In-Ground Swimming Pool Frag Tank?

the only problem would be lighting the tub i guess you could use the greenhouse and hang lights from that but the only way that I would be able to view it is from the top with a snorkel mask unless I did some major changes to the tub but that would have the ultimate flow for a tank. I bet that it would keep heat pretty well because it has foam surrounding the tank. I still like the inground pool idea a lot better but it would be a lot to heat it and keep it at a steady temperature.
 
Allright I think I have convinced myself to start moving foward with a saltwater 'coi' style pond in my backyard. I am going to use pond liner for the bottom and mainly airlifts for circulation. I am just starting the planning phase of this. So if anyone has any advice or opinions please feel free to voice them.

I have a few concerns:

How deep should I make it? Our frost line is less than 12 inches and it rarely stays below freezing for more than a night.

Summer heat: Geothermal Loop? Shade Cloth?

I would like to add some type of surge device to the pond to give it a kinda wave action. I am totally unfamiliar with these devices. Is there a controler or something that controls the release of water? Where would I go about getting one of these?
 
I my opinion, no more than two feet deep. Maybe a geothermal loop at three feet for cooling in the summer. You will probably need a gas heater for the winter though. Build a green house around the pond to keep the heat inside.

As for flow, how about some kind of close loop system run by an external pump?
 
Go deep or go home :D remember you have the sun for light so a 2 feet deep tank will have problems with evap and over heating, got to mention too much lighting. My pond is 4 feet deep and that thing gets warm and evep like a mother during the summer.
 
Yeah, I figured heat would be my main enemy. I really don't think 3' deep geothermal would do much down here in steamy south georgia. As for circulation I was going to use airlifts b/c of electrical expenses and pump maintenance.

On the 4' deep pond have you ever measured the temp at the bottom of the pond during the hottest part of the day?
 
make a freshwater pond first and see if you can maintain that for a year or two. much easier that maintaining salt concentrations. much less water flow, temperature control would be a nightmare. i don't think you could do it without a horrendous monthly bill.

i have a 20,000 gallon pond for my koi, it isn't cheap and i don't have to add salt with every 10% water change.

my pond is 4-9 feet deep. with water circulation it is the same temp thoughout. stratification is not an isssue, but heat loss would be. koi keepers in climates like yours spend $100's a month just to keep the pond 50 degrees.

Carl
 
No worries,
We had some friends in both Isleworth and Lake Nona that had done that set up and was curious if you were the one that did the work.

Thanks,
Tim
 
This is the coolest thread I have looked at in a long time! WOOOO! I love the ideas here. I am SO going to do that when I get out of school. :D

And think ... you could probably have a lot of success breeding fish that couldn't be bred in small(er) tanks ... So that could be a continuing source of money to offset the price a small amount. :)
 
put your tank outside for a year and see how much fun it is to maintain. or get a show tank used for koi. they come in 6-10 foot diameters. that could give you an idea of the work and problems involved. or an above ground swimming pool can be had pretty cheap. try maintaining one of those with salt water. talk to the currator at the public aquarium.

i know why those people gave up after only a few months. too hard to maintain. with the light bioload they had they could probably get away with it for a few months without a water change.

check out the outside "pond" reef system at the Waikiki aqaurium. they have a perfect climate and natural sea water for water changes.

Carl
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7231191#post7231191 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gallivanmk
There are such things as salt water pools. My uncle has a salt water in-ground pool at his house. Apparently, it is easier to maintain than chlorinated pools because chemicals are not needed. Everytime I go over there, I am like "let me add some fish!" So, I am not sure how he did the plumbing, but it is definitely possible...
Click to expand...

\the salinity is REALLY low ( one bag of rock salt usualy)
and then it uses electric to make chlorine form the salt. i had one
 
yupyup . same thing as if you put two pieces of metal in water and shockit. one will be hydrogen hte other oxogen.
this just breaks the sodium chloride bond. defininitly not a pool youd want fish in
 
yupyup . same thing as if you put two pieces of metal in water and shockit. one will be hydrogen hte other oxogen.
this just breaks the sodium chloride bond. defininitly not a pool youd want fish in
 
just putting NaCl in water it will disassociate the salt into it's respective ions. no electricity required. it does not form chlorine gas.
 
well they use electric. thats all i can tellya. my old pool had this thing with 6 metal plates on it. and when it was on it bubled and had a strong chlorine smell
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7235719#post7235719 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Opcn
I think you could get started for alot less than 50K, Lets say 1K on pumps (no skimmer, just pumps,go for a lagoon like current) Sand shouldn't be too hard to get in GA, 2K for that, 2-3 K worth of live rock, and another K for sand, then another K for fish, tanks and rabbit fish perhaps, and then with corals it would be up to you.
Click to expand...

I think you are WAYYYYYYYY underestimating the needs of a pool. Live rocks for regular 55g would probably already be $350. How much would $3k of live rocks get you? 350 lbs? That wouldn't fly in a tank that's a few thousand gallons. Many of the reefers on here with big tanks (300+ gallons) have already dropped more than $10-$15k on those "small" tanks alone.
 
yep, big bucks. my 20,000 gallon koi pond. fresh water. cost about $60,000. that is me doing a lot of the work. and no live rock, sand, or salt. water changes aren't cheap either even without salt.
 
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