into the yard, no predetors... and no giant insurance premiums to cover potential water damage to your house. anything filter related in ponding is also available for aquaria check the aquaria groups and check www.thekrib.com. If you decide to do it have fun and post pics... |
#3
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David wrote:
I can already hear the howls of derision, and taste the flames of scorn g. Oh, no. Many of us would _love_ to keep tropicals in a pond. Unfortunately, with the majority of posters being in N. America and Europe, this just isn't possible except for a very few of us. Don't get me wrong -- I like koi. However, I also find the extremely large variety of tropical freshwater fish fascinating. So I am wondering whether it might be possible to bring the worlds of ponding, water gardening, and tropical aquaria together in the same place? Has anyone in the group ever attempted this, or know of anyone who has? I know there are people in Florida and California who have posted here with Cichlid and Pleco successes. The next obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "what happens when all these tropical fish are subjected to freezing temperatures?" Well, suppose this affair was to be installed in S.E. Asia, where it never freezes. (Which if this thinking works out, will be the case.) Huge numbers of the tropical fish that are sold in N. America have been raised in ponds in SE Asia. If you haven't lost interest by now, and already gone on the the next post, we are now at the crux of the matter. It would appear to me that this concept would have to deal with at least all of the same issues that a koi ponder would have to address. Plus, the additional untidy little detail of, "how do you keep all these cute little fish from being sucked into and lost or chewed up in all of the ponding apparatus?" Why? Fish _do_ get sucked up in the pumps, but the flow through your average pond is far less than even a fairly slow moving stream, so it's pretty infrequent. The fact that they're tropicals rather than koi is pretty irrelevant. Is there any wishful hope that fishes generally tend to avoid things that try to suck them in??? I'd say so. Fish may have very _small_ brains, but why would they want to be sucked into a black hole, that leads to no known source of food or sex (of course, if the finny object of their desires already got sucked in, all bets are off :-)) Go for it! -- derek |
#4
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I see absolutly nothing wrong with it. I have a 3000 gallon pond that is inside my heated greenhouse. Between my mechanical and veggie filter I have maintained crystal clear water for over 4 years. Although I have koi and goldfish you would be able to see any fish down to the bottom. Dream and enjoy that's what it is all about. Bob |
#5
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"David" wrote in message ... I can already hear the howls of derision, and taste the flames of scorn g. Don't get me wrong -- I like koi. However, I also find the extremely large variety of tropical freshwater fish fascinating. So I am wondering whether it might be possible to bring the worlds of ponding, water gardening, and tropical aquaria together in the same place? Has anyone in the group ever attempted this, or know of anyone who has? The first obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "why would you want to do this, you couldn't see them? -- you can see koi." Well, suppose one side of the pond was next to your living room, and had windows into it. Like, well, the aquarium at your local zoo? (I'd rather not get into all the practical issues of design and engineering yet -- I'm only just starting to think at the very conceptual top-level.) The next obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "what happens when all these tropical fish are subjected to freezing temperatures?" Well, suppose this affair was to be installed in S.E. Asia, where it never freezes. (Which if this thinking works out, will be the case.) If you haven't lost interest by now, and already gone on the the next post, we are now at the crux of the matter. It would appear to me that this concept would have to deal with at least all of the same issues that a koi ponder would have to address. Plus, the additional untidy little detail of, "how do you keep all these cute little fish from being sucked into and lost or chewed up in all of the ponding apparatus?" I have gone through many of the designs in rec.ponds, and in AWGS and Koiphen, and this has been a very interesting and enlightening experience for an (obvious) newcomer. I think some of this hardware technology, and the bio-filtration systems are just wonderful! But is it possible to apply it to little fishes? Is there a way to keep them from all being sucked into a Savio skimmer, or a Spindrifter bottom drain? Is there any wishful hope that fishes generally tend to avoid things that try to suck them in??? Or are completely different kinds of filtration, (and a whole lot more manual effort) going to be necessary? (After, {if?}, I hear from anyone in this group, I will address something like this to rec.aquaria.freshwater -- however, conversely, they won't know anything about all of this wonderful ponding technology that is available.) Thank you for all your endurance if you have made it this far with me. And most certainly, thank you for any thoughts. Regards, David Sounds like a good project. I always thought it would be cool to have an indoor/outdoor pond. So the fish could come and go between the house and outside. But living in the Frozen North, this would be a seasonal project. Of course, I would stock it with KOI! |
