Above ground pools used as fish ponds...

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REDFOOT WRANGLER
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This thread inspired me. I went ahead this morning and ordered one of these pools to make into a new turtle pond. I'm planning on setting it up in my basement for now since it's going to start cooling off soon.
If you order them on Ebay or Amazon WITHOUT the pool filter, they are super cheap.
Like eighty bucks.
That's a lotta pond for the money.
The pool filters aren't worth a damn. Anything would work better!
 

Toddrickfl1

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If you order them on Ebay or Amazon WITHOUT the pool filter, they are super cheap.
Like eighty bucks.
That's a lotta pond for the money.
The pool filters aren't worth a damn. Anything would work better!
eBay is where I ordered. I agree 70 bucks for an 8ft x 5ft 300g pond is about as good as it gets.
 

Toddrickfl1

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87" x 59" x 17"
 

Toddrickfl1

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IMG_20190730_191144654.jpg Did you actually attach the frame of the pool to the wood for support? Or is it just framed around it?
 

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View attachment 277579 Did you actually attach the frame of the pool to the wood for support? Or is it just framed around it?
I drove steel pickets into the ground. Screwed 4x4 sections on to them. Then screwed the other wood to that.
The top was secured in part to the thick plastic parts on the pool frames with exterior construction screws.
There is little structurally. It's mostly for keeping UV off of the plastic parts and for aesthetics.
Indoors, UV won't be an issue. But you might want to disguise the fact that it's a cheapo pool.
 
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Toddrickfl1

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I drove steel pickets into the ground. Screwed 4x4 sections on to them. Then screwed the other wood to that.
The top was secured in part to the thick plastic parts on the pool frames with exterior construction screws.
There is little structurally. It's mostly for keeping UV off of the plastic parts and for aesthetics.
Indoors, UV won't be an issue. But you might want to disguise the fact that it's a cheapo pool.
Thanks, I was thinking of either building a wood frame like yours or using some Reed fencing cut just higher than the pool.
 

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There's a new twist to this story.
My pink/purple Trumpet tree had been dumping leaves and flowers into the ponds. I modified the tops. No big improvement.
So...I got out the chainsaw and cut the branches off.
Now, I'm keeping the water levels at about half full so that the water plants get sunlight. Any higher and the plants get close to the lids and get less sun.
Well, without those branches and with the water levels low, on a 94 degree day the water temperature is about 90.
All of the Midas have died.
The Jaguar is still seemingly ok on the other side.
I'll be designing a better return cascade to cool the water that is returning into the ponds and possibly make a shade cover.
That will be hard because a lot of Summertime storms pack very high winds. But I need the shade I lost without the leaves turning the water into black tea and the soft flowers packing up my pre filters.
I'll re post when I've come up with a good way to add more agitation and oxygenation.
One step forward....
 

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Looks like you need some shade sails. Wish you the best I know I couldn’t do it! Gotta know your limits!
 

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I'm running a second filter per pond now.
Same design.
The pumps are 950 GPH and the spraybars on the single filters restrict the flow so much that these second filters can run off of the same pumps with a water outlet splitter.
These are 10 gallon screw top jugs.
Water comes in via a short garden hose into the top of the jug.
The fitting on the sides fit another short section of hose. It's an OVERFLOW feature. In case the outlet ever gets clogged.
 

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ZEROPILOT

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And out through a standard sink drain that is threaded and long enough that I'm also using it to bolt the drum to the pond top with a hole through the wood.
 

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An interesting update:
I was just replacing the pre filter media in that pond.
The pre filter sponges are inside of debris bags.
Inside the debris bags, I found about 150 3/4" baby Midas cichlids. All alive.
Further inspection..And it wasn't a good inspection because my eyes are having issues...Showed what could be hundreds more free swimming in the pond.
So I've gone from NO MORE MIDAS to a few hundred Midas!
Score!
They're all good sized. Months old.
They must've been swimming for their lives in there.
I wonder if some of the dead Midas adults got killed by a parent fish?
 

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