iam thinking of useing a 500 gal cattle water tough as a pond tank

[Blackdog128]

is this a good idea or no ? and what will live in 500 gals safely ?


i live in beaver ut it gets cold here

 

[capewind]

It depends on how much work you want to do. I personally wouldnt use a metal one, but if you have the poly, plastic or fiberglass type. you could easily do half a dozen or so misc goldfish (comets, shubunkins, etc) with minimal expense for a filter... I wouldnt do koi, as they really should be in at least 1000 gallons of water... arent the 500s only about 2' deep? If so, you will also have to bring them in for the winter (or pay an insane amount to heat it)...

 

[Blackdog128]

its a is one of those black poly ones
and it like 3 feet deep i won't be setting it up unlit in the spring but going to get it this week to sit empty for the winter this time around

 

[capewind]

I dont have the experience with such small outside ponds to give any solid advice, but think it would be do-able as long as you can make sure it doesnt freeze. If no one chimes in who has worked with tiny ponds, and you really want to try it, I would either go with some cheap feeder fish if you want to try year round, or basic, but prettier, gold fish and plan on bringing them in. A lot will depend on how involved you want to get. A good filter will allow a lot more wiggle room, but also will require more work... 500 gallons with or without fish, can make a really pretty water garden too.

 

[Blackdog128]

to keep a air hole open u put in a big ball during the winter so it don't freeze all the way

 

[dieselplower]

Can you measure the depth? People ususally overestimate this. If it truly is 3' you could keep the fish in there all winter IF you bury the tub. I would throw 10 feeder fish in there and see how it goes.

to keep a air hole open u put in a big ball during the winter so it don't freeze all the way

Can this quote be explained further please? I dont get it.

 

[crsublette]

Hey there blackdog. Yeah, it'll work great. Only difference from a regular pond is that it'll be above ground, much like the modern formal above ground ponds ive seen. Only thing is to think about insulation; you can simply put some hay bales around it or get some simple R15 insulation and cover with some green pressure treated wood or some other outdoor wood and treat it.

500 is too small to keep koi goldfish if ya don't want alot of extra maintenance. Stick to comet goldfish. There are some neat varieties. Depending on volume of fish and plants and will determine the size of you filtration system.

Sounds like a fun project.

 

[Blackdog128]

i had a koi fish in a 55 gal tank for 9 months before i sold to a friend she did ok during the time she was in the tank all by herself thanks i will keep u updated on it and i will post pics of it when i get done with it ok ty

 

[capewind]

How big was she when you put her in the 55, and how big when you sold her to your friend? I am just curious as to her growth rate as we have a bunch of SMALL koi babies in a 55, although we also have a larger area to move them to, and will, once they are a bit bigger... Nine months seems like a really long time.

 

[Blackdog128]

oh she was about 7 inchs long the time i moved her out of the tank and there was no damage to her during her time in the tank and she was fisty as ever when i moved her she slashed water every where in the house i was clean water off the ceiling to the walls 5 feet across the room lol

 

[capewind]

How big was she when she went into the 55?

 

[Blackdog128]

 

[Blackdog128]

she was about 1 inch long when i got her and so she grew at a very slow rate i feed her one time aday every other day

 

[capewind]

Thanks Blackdog... sounds like she grew within reason. We have a lot of babies, so keep asking myself to think of the growth rate over the winter, so we can know in advance if we need to set up another indoor pond to get them safely/healthy through to spring.

 

[Blackdog128]

as long as u don't over feed them they should do fine in the tank over the winter and your welcome