#6
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David wrote:
The next obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "what happens when all these tropical fish are subjected to freezing temperatures?" Well, suppose this affair was to be installed in S.E. Asia, where it never freezes. (Which if this thinking works out, will be the case.) They die. That is why they (tropicals) live where it don't freeze. Temperate fish live where it freezes. You could stock something like sunfish, or bass, catfish, pike, muskies, etc, in addition to your koi, assuming they (koi) are big enough not to be eaten. |
#7
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"ajames54" wrote in message ups.com... Well with the exception of the window which will be expensive but not too difficult technically, you do a good job of describing most tropical fish breeding facilities. However I would bet you are looking at more trouble than its worth.. a 250 gallon tank mounted into the wall can be protected from the elements .. No huge temp swings, no falling leaves, no flooding the fish out into the yard, no predetors... and no giant insurance premiums to cover potential water damage to your house. anything filter related in ponding is also available for aquaria check the aquaria groups and check www.thekrib.com. If you decide to do it have fun and post pics... An additional concern is for these fish to 'inadvertantly' enter the local ecosystem, where, as is the case in Florida and other "warm" states, has had devastating results for the local fauna. |
#8
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"David" wrote:
I can already hear the howls of derision, and taste the flames of scorn g. snip The next obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "what happens when all these tropical fish are subjected to freezing temperatures?" Well, suppose this affair was to be installed in S.E. Asia, where it never freezes. (Which if this thinking works out, will be the case.) I live in San Diego, with no frost. I kept an Oscar in my pond from May thru October then bring him inside. I placed some platties in the pond in June to see how they would do. There are a couple left. My water - at it's coldest point - hits about 50 F. That's way too cold for the Oscar. I lost a lot of platties when that temperature went over a few weeks. It's not if it never freezes, it's, "what will the minimum water temp be. If you haven't lost interest by now, and already gone on the the next post, we are now at the crux of the matter. It would appear to me that this concept would have to deal with at least all of the same issues that a koi ponder would have to address. Plus, the additional untidy little detail of, "how do you keep all these cute little fish from being sucked into and lost or chewed up in all of the ponding apparatus?" I have a net in my skimmer to stop that. There were very few that I found in the net. So I think they figure it out. Most skimmers I have seen on the market today have such a net built in. I have gone through many of the designs in rec.ponds, and in AWGS and Koiphen, and this has been a very interesting and enlightening experience for an (obvious) newcomer. I think some of this hardware technology, and the bio-filtration systems are just wonderful! But is it possible to apply it to little fishes? Is there a way to keep them from all being sucked into a Savio skimmer, or a Spindrifter bottom drain? See net, above. Is there any wishful hope that fishes generally tend to avoid things that try to suck them in??? Or are completely different kinds of filtration, (and a whole lot more manual effort) going to be necessary? Ditto (After, {if?}, I hear from anyone in this group, I will address something like this to rec.aquaria.freshwater -- however, conversely, they won't know anything about all of this wonderful ponding technology that is available.) Thank you for all your endurance if you have made it this far with me. And most certainly, thank you for any thoughts. Regards, David San Diego Joe 4,000 - 5,000 Gallons. Goldfish, a RES named Colombo and an Oscar. ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 100,000 Newsgroups ---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =--- |
#9
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"George" wrote:
