The Tank
I just bought a 150 gallon stock tank for my goldfish and koi because there 110 gallon had a crack on it. I emptied the 110 gallon, cleaned it up, and I think I found a way to fix the crack. It is a straight line crack on the bend running horizontally. It is about 5"-6"in long. I have put a lighter up to the area and began melting the plastic/rubber until it was soft and started to droop a bit. I used an old putty knife and smoothed the area out and let the area cool. I seems like it is working! I will do it one more time but on the outside of the tank and test it to see if it holds. If It does I might set this up on the patio for the summer and throw some plants in. Ahhh, I have wanted to do this for a long time now!
The Equipment
I have had to spend money lately so I am going cheap. What I have to work with is a 250gph pond pump, a tetra pond uv sterilizer, a bag of pool filter sand, a bag of black diamond sand (40-80 grit =() and the plants I have on hand. I can get some more stuff for substrate but I am not sure what to get. Aquarium gravel? More Black Diamond? More Pool Filter sand?
The DIY Stuff
I am going to make a filter by putting the pond pump into a plastic box and filling it with filter pads. I will get the lid and drill holes all over the top to let water through. I am then going to attach pvc piping to the pump outlet and create a spraybar like thing. It appears the uv sterilizer cannot be connected to the pump as the piping is the wrong size. I might need to try to get a converter or ditch the UV all together. But I worry about algae.
The Plants
I am going to use mostly what I have. I will put some rotala indica, Ludwigia Repens, Egeria Densa, Hygrophila, anything can go. I might want to get some duck weed or water lettuce to help combat to much light, which could mean algae.
The Fish
I think I will put a few hardy guppies in there to keep the pond "alive". I will let them breed. There will be temperature swings and that is what I am nervous about. I have also heard of people putting shrimp into outdoor ponds and having them thrive. Shrimp like cherry shrimp. It could be something to look into.
roud:
