What I did while Canreef was down.

Buccaneer · #1 05-14-2006, 08:28 PM

Very nice work Ed ... Do you plan on running it year round ?

BMW Rider · #2 05-14-2006, 08:52 PM

I'll shut it down in the winter and move the fish and non-hardy plants indoors. The pond is only 24" deep, so it will still freeze to the bottom. I have a 65 gallon tank that I over-winter the fish in. The plants live in rubbermaid tubs under growlights in the garage.

Buccaneer · #3 05-15-2006, 05:29 AM

I used to have a pond in my old house and in the winter put a Trough heater in it to stop it from freezing over and the fish stayed out all winter ... I did not have a nice filtration setup like you do but a friend of mine built a nice pond and used the skippy filter and said it worked well ... but with your setup dont you think a submersible heater in the Skippy filter at about 60 degrees farenheit ought to keep everything running year round ?

You will obviously still have to take the plants in but may save some space by not having to take the fish in each fall ... plus save you from draining it in the fall

I am thinking of building another pond in the backyard of the new place.

food for thought

BMW Rider · #4 05-15-2006, 02:12 PM

I all ready have the winter tank permanantly occupying a spot in my breakfast nook where its really not in the way.

I figure for the cost of heating the pond all winter, I can run the indoor tank much more efficiently and have better success at keeping the fish alive. I am not keeping koi, just pond comets, so they won't get too big for the tank or the pond. I don't drain the pond out in the fall, I just lower the water level a bit and pull out the pumps and drain the lines. The skimmer filter has a weir that can be closed off to seal the inlet, so I can drain it down for the winter. Some of the plants are native varieties that die off in the fall and remain outdoors in the winter. In the spring, I give the pond a clean out to get rid of the debris, then refill and and get it running. Once the water temp comes up, I move the fish out. It doesn't seem like too much effort, so I plan to keep on doing what works for me.

TheReefGeek · #5 05-15-2006, 04:12 PM

Very nice! I want to setup a pond next summer, but I want it to be deep enough that it won't freeze so I don't have to bring the fish in during the winter. Is that about 4 feet or so?

danny zubot · #6 05-19-2006, 10:39 PM

Very cool! Do you have a pic showing the water fall?

mark · #7 05-20-2006, 01:50 AM

Know nothing about koi but one of the 45g plastic drums I have for water changes was previously used to over winter koi in Edm.

Guess it was setup in a unheated garage with a small heater.

Nice project btw, all I did was slum on RC.

BMW Rider · #8 05-20-2006, 02:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danny zubot

Very cool! Do you have a pic showing the water fall?

Yep, this is looking off the deck.

I've put in all the plants and fish now, and there are more plants around the edge too. Also got a large mugo pine out of my in-laws yard and we wrestled it in to the spot at the back by the fence. I'll get some more shots once things start to fill in a bit later on.