Do any of you dabble in the art of outdoor aquariums?

[Poseidon Ponds]

Hey,

I just had a question for all you freshwater fish enthusiasts...do any of you enjoy using outdoor spaces for your fish, such as ponds?? Or is everyone into the indoor aquarium set-up???

Jeff

[kennyman]

Like you I have worked quite a bit with Aquascape systems for landscape construction. It has been three years since I bought a house with a big enough yard to do something interesting, but the drive just isn't there right now. I keep saying maybe this year but when the chance comes I'm off to Sharbot Lake or some such place for the weekend 

I love seeing pictures of peoples ponds though. There are a few nice ones around this site 

[Nerine]

I used to have tanks outside when I lived in Cali
and I found one of my neighbours here in town! has a HUGE tank outside in the summer...he actually has the tank out right now but it has decorations in it instead of fish of course

I had a inflatable pool outside this summer....and I had guppies and just threw them all out there in the pool hahahaha they kept the bugs to a minimum

and the previous summer I had a plastic kiddie pool that had fish and pond plants

this summer...I dunno what i'm doing because I'm still renting but the yard is oddly shapped haha thinking of digging up patio stones and making more room for a small above ground pond

in montreal at my inlaws/our place we dug an aprox 4000 gallon pond water is about 5 feet deep with a beautiful waterfall that was very carefully constructed from scratch...we even drilled all the rocks! it was quite the undertaking and I highly doubt we'll ever do something like this again by hand...but instead renting a backhoe hahaha

[squeeker]

I have a small 150 gallon pond, and I love it  

One day, when I have an actual yard, I'll have a big pond!

Here's a pic of my pond from last summer.

[zapisto]

i am not doing aquascape outside, but sill use the few month of good temp outtside to make a grow out for some of my fish.
work great

[PoisonJello]

well i haven't in years but i used to do some outdoor aquascaping on a large scale but it was fun. ok some might say I was just skipping rocks across the pond but really I planned every shot...first you get a nice flat rock..then its all in the wrist 

[groan]

I have a small 150 gallon pond, and I love it  

One day, when I have an actual yard, I'll have a big pond!

Here's a pic of my pond from last summer.

that's mine!
i want it back!
lol... kidding, it looks great!!!

[beowulf]

One day I would love to have something nice outside, likely with koi and other colder water fish that could remain outside year round.  I figured in 5 years from now when I get a larger house with much more land. 

[hamstercaster]

I have the land.. but also have a daycare at home and lack the appropriate funds to do something nice that would have to be fenced because of the little monsters my wife babysits.  It is in the plans though and eventually the planets will allign and I will do it!!

[groan]

to be able to keep fish outdoors the hole needs to be 3-4 feet deep. anything deeper than 2 feet is considered a pool and you need a permit and the yard needs to be fenced in.

[beowulf]

to be able to keep fish outdoors the hole needs to be 3-4 feet deep. anything deeper than 2 feet is considered a pool and you need a permit and the yard needs to be fenced in.

Not really a problem the plan is to move out and get a few acres, time will tell.

[Sue]

We've had ponds for at least 10 years now.  Don is crazy about them and I guess you could call it multi-pond syndrome as he has dug holes all over the back yard and constantly changes the existing ponds. There is some kind of zen thing about how to place a rock...don't ask me, I don't get that part. Every trip to the woods also involves keeping an eye out for driftwood, rocks and water weeds. It adds a bit of fun onto the canoe ride back when the rocks half sink the boat. We also have have an old 80 g tank outside for the last couple of years.

The biggest pond is only a year old. There's a picture of it on my gallery: http://ovas.ca/index.php?action=gallery;su=user;cat=80;u=201
The others are different ages. I really need to hide the shovel fast be for the ground thaws! I've been thinking about the ponds lately...wondering when that ice will thaw, and when the first round of live food will be available for my indoor fish!

[Poseidon Ponds]

I am glad to hear that there are people out there who love to create outdoor aquascapes!  When I have some more pictures I will post them so that you guys can see what I have had the chance to build in the last few years.  Outdoor watergardeners are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet!

As for the depth of the pond, it actually only has to be 2 feet deep...so no fences required...and the it's deep enough for the fish to survive over winter!

[Poseidon Ponds]

Hey Hamstercaster,

We actually built a child-safe pond for a daycare in town.  Actually it's called a pondless waterfall...with a 30 foot stream included...so basically there is no visible pond basin...because it's filled in with material to disguise it...so kids can walk across it, play in the waterfall...with no worries.  In fact it is very entertaining for them!

Just wanted to let you know that you can have your cake and eat it too- pond and daycare!

[groan]

I am glad to hear that there are people out there who love to create outdoor aquascapes!  When I have some more pictures I will post them so that you guys can see what I have had the chance to build in the last few years.  Outdoor watergardeners are some of the most interesting people you will ever meet!

As for the depth of the pond, it actually only has to be 2 feet deep...so no fences required...and the it's deep enough for the fish to survive over winter!

Oh ya! that's right, when i gave that preform away i had considered putting in a bigger one but decided against it because of the restriction as well as because I have a toddler around. Some day perhaps, though.

[zurus]

Wow Sue that is a beautiful pond!

One day if/when I own a home I hope to have a pond!

[squeeker]

Groan,

Thanks again for the pond!  I just love it!  Can't wait to get it going again this year!

Sue,

What a gorgeous pond!  Very similar to what I'd like one day!

[plecoL83]

We keep outdoor fish (they move indoors over the winter).

Here is a pic of the pond from last May, before the plants took off.



The first version of the pond was dug by the kids four years ago - they had a great time excavating a hole - all on their own initiative.  It was lined with newspaper and an old vinyl pool cover.  That version lasted until last summer when we replaced it with a plastic pond (~50 gallon.)  Last summer we also added the hand pump, the pond has never had an electric pump or fountain.  The pump is great entertainment for the kids, and the fish.

The first stocking of the pond was four common goldfish.  Two of those lasted til last summer, only one is still alive.  Every year new fish are added, but this is the only one that seems to have evaded the raccoons or whatever it is that makes fish disappear.  Here is a pic of the remaining goldfish in his winter basement home (15g tank) - probably to be put back in the pond next month.