Can this be converted into a indoor pond?

[FoxRacing1653]

Hello,
My name is Adrian, I live in Tucson,AZ. My question is, we have a family business 'Tucson Stained Glass' and we are looking to expand.

There is a suite next to us that use to be a 'Build you own Pool'. They built and left behind a sizable indoor water feature that I was curious if it could be converted into an indoor pond. I've done some research and seen people converting their pools so I'm pretty sure it can be done, I'm just seeking other peoples input and advice.

I have quite a bit of knowledge on keeping aquariums but this would be my first 'pond'. I've been researching information on filters and pumps and think I have it narrowed down to the setup I'd need Filtration wise.

The pond is a odd shape so calculating the Volume was kind of difficult. I basically measured the circumference of the inside of the pond walls divided that by 4 ( giving me a size as if it were a square) measured the average depth and used a volume calculator online.
If I did all this correctly the pond is Approx. 400 gallons.

I know a pond of this size would not be any where near suitable for Koi. But I was thinking maybe some Shubunkin or Comet Goldfish would be a good substitute.

My chief concern is flushing out the scale/mineral deposits along with any residual chlorine/bromine that might be left in the system.
What do you all suggest?

 

[sissy]

baking soda and vinegar will get rid of anything in the system just like it does with drains in your house and as soon as you put the baking soda in it will start to bubble and fizz and you only have to flush in through .I would say to use the lime and scale remover but not sure how harmful that stuff is .But the vinegar and baking soda is not .

 

[sissy]

sorry welcome and hello and that is really pretty and sure your customers will enjoy the relaxing sound of water

 

[addy1]

Very nice, that will make a great pond for a few goldfish or shubunkins. Pick out some colorful shubunkins, they can be very pretty.

Do a good cleaning, fill and drain it a few times and you should be good to go.

 

[sissy]

something like that would look good in my basement .Gosh I think it would make me want to finish the basement off .The customers would love the time they spend in your shop also .May turn out to be a distraction for them and they will forget how much they are spending ,may be an advantage for you .That means they will come back .You looking to go into the pond business ,you may get that question a few times .

 

[j.w]

Adrian
That is a really neat looking pond. Glad you decided to keep it! Nice shelves around the sides too for some nice potted plants. If you have enough light plants will grow nicely also. Will look cool!

 

[FoxRacing1653]

sorry welcome and hello and that is really pretty and sure your customers will enjoy the relaxing sound of water

something like that would look good in my basement .Gosh I think it would make me want to finish the basement off .The customers would love the time they spend in your shop also .May turn out to be a distraction for them and they will forget how much they are spending ,may be an advantage for you .That means they will come back .You looking to go into the pond business ,you may get that question a few times .

thanks!
I currently have a small 28g aquarium in our shop and the customers rave over that so I cant imagine what they would think seeing a indoor pond.
How many Shubunkin or goldfish do you think I can put in the pond without overstocking.
I was thinking of installing a Ultima II 1000 Filter.

 

[addy1]

Goldfish love to breed, lol. For your customers to see them well pick out some white goldfish, bright orange, or the lighter colored shubunkins. You could stick with one type or mix them up. I would start with very few fish until you cycle your water, filters and get everything balanced out this takes a few months. Then you could add some more.

Being an inside pond you could have some of the fancy goldfish that won't survive an outdoor pond. Here is a link to some of the different types.

http://www.desktopgoldfish.com/goldfish-types.php

 

[sissy]

for that size pond and once you get it working and the filter working right .I would not put more than 4 in there to start as goldfish breed like bunnies .Fantails would be really cute in there also

 

[Waterbug]

Looks to me like it's ready to go. Looks very well made.

I would not worry about the current scale/mineral or residual chlorine/bromine. You're going to be adding city water right? Why remove chlorine just to add it back? Test and deal with it when you add the water, same as aquariums. Removing scale might improve the look for a few days, but it'll be back. So you'll have to deal with it on an ongoing basis, or learn to love it. If to do want to remove scale I use muriatic acid, but any acid will work, like LimeAway. Vinegar will work...eventually...if you have days. Stronger acids just work faster. They do have the downside of blinding you, but that's only if you can't or won't read a little and follow some simple precautions.

If any of the plumping is close to an outside wall you could send water to plants outside? Then add fresh water say weekly. That would be a perfect setup. Same as aquariums.

Depending on how many fish you add, and how much you feed, you may not need any filter. Test for ammonia, just like aquariums. That will tell you.

The perfect setup would probably be connecting a pump to the existing pipes in what looks to be a closet? You'll have to figure out which pipe goes where, just pour water into a pipe and see where it comes out. You'll have to use an external pump...I assume they have the elevations right so a pump would be primed. If not, looks like you could dig down in the closet floor. Or, depending on distance and pipe diameter, you might be able to use a submersible pump if you can get the cord thru the pipe and if it's long enough to come out a pipe in the closet. You'd probably have to extend the pipe higher in the closet to get it above the water line in the pond. You can test the distance needed with a fish tape used by electricians, although any wire would work.

Don't add any pond plants, not enough light. But you can add tropical plants around the edge, like Peace Lily, etc.

This will be way easier than aquarium, and the same basic principles. Unless of course you want to make it complicated, just like aquariums can be simple or complicated.

 

[DrCase]

Looks like it would make a nice little pond
A few grow lights would keep your plants growing
Welcome to the Forum

 

[FoxRacing1653]

Looks like it would make a nice little pond
A few grow lights would keep your plants growing
Welcome to the Forum

That's what I was possibly thinking its got two of those drop ceiling light fixtures above it, each holds 4 T12 bulbs, but we are planning on having all the lights converted to T8 electronic ballasts, I was thinking of mixing grow bulbs with super sun bulbs like i have on my aquariums.

 

[addy1]

I grow tomatoes over the winter using the fluorescent lights, those small spiral ones. I use ones that are at least 23 w, bright white, or natural light. My plants grow great, and produce tomatoes.

 

[Waterbug]

If you're talking about actual pond plants you might do a search. I've seen several examples of people growing pond plants indoors and the bulbs seemed to have to be very close, right on top of the plants and even then the plants didn't do as well as sunlight. Kind of like an aquarium, light has to be as close as possible to help.

 

[ididntdoit99]

Is that a bog in a closet? Looks like you've already got yourself a great filter. Maybe my eyes are going bad, or my screen isnt big enough.