[GrampsGrunge]

This would get my sitting outside all evening. I wish I lived in a climate a little suited for something like this. Beautiful!

Dan

Well you rugged Canadian high plains dwellers do seem to deal well the kind of excitement that would completely freak us Coasties. Although we did, about 13 years back, have an apparent Tornado go ripping through our neighborhood as there was the top 1/3rd of a large Sitka Spruce that was twisted off the trunk and deposited it across our driveway, almost a 200' distance. The roar it made when it came though woke both my wife and myself up. :ulp:

I spent most of yesterday sitting next to the big tank watching the group of the little barbs working over the stock tanks sides. They're so well camouflaged with their fish green shading that they blend in to near invisibility if you don't know what to look for. Only when a bigger fish comes by too closely will they 'flash' their sides to the daylight and depart. They seem to instinctively align their backs to the incoming light. They are quite the little foragers.

 

[FishRFriendz]

Are rosy barbs not shy or did you train them to be used to you putting your hand in the pond?

 

[GrampsGrunge]

Are rosy barbs not shy or did you train them to be used to you putting your hand in the pond?

They associate my hand as that which delivers their food, and they and the White Clouds are bold enough that if I leave my hand in the tank for a few minutes it's soon being pecked and nibbled upon with some intent. It's a bit creepy as the Rosy Barbs if they were twice as big could probably give you a good pinch.

I'm reminded of George S. Meyers' "The Piranha Book" by Tropical Fish Hobbyist Publications, he wrote about snorkeling in Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, and having a whole school of Astanax and other larger Characins stalking him while he snorkled. Whenever he stopped the smaller fish would close in and start tugging on all of his body hairs. He said it was a bit alarming because if they were as big as 10~15" in length like some of the other SA Piranhas he'd encountered in Brazil, he would have been in a world of hurt.

All Tetras have real teeth.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

It's been over a year now. How is the 250 gallon pond doing?

Well other than the winter being a bit milder this year it's been going great. I seem to have too much Salvinia.

I've been keeping a couple big chunks of chalk in the tank to keep the calcium levels up because we've had so much rain this year that the tank has had over three or four water changes with rain water. At one point I checked the TDS and it was at 23.

I'm trying to keep it at 80 to 110 as it grows plants better with some hardness. I've also completely removed the 85 gallon and the spillway And placed the pond filter return diagonally across the bottom so it doesn't disturb the surface, and the plants have taken off in growth.

Video on my tank this afternoon

 

[GrampsGrunge]

August update: Too Many Rosy Barbs..

A little late Summer update of the 250 gallon pond.

I should rename this to "Videos and Pictures of my 250 stock tub pond" as this tank has changed from the system of 3 water tanks to this single one. The tub is being overrun by hordes of juvenile Rosy Barbs, considering I wanted them to do well.

Watch what you wish for, I guess.

Noted that I'm growing some plants I didn't expect to survive.

My Philippine Fern and dwarf narrowleaf are suddenly taking root and putting out many new leaves and baby plants. I've discovered that a local tree moss that grows in stream splash zones is good aquatic moss tolerant of tropical temperatures. I have Salvinia, Indian Water Sprite, Frogbit, Limnophila Sessiflora, Rotala Rotundifolia and Ludwigia Repens, Arcuata and some Vesuvius Swords, all doing quite well in this pond, the Vesuvius was a surprise as the Amazon Swords I've moved out have done very little growing.

 

[Discusluv]

This is amazing- I really enjoyed watching your videos and seeing the pond progress.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

This is amazing- I really enjoyed watching your videos and seeing the pond progress.

Welcome, I'm enjoying the progress and surprises as they come.

I may have to do a major ROAK with the Rosy Barbs They're dominating the Danios during feeding, and there's been almost no young Danios in a tub that had dozens of young White Clouds and Chopra two years ago.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

December update of the pond..

 

[monkeyruler90]

How's the pond doing?

 

[GrampsGrunge]

How's the pond doing?

Things are changing a bit, I'm tearing down the 250 and rebooting the 80 gallon trough, but inside a greenhouse. :smile2:


I will also be doing some summer tubbing within the greenhouse. Will report any new changes as they happen.

 

[appstatus]

This 250 tank is most beautiful and love it now a days different apps are developed to check the tank water lever

 

[GrampsGrunge]

I do have a video of the greenhouse pond, well I recalculated the volume and it's actually closer to 130 gallon than 80 gallon..

greenhouse 130 gallon trough pond with CO2 injection on really sunny days