waterlogged Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 ok so i'm doing my usuall thing were i have a fishy idea which i will never do but like to explore. so i was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with heated/tropical outdoor ponds? and is this going to work in a place like palmy were in winter it can get cold? was looking on trademe at some pacus and other big fish that are out growing tanks and thought about a big rescue tank/pond. but as i'm a student prob not the best idea right now lol. still keen to hear what people have to say. Oh and after thought...... has anyone kept pacus for a long time? or had grown ones? i've been reading how they can live for 50years and reach between 60-100+cm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Do you have your own nuclear reactor to power it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 :facepalm: you trying to tell me you don't But seriously i know it would be costly but would it be do-able? Te other idea was to get a green house and turn it into a jungle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 lol, I hope you are studying to become the next Mark Zuckerburg.. You'll need the money to run your exotic set ups haha.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 i was thinking along the lines of getting someone else to steal my ideas but pay me to do it =p if only i had a magic geni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 yes it is doable with a combination of solar and electricity 15,000l tank costs around 300 per month to run set up about 6,500 dollars with some DIY skills Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Would be a most excellent and impressive investment! I suggest you do it haha. :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broms2 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 couldnt this be put together with a para pool and filter quite cheap, if built indoors once heated would act as a heat sink? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 ^ quite common to do it overseas, seen it many times on MFK. Outdoors somewhere with winters like palmy north though, trying to keep that large a volume of water at 25C+ when the ambient air temperature is below freezing is going to consume a fair bit of power... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 an outdoor spa pool with a cover cost us about $40 per month to heat. Of course that is much warmer than tropical, but the cover helped a lot. Something like a spa pool (insulated sides) in a greenhouse, and with solar water heating, could work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Would need to be a mighty big spa pool to house pacus!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diver21 Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 but its the same theory, lust double or triple the size, i think having it in a greenghouse and jungle it is a good idea. have half the greenhouse the pond, build it up and have a glass viewing hole 5/6ft x 2ft and your set. cobble stone the other half of the greehouse and add a little table and chairs and it would be a nice place to have your lunch. or add it into your basement instead of outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Sorry, I'm just going to come out and say it - that would look really hideous in a backyard. I reckon it just defeats the purpose of having a pond lol.. You have to peer into that little peephole just to watch the fish swim around! If you're gonna do it, you might as well spend the cash and go for the jungle themed greenhouse pond. Sure, you'd never be able to take a holiday ever again, but you can always take a walk to your backyard and imagine that you're in a tropical jungle lol.. Can't beat that convenience! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nymox Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I like those large tanks, I look at what is inside the tank and how healthy it is rather then the outside. Your right though I guess in the kinds of backyards you might be talking about they won't fit in well with the gnomes and rose bushes. If its a rescue tank for larger fish then something like what L.A. posted would be perfect, after all isn't it about the well being of the fish rather then aesthetics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I like those large tanks, I look at what is inside the tank and how healthy it is rather then the outside. Your right though I guess in the kinds of backyards you might be talking about they won't fit in well with the gnomes and rose bushes. If its a rescue tank for larger fish then something like what L.A. posted would be perfect, after all isn't it about the well being of the fish rather then aesthetics. I agree, fish wellbeing is very important, but personally I like to place / design tanks so that it doesn't look like a tank. For example, I wouldn't put my tank anywhere I can't sit down in front of it to enjoy it. Similarly, I wouldn't just throw a whole lot of fish into a bare tank just to watch them swim around. I'm a shallow fish keeper, lol.. (no pun intended!) :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Time and place really, if you're just interested in housing big fish comfortably and don't care how it looks then a big tank would do the job. If you want to build a nice feature thats going to be enjoyable to look at then go for something like this: http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forum ... p?t=325084 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Oh my gosh, although I like usually like small fish I would not say no to that! I love lurking on MFK. So many stupidly huge tank builds. One day... :roll: MTS at its best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Biggest difference is that the owner of that pond is in Malaysia, so the heating bill is zero... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 yea the idea of the green house is it will help to warm it up too. you could even hook a thermo. up to fans in summer and have a zero heating bill. and doesn't stop at fish, could have a few reptiles in the area too. almost like my own little tropical zoo. need a big green house lol like the ones next to the auckland museum. ah one day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 I've had a fair bit of experience with various greenhouses and I really don't think its a good way to go for fish. They will easily get well over the 28C you'd want to keep your tanks at, and on a cold winters night they offer zero warmth and almost zero insulation. Even a double-skinned warm-room built inside a large greenhouse in Auckland needed a fan heater to keep it above zero in winter. To make it workable for fish you'd need excellent venting that is thermostatically closed as the temperatures can fluctuate considerably (especially with smaller sizes) and an additional heat source for most of winter as no sun = no warmth. I've thought long and hard about building and running a mega-tank/indoor pond here in NZ, IMO the best bet would be to have it inside an insulated garage/building and run a heat pump to keep the ambient air temperature a couple of degrees warmer than what you want the tank at. If you wanted to use natural light you could either use solar tubes (more expensive to buy and install but better for insulation) or use some opaque roofing, maybe double-layered with an air gap to improve the insulation (cheaper to set up but less insulation means more $ on the heating bill). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hovmoller Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 ok so i'm doing my usuall thing were i have a fishy idea which i will never do but like to explore. so i was just wondering if anyone has had any experience with heated/tropical outdoor ponds? and is this going to work in a place like palmy were in winter it can get cold? was looking on trademe at some pacus and other big fish that are out growing tanks and thought about a big rescue tank/pond. but as i'm a student prob not the best idea right now lol. still keen to hear what people have to say. Oh and after thought...... has anyone kept pacus for a long time? or had grown ones? i've been reading how they can live for 50years and reach between 60-100+cm Setting up a monster pond/tank to "rescue" some pacus??? Just eat them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 yea would have other sources for heat and cooling. A garage is a good idea though just need to get lots of natural light so it looks good. With plants everywere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshlikesfish Posted March 14, 2011 Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Girlfriends family friends own a very large pool that would easily house large pacu. It was 28-34 degrees throughout summer. They had a problem keeping it cool. During the colder seasons they put a cover on it and they use solar heated water to keep the pond at about 30. Seeing as its underground it is probably better insulated by I think you can do it if you have the space and the money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterlogged Posted March 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2011 Hence why none of this is happening till i've finished uni atleast lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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