Noob need help...

[Pondemonium!]

Good day, all! So, I'm new to ponds, although I've been an aquarist for decades.
I'm converting a 40 gal plexi tank into a small, above ground "pond" for my 2 young children.
My question is...
Is upkeep on a pond similar to that of an aquarium?
Water flow GPH=10x pond size?
Filtration?
Water changes?

In the aquarium world sunlight is USUALLY avoided like the plague due to algae build up.
Ponds require algae though, correct?

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post these questions.
Like the headline says...

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group.

A pond is like a big tank. Just outside.
Usually the pump flow is 1.5 to 2 times the gallons of the pond.

 

[Pondemonium!]

Only 2 times? Interesting. Would more be detrimental to the pond?
I know a little about goldies and they require NO heater, correct?
As for the water heating up through sunlight, I'm planning to surround pond with brick and will be insulating the inside between the plexi and the brick. Thoughts?

 

[HARO]

A bit on the small side for a pond. More of an outdoor aquarium. Having gone through that stage 'way back in the dark ages, I know that it CAN be done, but it will probably be more crowded than your average "real" pond, so stick closer to your GPH = 10 x pond size rule. You don't know until you try!
John

 

[Pondemonium!]

A bit on the small side for a pond. More of an outdoor aquarium. Having gone through that stage 'way back in the dark ages, I know that it CAN be done, but it will probably be more crowded than your average "real" pond, so stick closer to your GPH = 10 x pond size rule. You don't know until you try!
John

Thanks for your response, John. What do you mean by "crowded?"
Also, i realize the size is a bit inadequate...
Gotta start somewhere, and my wife informed me I would NOT be digging up the backyard until I "know what I'm doing." That being said, i guess this really is more of an outdoor aquarium as opposed to an above ground pond.
Thank you for ruining it for me...
I kid, of course, John

 

[addy1]

I know a little about goldies and they require NO heater, correct?

I don't heat my goldfish pond, even in the winter, BUT my ponds are around 12000 gallons all together. 5 foot deep at the deepest to give them a place to go in the winter.

 

[Priscilla]

Thanks for your response, John. What do you mean by "crowded?"
Also, i realize the size is a bit inadequate...
Gotta start somewhere, and my wife informed me I would NOT be digging up the backyard until I "know what I'm doing." That being said, i guess this really is more of an outdoor aquarium as opposed to an above ground pond.
Thank you for ruining it for me...
I kid, of course, John

Your wife is a smart woman! Unlike your wife, I dove right in - 2200 gall. A year and a half later, I wish I had started smaller and made my mistakes on a smaller scale. Happily my mistakes are more cosmetic than catastrophic for the fish. So no one has died during my experimenting period.

I do a have two small stock tanks in the ground now, one is 125 gall and the other is 35 gall. Those are fun to play with and less pressure than digging a huge hole and liner and all that jazz. Your wife might go for that option.

 

[Pondemonium!]

Your wife is a smart woman! Unlike your wife, I dove right in - 2200 gall. A year and a half later, I wish I had started smaller and made my mistakes on a smaller scale. Happily my mistakes are more cosmetic than catastrophic for the fish. So no one has died during my experimenting period.

I do a have two small stock tanks in the ground now, one is 125 gall and the other is 35 gall. Those are fun to play with and less pressure than digging a huge hole and liner and all that jazz. Your wife might go for that option.

Thanks for the response. I'm really just trying to make a small "pond" for when we sit by the fire and hang out on those fantastic So. Cal sumner evenings. I plan on having just 2-4 comets.
I Agree with you on "small scale failure."
I'm really hoping when this project is complete that the wife agrees to go bigger.
Would you recommend putting the tank in ground as opposed to above ground? Main reason I want to go above ground is so I could hook up an old canister in the future if need be.

 

[HARO]

Thanks for your response, John. What do you mean by "crowded?"
Also, i realize the size is a bit inadequate...
Gotta start somewhere, and my wife informed me I would NOT be digging up the backyard until I "know what I'm doing." That being said, i guess this really is more of an outdoor aquarium as opposed to an above ground pond.
Thank you for ruining it for me...
I kid, of course, John

By "crowded" I mean "inches of fish per gallon". Is that better? I've been keeping fish since the age of five, and I know that most of my aquariums had a much higher 'iofpg' than my ponds. There was no such rule as "water flow = 10 x aquarium size", simply because back then there were few water pumps available, and those that WERE on the market were WAY out of my price range! Filters were little plastic boxes that sat in a back corner and were operated by air flow. A typical 10 gal. aquarium had no-where NEAR 100 gph flow. Probably more like 5 gph!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discourage you. But you might consider a structural foam horse trough as your pond. I have one that holds 300 gallons and four large turtles, and I've seen troughs twice that size. Fully self-supporting, so you don't have to dig up the wife's flower beds! Get all the info you can, then make up your own mind. And remember, 75% of what you read on the internet is BS! Good luck.
John

