Well, I got shorted of nice (warm) weather to play around outside before finishing my pond /tank project this fall. Therefore, I am spending the winter months analyzing my DIY designs and scrounging up materials or at least searching for less expensive sources for consumable items.
I am contemplating some improvements and alterations to my original personal designs. One of the main items that I want to change is the sediment tank (or the prefilter for the bio-converter). My design consisted of three 55 gallon barrels for the entire filter system and the first barrel was to be a sediment blocker or trap. I was going to use rocks and gravel here, but I am contemplating replacing the rocks and gravel with actual filter media of some sort. Something that is much lighter in weight and easier to manage should I desire to do maintenance of any sort on the filter system. The rocks and gravel are inexpensive, but they are also going to prove to be more difficult to work with. Simply because of the weight / mass and volume. I believe I can do better.
I have a keen understanding of what is necessary for my "bait fish" pond, but I believe that joining this forum and reading many of the posts and complete threads here regarding what everyone is doing with their Koi and goldfish ponds as well as their garden ponds has enlightened me with new and better ideas.
I am not sure if I can shave a great deal of monetary expense from the overall plumbing and equipment in the end design, but I certainly can envision revamped ideas that will save me on maintenance in regards to labor and consumable items issues. When warmer weather returns, I will be armed with a better arsenal of information than I started out with. From you all, I pick up little tidbits of information here and there. Not every single item alone helps me with my endeavor, but I am finding that if I put aspects of two or three suggestions to work together as a whole, some things start to click.
Come spring, I will apply all these (your) ideas coupled with my needs and I believe I can come up with a really functional, highly efficient, maintenance friendly and inexpensive design that I can reproduce for others like myself who want to raise or at least harbor bait fish in large volumes.
For anyone who is not familiar with my pond/tank project, I am raising bullhead (a relative of the catfish) to be used as fishing bait for flathead catfish. The rules aren't the same for me as they are for those who raise Koi, Goldfish or those who are setting up a garden pond. However, there are still many similarities.
Come next season, I intend to prove that my design, with all of your input for adjustments and modifications, will function and operate extremely wonderfully. So, I guess that my plan is to simply put this pond/tank into operation and enjoy it and make it work.
I must stop and take a moment to state one thing... I entered this forum with an open mind and looking for new ideas, but I also had a lot of stubborn notions just the same. It was the repeated conversations and the fact that I took part in some of the discussions that led me to learn many new ideas and facts as well as terminology regarding fish, water, ponds and plants.
I still have a very long way to go, but I definitely know a great amount more than I did when I first arrived.
If you are a "newby" to ponds, read and read and read, but don't stop there... Get involved in the discussions here and ask questions and even make comments. The discussion that will ensue will bring about much knowledge (not to mention fun).
That is a very much owed "Thank You" to all of you who have helped me thus far through all sorts of means and for simply being so honestly open, friendly and down to home!
Thank you, everyone, and I wish you all a Merry Christmas
Gordy
