The 700 gal indoor sunken garden project

[CardBoardBoxProcessor]

Originally Posted by JenThePlantGeek

^^ I sure do! Bruce is beautiful!

me too haaha ! but my goldfish are good enough. though, I wish i had a pond for them. or a bigger tank.. if i ever got a huge tank.. it would probably be all goldfish. 700 gallon would be 60 goldfish for sure.

[medicineman]

Update :
It looks like option #2 is the best for the whole garden-house project.

2. Finish with mortar, give a bit of rough pimples stamping and top off with colour gradation, matching the cliff below. Will look less menacing and also still great for climbing plants to cling to.

My contractor also think the same, so they are going the route. Right now I got 2 planks of 19mm glass from our supplier, cut and polished by the top. Work concentrate on finishing the base for the glass to sit on and casting chambers for filter.

Construction workers will stop all job on the house by tomorrow due to Hari Raya break (or what you know as to mark the end of the month of fasting and abstinence, Ramadan). They will be going back to their hometowns and families and continue work again in 2-3 weeks. Good news for the tired workers. A bad news for those who are too eager to see any new development on the project ... so sorry guys, the project is on pause (as in almost any project in the country)

I called a guy from roofing construction to take a look at the opening on top of the garden, take measurements and give me option on the best way to cover it while letting lots of sunlight trough. I have two options on my mind:
1. Tempered glass on frame (as in greenhouses, showrooms and malls)
2. Clear polycarbonate on frame (like what they use on greenhouses)
My opinion: In terms of pricing, #1 will definately cost much more than #2. In terms of longevity, I put my bet on tempered glass. In terms of strength, glass is more frail from impacts, earthquakes (rarely happens strong enough though I'm on the continental ring of fire) than plastic-like polycarbonate. In terms of clearliness, polycarbonate from what I know will turn milky over several years unlike glass which might take decades.
Does anyone have personal idea which one would be better? (or other option)

[Binarywhisper]

This was pointed out to me by a freind, AquamanX, over at fishgeeks.com. He pointed it out as something that might interest me relative to a project that I am undertaking.

1st, I'd like to congradulate you for simply having the cookies to do what most talk and dream of. Good job!

I am going to follow this with great interest as I have already learnt some things for the thread and am certain I will learn a great deal more.

I understand it is hard to document this step by step as the workers move forward in leaps and bounds and you re undoubtly at work during much of it.

I would ask if you could make an effort to, as clearly as possible, document the preperation and mounting of the glass. I really don't think you could give most of us nearly enough photos and explanation of that process.

I noticed that you have settled on Metal Halides. I would suggest considering a mix of MH and High Pressure Sodium. The HPS have a nice yellow light that when blended with the output of some MH gives a very natural pleasant light.

Some plants like the HPS better as well. The general rule is the plants prefer the whiter light of MH during thier vegative state and the HPS during the flowing state. There is no cost difference in buying the lights and the installation is the same for both as are the types of enclosures they require.

nway, thank you for documenting this
your new friend .... whether you want me or not

Binarywhisper

[medicineman]

@Binarywhisper,
Glad that this thread can be any help for hints or ideas.
I could arrange a series of step by step explanation on the preparation of glass to concrete part if that would help you greatly. As I'm not a great building construction worker, I have to ask the workers or artistants to explain to me in details how the preparation as well as the glass bonding is done so not to mislead you by my very own explanation.


By the time I write this down, the pond part is already formed and currently is under test for leak-that means the glass are all set up too. I've paid a short visit (now the project and the whole house is paused for a long holiday break - a local custom and to prevent unwanted things happening the whole compound is locked) a while ago and found the two glass parts are already standing strong, holding back a wall of water 70+cm deep. The bad news is I havent been able to take any pic of the structure so no sneak peek pic for you all right now. Didnt bring along my camera and anyway the whole pond area and the viewing windows are covered up because they (contractor) concerned about safety, no scratch should be on the rather expensive glass.
You cannot see much trough the glass and from the surface as its all very murky due to first time water washed everything down; soil, mortar particles, sand, etc. If after leaving the water for several days (I suspect more than 10 days) the water level does not recede too much, then they can call it safe and continue finishing their work. They did made special mix concrete liner along the pond part, filter and the backwall part which receive waterfall, so if everything goes as planned any leak should not be serious.

