Michigan Cichlid Association
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: four_by_ken on March 04, 2013, 07:45:54 AM
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OK, I remember reading somewhere (I dont think here) about a guy who put Africans in a small outside plastic pond once the weather warmed up and took them out towards fall.
I have one of those plastic ponds that just has a couple goldfish in it. I was thinking about putting something else in it for this summer. If I had to guess... 300 gallons?
So, who has some fry that I could load it with? Looking for something extremely cheap... maybe free?
Just something different. I will probably just sell/give away/store credit the fish at the end of the season... depending on what they are.
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Tony did that last summer. Get yourself some sponge filters and a 300 watt heater in case the temp dips at night. A cover of some sort would probably help as well.
You would probably get a better response if you offered to grow out someone's fry :)
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Tony did that last summer. Get yourself some sponge filters and a 300 watt heater in case the temp dips at night. A cover of some sort would probably help as well.
You would probably get a better response if you offered to grow out someone's fry :)
A cover for at night is a good idea. I would be more than happy to grow out someones fry... I would just be concerned that is something happened to them.
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Wouldn't birds be a hazzard as well ?
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Runawaypencil does this also. Last summer he had a bunch of Dragon Blood Peacocks in it. I'm sure he could add some guidance
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Runawaypencil does this also. Last summer he had a bunch of Dragon Blood Peacocks in it. I'm sure he could add some guidance
So, maybe it was here that I was reading this. I'll have to poke around some more.
Wouldn't birds be a hazzard as well ?
The only bird that I think I would have a problem with is the Blue Heron. But, it stays at the big pond and eats the little goldfish. But, I havent really seen it for a couple years. It has never some to the small pond. I think the dogs scare it away.
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I grew out some Vic's and mbunas in a 200 gallon last summer. I got a late start in late July and the weather turned cold in late August so I pulled them back inside. I had no heater in there and had several nights where water temp dropped to mid sixties with no apparent ill effects. While the fish did not grow a whole lot in the one month, they did develop some pretty good coloring.
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Totally depending on mother nature...
I am thinking beginning of June until beginning of September.
Maybe put a heater in there and have it set to say 65. So that it cant drop tooooo far down.
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I tried this once. If you try it will really small fish (1"-ish) you might have a problem with predatory water insects.
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I have always wanted a pond for frontosa's. On www.captivereefs.com a member made a saltwater pond. It was very cool.
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I tried this once. If you try it will really small fish (1"-ish) you might have a problem with predatory water insects.
didnt think about that one.
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didnt think about that one.
Me neither until I put about a dozen Ps. acei and N. venustus out 7-8 summers ago and within a week could only find about 1/2 of them left. Then I saw a backswimmer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backswimmer) with one of the fry. >:(
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It may come to be an expensive idea due to temp changes and in the fall you will never get them all. I did however do 55 gallon barrels outside with rainwater and had great success then moved all indoors in September. Tilapia, buda, south american best
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It may come to be an expensive idea due to temp changes and in the fall you will never get them all. I did however do 55 gallon barrels outside with rainwater and had great success then moved all indoors in September. Tilapia, buda, south american best
If expenses grow on this... I will abandon ship. This is more, "for the fun of it" and nothing more.
I already have the plastic pond and I am bored with goldfish in it. So, I just need to find some ultra cheap fry to load the pond up with to see what happens.
There is an outlet out at the pond from the previous owners, but I have never tried it to be honest.
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And lets not forget about parasites from bird droppings.
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And lets not forget about parasites from bird droppings.
I'll put up a no pooping sign.
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I had great success last year and am doing it again this year on a much larger scale, Things to watch out for, if its ground level animals and birds can get in and out with out any issue, if its above ground its hard for birds to land in it and animals to hold them self on just a little edge.
Be mind full to direct sun light as the hot summer days will cook the water if it has lots of direct sun light.
I didn't see any parasites in the water as cichlids are known to eat nearly every parasite they can possible find in the wild lake sands and shallows.
I really only worry about large crane that can wade in the water and graze as they may like and water temp.
I'm not really willing to set up heaters in the ponds so I'm just risking it but do wait for the temp to be consistently over 70 during the day. I think people are much to cautious when it comes to the temp as they can handle short term temps in 60 degree water and if you have 300 gallons it takes a long time for it to cool down but easy to warm up with minimal direct sun light on that black plastic. I try to place mine where they will get a few 2-3 hours of noon sun light and then back into the shade. Last year I didn't put any plants in it but this year I will have them covering the top to help hide them from predators.
It is a huge pain in the buns to wade in the water in the fall and try to get all the fish out I kept them out in the fall till the first frost and I should have took a water temp at that point in time cause the water made my hands and feet go numb but all the fish made it except for 2 which were found floating like 3 weeks later when it really got cold not to mention 90% of the water was out so water temp dropped alot faster on the forgotten few.
(http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k527/runawaypencil/IMG_1039.jpg)
(http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k527/runawaypencil/IMG_1033.jpg)
(http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k527/runawaypencil/IMG_1031.jpg)
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Great feedback! Thanks.
Mine will be in ground and its one of those decorative odd shaped ponds. In ground should help the temps fluctuate even less.
Mine will have a LOT of sunlight, so I think that getting warm may be an issue. But there is a gazebo type thing over the top that I was planning on letting some kind of fast growing vine grow on. That would give shade. A tarp over it would always work too if I need to.
The Blue Heron that circles wont land here because of our dogs and also the gazebo thing.
This whole thing is falling apart, so this summer it is either make it look nice again, or tear it all down.