"ajames54" wrote in message oups.com... Well with the exception of the window which will be expensive but not too difficult technically, you do a good job of describing most tropical fish breeding facilities. However I would bet you are looking at more trouble than its worth.. a 250 gallon tank mounted into the wall can be protected from the elements .. No huge temp swings, no falling leaves, no flooding the fish out into the yard, no predetors... and no giant insurance premiums to cover potential water damage to your house. anything filter related in ponding is also available for aquaria check the aquaria groups and check www.thekrib.com. If you decide to do it have fun and post pics... An additional concern is for these fish to 'inadvertantly' enter the local ecosystem, where, as is the case in Florida and other "warm" states, has had devastating results for the local fauna. Oh, yeah I forgot about snakeheads, They would be great in a pond. (NOT!) |
#10
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David wrote:
The first obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "why would you want to do this, you couldn't see them? -- you can see koi." Well, suppose one side of the pond was next to your living room, and had windows into it. Like, well, the aquarium at your local zoo? How about a cheap LCD camera, placed in a Plexiglas enclosure, that is submersed in the pond? Run this to an RF modulator, and put it on you TV on an unused channel, to your existing TV's. (I'd rather not get into all the practical issues of design and engineering yet -- I'm only just starting to think at the very conceptual top-level.) It is a lot easier to keep a camera alive, and not all that hard to remote. G Many of them will work with IR lights, so as to not disturb the fishies as they sleep. IR LEDS could provide cheap illumination. |
#11
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On or about Tue, 25 Jan 2005 09:59:06 -0700, David
wrote something like: I can already hear the howls of derision, and taste the flames of scorn g. Don't get me wrong -- I like koi. However, I also find the extremely large variety of tropical freshwater fish fascinating. So I am wondering whether it might be possible to bring the worlds of ponding, water gardening, and tropical aquaria together in the same place? My ideal for this large outdoor aquarium would be a house on the Great Barrier Reef with a glass window in the basement. "World's Largest" -- Crashj |
#12
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"John Hines" wrote in message ... "George" wrote: "ajames54" wrote in message roups.com... Well with the exception of the window which will be expensive but not too difficult technically, you do a good job of describing most tropical fish breeding facilities. However I would bet you are looking at more trouble than its worth.. a 250 gallon tank mounted into the wall can be protected from the elements .. No huge temp swings, no falling leaves, no flooding the fish out into the yard, no predetors... and no giant insurance premiums to cover potential water damage to your house. anything filter related in ponding is also available for aquaria check the aquaria groups and check www.thekrib.com. If you decide to do it have fun and post pics... An additional concern is for these fish to 'inadvertantly' enter the local ecosystem, where, as is the case in Florida and other "warm" states, has had devastating results for the local fauna. Oh, yeah I forgot about snakeheads, They would be great in a pond. (NOT!) I thought of that too, but I was really thinking about fish like Tilapia, which have caused a lot of problems in Florida. |
#13
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"John Hines" wrote in message ... David wrote: The first obvious (and reasonable) question would be, "why would you want to do this, you couldn't see them? -- you can see koi." Well, suppose one side of the pond was next to your living room, and had windows into it. Like, well, the aquarium at your local zoo? How about a cheap LCD camera, placed in a Plexiglas enclosure, that is submersed in the pond? Run this to an RF modulator, and put it on you TV on an unused channel, to your existing TV's. Interesting Idea. Or you could use an old digital web camera, and broadcast it over the internet. (I'd rather not get into all the practical issues of design and engineering yet -- I'm only just starting to think at the very conceptual top-level.) It is a lot easier to keep a camera alive, and not all that hard to remote. G Many of them will work with IR lights, so as to not disturb the fishies as they sleep. IR LEDS could provide cheap illumination. |
#14
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Mine is going to be in either Costa Rica or the Keys...
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#15
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George wrote:
An additional concern is for these fish to 'inadvertantly' enter the local ecosystem, where, as is the case in Florida and other "warm" states, has had devastating results for the local fauna. Hardly. Tropical fish don't survive long even in Florida. Temperate & sub-tropical fish are the real problem. Koi are far more of a threat than tropicals. -- derek |
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