PVC for a fish shelter?

[Pants]

I have a small pond, maybe 800 gallons. I just got eight really nice goldfish from a friend's pond and now I am worried about predators. I was thinking of adding about 2 feet of 4" pipe of some kind on the bottom. It would be covered with rocks and the fish could get in on either side.

What kind of pipe is safe for a pond? Is PVC okay?

Thanks!

I only have goldfish. I gave away the Koi, they got too big too quick.

Old picture:

 

[addy1]

pvc would work just fine, if you want something that is not white, try the black plastic pipes they sale for drains, septic systems etc. The 4 inch drain pipes would work great, you could even get the ones that are perforated for water flow through the sides, Maybe make a few short ones so there are a few places they could pop into and hide.

 

[Pondmaster]

Unless the pvc pipe is 4" or larger it will float unless you can keep rocks on top to weight it down.

 

[Pants]

Thanks for the replies.

 

[DrDave]

If this pipe is very long, you will need to circulate water through it to avoid a dead spot. The fish would love a little current in there and Harbor Freight sells some nice, inexpensive small pumps that are ideal for this.

 

[DrCase]

Drilling some large holes or slots on the sides will let them swim in & out of the middle of the pipe

 

[Steve knight]

I would think 6" would be a better bet since the fish won't outgrow it as fast.

 

[DrDave]

I agree, larger is better.

 

[jethro13]

Pants, check out the pictures of my PVC fish shelter in the pond construction and equipment forum

 

[stroppy]

shelters are good but if fish get spooked they can hurt themselves on things in the pond so you have to be carefull with sharp edges

 

[addy1]

shelters are good but if fish get spooked they can hurt themselves on things in the pond so you have to be carefull with sharp edges

He could take a file and smooth the edges of the pvc to make it less sharp. Of if you really want to go crazy, take one of the adhesives and coat the edge.

The black drain pipes with the perforations are 4 inches, the stuff is pretty light weight, he could put one of the black ends on the pipe if the fish smacks it it will move, already will have holes in it for water flow. He will need to weight the pipe down.

 

[stroppy]

He could take a file and smooth the edges of the pvc to make it less sharp. Of if you really want to go crazy, take one of the adhesives and coat the edge.

The black drain pipes with the perforations are 4 inches, the stuff is pretty light weight, he could put one of the black ends on the pipe if the fish smacks it it will move, already will have holes in it for water flow. He will need to weight the pipe down.

good ideas addy