10' Pond Build

Great suggestions! I may actually wind up doing a combination of the above ideas, but am now thinking that it might be better to hold off and add this at the same time as the outside frame and ledge. I had been thinking of setting up the rock as more of an atoll than random piles/coral heads, and figured that since I had the rocks moved around anyway, now would be the time to see how it goes. The fish really seem to like the change and have been a lot more active since changing things up. Will definitely bulk up the "atoll" with more rock, and will probably add a few coral heads as well.

picture.php


Again, please excuse the cloudy water. I took this pic not long after moving the rock around.
 
Looks great!
When you bulk it up, I suggest you do so in an asymmetrical fashion. It tends to look more natural if you make things a bit off-center.
What's the whitish-pink fish right above the big conch shell? It look sort of like a triggerfish from this angle.

Hmm... maybe you should try a fast-growing coral in there, something like a xenia, planted on its own rock. Hopefully that would keep it from going nutso, and it could end up looking pretty cool.
 
dig the atoll look, great job. Question for you, I read in the beginning of the thread that you swapped the frame for pvc, is the original metal framing powdercoated?, is it a rust/corrosion issue for swapping to pvc?
 
This is a really neat idea! What kind of evap rates are you getting? Could make for a cool greenhouse setup, or something like aquaponics. Very cool! What gave you the idea to use the pool?
 
Betta132 said:
Looks great!
When you bulk it up, I suggest you do so in an asymmetrical fashion. It tends to look more natural if you make things a bit off-center.
What's the whitish-pink fish right above the big conch shell? It look sort of like a triggerfish from this angle.

Hmm... maybe you should try a fast-growing coral in there, something like a xenia, planted on its own rock. Hopefully that would keep it from going nutso, and it could end up looking pretty cool.
Click to expand...

Good call on making things a little more asymmetrical when I add to it. Thinking of making some tabling type sps corals to give a more natural look as well.

The fish you are referring to is one of my 2 unicorn tangs (Naso unicornis). I wouldn't call them a pair as they are still quite young and just starting to get the bump on their foreheads where the "horn" will be, but they do stick very close to one another pretty much all the time. When I was researching them to see if they would work out in my pool, I read (from several sources) that this species will sometimes break up fights between other tangs/fish. I assumed that this was a goofy story that was being repeated, or just some sort of misinterpreted aggression, but I have seen them both intentionally come between bickering fish (tangs more so than others) on numerous occasions. Something I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it first hand. Having an educational background in biology, I'm not quite convinced that they deliberately break up fights just for the sake of keeping the peace, but it's a cool behavior none the less, and it really helps out when adding new fish!

Here is a better pic of the two of them (water is still a little cloudy from rearranging the rocks)

picture.php


I'm still on the fence as to whether I have enough lighting to add corals, but trying out some xenia would be a good way to find out. Could always relocate it to the fuge if it doesn't do well.
 
woodguy said:
dig the atoll look, great job. Question for you, I read in the beginning of the thread that you swapped the frame for pvc, is the original metal framing powdercoated?, is it a rust/corrosion issue for swapping to pvc?
Click to expand...

I used the original metal framing but added an additional powder coat before assembly. I already had the powder coating equipment on hand which my company uses occasionally to protect metal pipe, etc... from rust. It was worth trying out, but IMO the additional powder coat was an unnecessary step as the metal frame is completely covered by the liner and very well protected from saltwater/moisture.
 
FishTankD84 said:
This is a really neat idea! What kind of evap rates are you getting? Could make for a cool greenhouse setup, or something like aquaponics. Very cool! What gave you the idea to use the pool?
Click to expand...

I don't have a real numerical figure for evaporation, but can say that it's a lot! The evaporation rate has gone up quite a bit as well with the colder weather. Definitely getting my moneys worth from the dehumidifiers! I do plan to take some measurements, chart them out, and get a more accurate figure just for my own curiosity.

As for the pool idea, I did a few internet searches for saltwater ponds/pools, and saw that other people were having success using intex pools for koi, as well as in aquaculture and shrimp farming. Got some more ideas from RC, and other forums and figured it would be a good way to go. :)
 
moriarty said:
The fish you are referring to is one of my 2 unicorn tangs (Naso unicornis). I wouldn't call them a pair as they are still quite young and just starting to get the bump on their foreheads where the "horn" will be, but they do stick very close to one another pretty much all the time. When I was researching them to see if they would work out in my pool, I read (from several sources) that this species will sometimes break up fights between other tangs/fish. I assumed that this was a goofy story that was being repeated, or just some sort of misinterpreted aggression, but I have seen them both intentionally come between bickering fish (tangs more so than others) on numerous occasions. Something I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it first hand. Having an educational background in biology, I'm not quite convinced that they deliberately break up fights just for the sake of keeping the peace, but it's a cool behavior none the less, and it really helps out when adding new fish!
Click to expand...

Fascinating, thanks for sharing!
 
Maybe I missed this, but how deep is the water in the pool?

I'd love to do one of these, but i feel like I would become a single man.
 
indyjaco said:
Maybe I missed this, but how deep is the water in the pool?

I'd love to do one of these, but i feel like I would become a single man.
Click to expand...

The pool is filled to 26" including the sand. Yeah, the single most daunting part of this build so far was trying to figure out how to tell my wife (fiancee at the time) what I was planning and somehow make it seem like a great idea. Needless to say, it went a lot better than I was expecting!
 
Really liking the new reef structure!! Ooo, I see a bicolor parrot.... can't wait to see that one grow up!!
 
Wow this is awesome.

Pardon me, if it is obvious. But I'm assuming this is an indoor build correct?

And you using traditional tank heaters, or other aspects to maintain the temperature?
 
SDguy said:
Really liking the new reef structure!! Ooo, I see a bicolor parrot.... can't wait to see that one grow up!!
Click to expand...

Thanks! I've had the bicolor for about 4 months now. This was a species that I was very hesitant to try. She eats just about everything I feed the rest of the fish (really loves NLS pellets). The only down side with her so far is that she ate the green shoots/leafs off of all of my mangrove propagules, literally nipping them in the bud.
 
usingthejohn said:
Wow this is awesome.

Pardon me, if it is obvious. But I'm assuming this is an indoor build correct?

And you using traditional tank heaters, or other aspects to maintain the temperature?
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is in my basement. For maintaining the temperature, it's much more efficient for me to heat the air. I keep my basement at 78 degrees (lower temps throughout the rest of the house), but I still use traditional aquarium heaters in the sump as well.
 
Looking great, what is the large green red and yellow fish, bottom left in the last pic. Pretty good sized, looks like a large wrasse or parrot?
 
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