Habitat - Indoor :: Indoor pond build

[steve]

I don't know if there is a set amount required for a certain amount of water, but the beneficial bacteria will need it and it'll prevent protein slicks developing on the water surface.

[brain55]

Okay, that makes sense. There is so much little stuff to be aware of.

Brian

[steve]

I've learned tons from all the things posted on the forum, but there is a lot of little stuff you will discover on your own.

[brain55]

Made a little more progress. I started setting up the wooden support/platform for the fiberglass mold. It looks huge, but starts to put it all in perspective. I have a long way to go before I start laying any glass. I have one more tub to section to fill in the gap, and then they need to have 10" of width added to them. This probably makes a lot more sense in my head right now than it does here visually.

The uprights will have 2" x 2" boards on top and I will fasten the lip of the tubs to them once I cut them in half, then attach the two halves with plastic sheeting to complete the form, once I get the plumbing setup. The small sectioned off 2' x 4' area will essentially be the basking area and where the pump and filter will be housed underneath.

Brian

[steve]

Looks good so far. Do you have the parts for the filter yet? Will you do a dry fit first?

[brain55]

Looks good so far. Do you have the parts for the filter yet? Will you do a dry fit first?

I'm still not sure on what pump/filter I'm going to end up using. I will definitely try do a dry fit before before starting to lay any fiberglass. Having to change direction once I start glassing would be a huge problem.

With the holidays coming, the expensive stuff will probably need to wait until after the first of the year. A lot of the mocking up can still be done though.

Brian

[brain55]

I think I've decided on a pump and filter. I went and saw a pond guy, kind of in my area today, that a client recommended.

PondMax filter

Teton pump

His prices are a bit better than the prices listed on these pages too. I'm looking at the PondMax PF2400 filter with the UV clarifier and the Teton 1150 gph pump. He used to sell and keep turtles so he understands their bioload. He likes the Teton pumps he says that though he stocks parts for them, they don't break and he doesn't sell any parts.

Brian

[steve]

Those look pretty good. Too bad you won't be able to fit a canister under there.

[brain55]

Those look pretty good. Too bad you won't be able to fit a canister under there.

What would the difference be between a canister filter and the pressure filter? About all I can tell is a carbon layer unless I'm missing something else. I like the ability to backflush the pressure filter to clean it. I also like that it has a cleaning indicator light so there's less guessing. I'm open to suggestions.

Brian

[steve]

I don't know anything about pond or pressure filters. Aside from placement and probably noise, I don't know how it'll work indoors. As for cleaning, I would stick to a loose schedule or rely on water testing.

[brain55]

More progress on the tubs today.

All ten sections cut to size. (I think)

My daughter with the photobomb.

The tops separated from the bottoms.

Next comes the rest of the wood frame to support the top and bottom halves and give me a way to attach them with some kind of thick sheet plastic. There will be about an 18" gap between the tops and bottoms. Maybe by Thanksgiving I can start laying the fiberglass.

Brian

[brain55]

More progress.

Brian

[steve]

Looks very nice! This reminds me of a few of the stock tanks that are framed out. Of course the under water level and ramp will make this worth it

[brain55]

I hope it works out. It is quite labor intensive. Just getting to the point of laying the fiberglass is taking a lot. I'm still hoping to get to do that Thanksgiving weekend. I still have to form the sides, the ramp, and the shallow area, not to mention the plumbing for the intake and return. That's a lot to do in my spare time over the next 2 weeks.

Brian

[ljapa]

Just wanted you to know that I've not been commenting much, but have been avidly following.

Thanks for this build thread. I don't even know anything about working with fiberglass and am looking forward to Thanksgiving weekend!