New poster -- from pond to aquarium

[Aquamom]

Hi, folks. I'm new here.

I installed a makeshift outdoor pond by purchasing one of those huge plastic planters from a garden center, burying it in the ground up to its plastic rim, and filling it with rinsed pea gravel, our own well water, and spreading silk (artificial) water lilies and lilypads to float on top.

In addition, I put in a birdbath agitator to keep the water moving, but no other filtration. For awhile, I had a solar-powered fountain with submersible pump which worked very well until the small pump gave out. Now there's just the above-surface agitator I've mentioned.

I had small goldfish and water snails inside this pond, and they all did really well. I changed the water and cleaned the gravel and sides of the pond periodically, and the water was crystal clear.

It did grow a lot of algae, which the snails loved. I also would occasionally put in duckweed which augmented the regular goldfish food.

I'm not certain how many gallons this pond was, but everyone was happy inside it -- no diseases or other distress. The goldies liked being able to hide beneath the artificial water lilies and lilypads, and used them for shade, as well.

This small pond freezes solid in winter, so I have transferred my fish to an indoor aquarium, 20-gallons "high". Some snails have also been transferred there, and thus far everyone is doing well.

I have plastic plants in this tank, but have supplied floating duckweed for additional food.

I also have a bottom-feeding highfin "shark". It is also doing well, as far as I can see.

No algae has formed in the tank yet, but now I am keeping the light on continually in hope it will form some.

Anyone have any feedback or advice to give me? I would welcome it. Thanks -- Aquamom

[jwm5]

Light on continually meaning 24 hrs a day? that will eventually be bad for the fish I think , extra stress, also how many fish do you now have in the 20g tank... goldfish create a lot of dirt, you may not have needed a filter outside, but you will definitely want one on an indoor aquarium.

[Aquamom]

I do have an undergravel filter in the aquarium, along with a Maxi-Jet 400 submersible pump and accompanying Venturi aeration system. This seems to be working very well, as there is good water motion. I can regulate the amount of air via a valve that came with the system.

I don't plan on keeping the light on for 24 hours -- that wouldn't be natural. But just keeping it on longer during the daytime than I have been. Also when I first transferred my fish, I included some of their pond water in with the fresh water. I transferred them in their pond water and acclimated them to equalize temperature.

My goldies are fairly small -- I have one that is only two inches long, one about two-and-a-half, one three-and-three-fourths inches and the Shubunkin is about four inches, from mouth to tip of tail.

The little hi-fin groundfeeder is only about two inches. I know they will grow, and when they get bigger, I'll be transferring them to a larger tank.

The fact that the 20 gallon tank is a high one gives the fish more vertical space in which to swim. They seem to have plenty of room right now.

I'm just trying to get a little algae to grow to feed the snails. They had a feast in my pond when algae coated the sides of it. Of course, I don't want too much algae, just enough to keep them fed.

As it is, food falls to the bottom of the tank at each feeding, which I do twice a day. I feed both pellets and flakes, along with the duckweed. I have seen my hifin feed off fallen flakes, and of course whatever detritus builds up in the bottom the snails will get, too.

This is my first time in decades keeping fish, again. I probably need to relearn some things, and I know there is new information and technology out today that wasn't available the first time around (1980s).

I am thinking of buying some algae pellets for the bottom feeders if I can't get algae to grow naturally.

Anything else I should be doing? Welcome your input...

Aquamom

[chad320]

The best way to get algae to grow is to throw alot of $$ at your tank and try your hardest to get it to not grow. Natural sunlight and overfeeding will also help. Snails will live on next to nothing and if youre feeding algae wafers to the tank, they will get enough from that.

[Aquamom]

Hi, Chad ... I appreciate your humor. That's like saying if you want to make sure it rains, just wash your car.

My tank light mimics natural sunlight -- it's a fluorescent, and the way it reflects off the leaves of the plastic plants, it looks just like the sun's rays are shining down on them. It's looks as close to natural sunlight as artificial light can.

So, there's really no chance my snails and bottom feeding fish will starve if no algae grows, but they still find nutrition from the fish food that falls to the bottom? If that is enough for them, plus my introduction of algae pellets, then I won't worry about it. I just read somewhere that you have to make sure your snails get adequate food beyond what simply falls down to them.

Any other input? Thus far, all is well inside the tank. Fish are robust and active. Water remains clear.

Who knows? Maybe I'll eventually start keeping tropicals again. If I do, I'm going to get a seamless tank, preferably hexigon vertical. I once had a 30-gallon hexigon that wasn't seamless, and it kept springing leaks. I was surprised that none of our area fish stores have seamless tanks. I had wanted to get one for these goldies, but nobody had any. I was simply told that if my tank leaked, I had a defective tank. Duh!

Thanks, folks.

By the way, my fishes' names are: Bunkin, Bully, Darter, Speckles and Bandy.

Aquamom

[tuffgong]

Make sure you keep up your WC's. Gold fish are really really dirty and can foul the water quickly. If you keep up with a fairly regular schedule they should make it through the winter.

[Aquamom]

Hi, folks.

We are Aquamom's fishes, Bunkin, Bully, Darter, Speckles and Bandy.

Yep, we're getting pretty spoiled in this new tank. We kind of liked the pond better, but we don't want to end up solid ice sculptures. This is a nice tank, but we do wish our human would get rid of this ridiculous mermaid! Geeesh!

Better not complain, though. Just keep that duckweed coming! Yum-Yum!

Bully is named that for a reason! He keeps chasing some of us around the tank. He chased us around the pond, too! And he's a hog at feeding time. Fortunately, enough is supplied to feed all of us, we just have to grab it when Bully isn't looking.

Here's saying a fishy "Hello" to all our aquatic cousins out there. These humans are a goofy lot, but they mean well. We know a good thing when it's happening ...

Just putting in our very wet two-cents-worth ....

-- Bunkin, Bully, Darter, Speckles and Bandy

[chad320]

Dear BBDSB,
You guys must be really bored with your mermaid. I am however impressed you taught yourself to spell, read, and use the internet. Im sure you and the snails will be fine on food and wafers. Now get back to the tank before you dry out.

P.S. How do you type without fingers?

[Aquamom]

We're smarter than anyone thinks. We have our human trained really good. Don't you know pets are going to take over the world? Splish-splash!