 

[Priscilla]

Thanks for the response. I'm really just trying to make a small "pond" for when we sit by the fire and hang out on those fantastic So. Cal sumner evenings. I plan on having just 2-4 comets.
I Agree with you on "small scale failure."
I'm really hoping when this project is complete that the wife agrees to go bigger.
Would you recommend putting the tank in ground as opposed to above ground? Main reason I want to go above ground is so I could hook up an old canister in the future if need be.

I would probably splurge on a stock tank - the word tank is misleading. The are black Rubbermaid type containers made of a very sturdy plastic. Home depot/lowes/Amazon would sell them, craigslist might have a deal going too on a full set up. I think you would get more out of that than a fish tank, but I'm not an expert here.

My smaller tank/tub cost me less than $75 all in (including a pump) and I live on an island where things are priced two or three that of the USA. I have guppies in there, the pump is more for the sound of water moving, the guppies don't really need the pump. I keep a water lily in there for shade and to filter out the water for them. Works great. Too great, I have wayyyy too many guppies in that small pond.

 

[Pondemonium!]

By "crowded" I mean "inches of fish per gallon". Is that better? I've been keeping fish since the age of five, and I know that most of my aquariums had a much higher 'iofpg' than my ponds. There was no such rule as "water flow = 10 x aquarium size", simply because back then there were few water pumps available, and those that WERE on the market were WAY out of my price range! Filters were little plastic boxes that sat in a back corner and were operated by air flow. A typical 10 gal. aquarium had no-where NEAR 100 gph flow. Probably more like 5 gph!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discourage you. But you might consider a structural foam horse trough as your pond. I have one that holds 300 gallons and four large turtles, and I've seen troughs twice that size. Fully self-supporting, so you don't have to dig up the wife's flower beds! Get all the info you can, then make up your own mind. And remember, 75% of what you read on the internet is BS! Good luck.
John

Thanks for the info.

 

[Pondemonium!]

By "crowded" I mean "inches of fish per gallon". Is that better? I've been keeping fish since the age of five, and I know that most of my aquariums had a much higher 'iofpg' than my ponds. There was no such rule as "water flow = 10 x aquarium size", simply because back then there were few water pumps available, and those that WERE on the market were WAY out of my price range! Filters were little plastic boxes that sat in a back corner and were operated by air flow. A typical 10 gal. aquarium had no-where NEAR 100 gph flow. Probably more like 5 gph!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to discourage you. But you might consider a structural foam horse trough as your pond. I have one that holds 300 gallons and four large turtles, and I've seen troughs twice that size. Fully self-supporting, so you don't have to dig up the wife's flower beds! Get all the info you can, then make up your own mind. And remember, 75% of what you read on the internet is BS! Good luck.
John

Ugh...
Thanks.

 

[CometKeith]

Hi Pondemonium. Welcome and good luck with your pond. Wow are you sure you aren't married to my wife re.... digging up the back yard! we have almost gotted divorced over this subject several times. For a starter pond I would recommend 150-200 gallons. Anything less is going to be a lot of work and not guarranteed success, If you are really in zones 9b,10a you will need to go at least 4 ft deep so your fish can stay outside in the winter. Also the more surface area and water the more likely you will be able to overcome problems. One way to think of a pond is you are creating a minature ecosystem that naturally will convert wastes to inert substance so you can provide a healthy habitat for your fish. Good luck with your pond!

 

[Pondemonium!]

Hi Pondemonium. Welcome and good luck with your pond. Wow are you sure you aren't married to my wife re.... digging up the back yard! we have almost gotted divorced over this subject several times. For a starter pond I would recommend 150-200 gallons. Anything less is going to be a lot of work and not guarranteed success, If you are really in zones 9b,10a you will need to go at least 4 ft deep so your fish can stay outside in the winter. Also the more surface area and water the more likely you will be able to overcome problems. One way to think of a pond is you are creating a minature ecosystem that naturally will convert wastes to inert substance so you can provide a healthy habitat for your fish. Good luck with your pond!

Thank you for the response, CK...

 

[Pondemonium!]

So...
My outdoor aquarium/miniature above ground "pond"/water garden/whatever you want to call it, is coming along nicely.
I'm very happy with its progress...