For sure it look quite intimidating to me at the first glance

[medicineman]

Waterway layout illustrated



-Green : 3 outlets to inside the pond. They blow under water level.
-Blue : single outlet to the very top of waterfall.
-Light blue : double lines to 2 different sections. It utilize excess water from the main blue line.
Each line is controlled by individual ball valve for fine tuning.

With many outlets at different positions I can make sure that there will be sufficient circulation within the pond which is desireable in accordance to CO2, nutrition and other issues.

[CardBoardBoxProcessor]

I am telling you man.. angel fish or discus pond



Or! if you could.. put 10 or so sunfish in there.. only problem is it would need a chiller.. they like cooler water below 75 F. but veyr pretty fish! almso better then discus!

longear sunfish



bluegill sunfish



pumpkinseed sunfish

[TheOtherGeoff]

that one under your blue gill is an orangespot sunfish.

he would prolley have a hard time finding them as well since they dont exsist in that part of the world to my knowledge. i think goldfish would be neat though

[Raul-7]

How about a school of Red Bellied Piranha? No seriously.

[rottbo]

I would put a few freshwater rays in there that wold be sweet otherwise a SA cichlid comunity Like Discus rams apistos you know all docile fish

[CardBoardBoxProcessor]

Originally Posted by Raul-7

How about a school of Red Bellied Piranha? No seriously.

0_o how would he make current for red bellies?


Since that tank has such nice size and surface area plus bottem surface area.. i would try a large fish fish tank.. consisting of snakeheads, Garrs, Birchis, oscars, plecos, clown loachs, rays if you can.

[Steven_Chong]

The idea is to make this a planted set-up though right? Garrs or pirahna would be compatible in that context, but some of the recently mentioned fish would not work.

[CardBoardBoxProcessor]

clown loaches yes? garr woudl rock.. 0_O not only mean but pretty.. why would a green snake head not work?

[Y0uH0]

Too bad there has been no concrete evidence that mermaids exist,or i may have just suggested that.I think the best fish that would look good from above would be koi.

[Steven_Chong]

Koi definitely are the nicest from above, but Koi eat plants.

Cardboard I have no idea about the compatbility of bichirs with plants but definitely the larger cichlids that are not angels or discus, and most likely the ray would also damage plants.

My thought would be something like gold barbs. They may be small, but they have the same benefit of being colorful from above like koi, but are not going to destroy plants.

[medicineman]

Thanks for the input and fantasy on what kind of fauna you think nice to go inside the tank. Something you must keep in mind is flora. This is going to be another planted tank type, so compatibility is a serious issue. There will be plants but there is no guarantee that there will be too many fish. It is very nice to dream and keep lots of fish, but I immediately wake up realizing I already got my hands full on several tanks and some pets.

@CardBoardBoxProcessor,
Where did you got that pond pic, man? Looks like it is taken from a natural habitat. Angels and that huge pleco on sand .. wow.
And those sunfish, they are your local fish, right? Havent seen them around yet, but probably exist. It got the look of nasty predator, very oscar-like though (kinda reminds me of flowerhorn/ luo han).
For a fish with lots of rock setup, the mean and big fish you mentioned will work nicely. But on second thought, not too likely for me in the long run. Those meanies belongs better to public display.

@Raul-7,
That would be mean. Even though what I have seen in public aquariums that piranhas tends to be very shy and inactive. They are classified as restricted species on market. But cash always speak, just be mindful not to release them to open water (reminds me of the river bathers).

@ottbo.
Yea, discus, rams , apistos... and just go for altums for max effect. Must consider the price of that big fish though, a small one will fetch high price once it reach my tank.

@Y0uH0,
Heheh... mermaid.. I'd love to have one. The reality is just weed-eating dugong
No koi for as long as the pond remains planted. But a nice selection should
one day I quit planting it.

@Steven_Chong,
Hey, gold barb. You know the good local stuff. They are very cheap and plentiful also.

I kinda think for schooling ones, with a small shoal of bigger species that people rarely use in their plated tank, something XXL like bala shark. Then the small ones I use tiger barb? perhaps not the best idea because they might get nippy.

It seems that you all forgot (or perhaps because havent seen) that there are two very big viewing windows by the side. It does look like a pond-tank, you can enjoy it both the top like a pond and from the sides like a tank.

Anyway the progress started again from today. Once they open up the casting, I can take a pic and show you the viewing glass on. Then you can see the final shape, without the finishing on of course.