Original Fish Room design:





Current State of Chaos:



Yeah, nice.

Actually, its quite a bit safer considering all of the electrical outlets are elevated and the cords are attached to the shelving above the tanks instead of laying in pools of water behind tanks or on the floor. The 2-20 gallon tanks are now empty and are going in a 20 over/under stand. Local Fish Store guy has one on order for me. God bless them. They have the patience of Job with me. I ask a million questions and they are always helpful. I would rather go there than petmegamart even though pet megamart has better prices. You can't put a price on 20+ years of fish business/breeding/hobby/judging advice. And the laughs of course. Fish geek humor is the best.

Anyway, I measured, and measured, and scribbled, and measured some more and discovered with a little rearrangement I could put a hell of a lot more fish in that room. It wouldn't be quite as "pretty" with individual hoods. But it will be a heck of a lot easier to maintain. That goes a long way. I have to be able to have enough room to grow out enough juveniles to know which are the best to keep, cull, sell, etc. Eventually I'll be able to look at them younger and younger and decide but until I develop that sort of eye I've just got to be patient with myself and with them.

I have a long way to go and a lot to learn but I have 2 things down. 1. I need a lot of tanks. 2. I need a good air pump or several good air pumps and sponge filters 3. I need lots of clean, clear water which requires lots of water changes. 4. I need to start with good stock and go from there instead of trying to buy cheap fish and breed up. The cost of raising the sheer number of litters of fry, the food, time, energy, electricity, water, effort, etc. to go from "eh" fish to "ohmyGOD" fish tells me start with ohmyGOD fish and go forward from there. even if i take a step back now and again.

so, there is my currently hideous and in the process of being remodelled fish room. Good times, hmm?

Got a spare 5g anyone? 10?

How NOT to set up an outdoor patio pond.

Here are my little patio ponds. Sold under the name "Pop-Up Pond". One is 28 gallons, and the other is 45. I am happily filling them up with water. I have not read the accompanying instructions, and I am making multiple mistakes that I will not realize until far later.





Proud I am, look, what lovely little water features, they will hold fish, and lillies, and duckweed, and all sorts of happy aquatic life. They will be relaxing to sit by and enjoy and I will gaze at them in the afternoon sunlight and be tranquil. Perhaps even do yoga. Not downward facing dog though, neighbors might object.

But then...

GAK!



After a few weeks I realize they look, well, hideous.

So, I think about it a bit and wonder what I might do.

Upon cleaning my desk I find instructions (Aha!) Suggests:
1. make sure the surface the pond will sit on is level.
2. add gravel to bottom of pond up to approximately 2"
3. bank the gravel up to the sides to provide stability
4. submerge the pump intake under the gravel to provide a "pre-filter" to prevent large particles from becoming stuck in the pump (this had been a problem)

Yes, well, I had #1 figured out after both ponds began to lean precariously forward. I had decided that to fix that I would buy sand:



and place sand on the patio, scrape it level, use a level to check, and then place pond on top.

Brilliant!

On to gravel. I decided that I would use 2 types of gravel. Just because. Well, mainly because my mother suggested one type, and I had another in mind. I needed 2 bags of something, so I bought one bag of each so that we would both be right. (or wrong, depending on what the pictures a month from now look like)
I had river rock in mind, her suggestion pea gravel:



So, a layer of pea gravel goes down, then to bank the sides the rover rock, and some pea gravel and river rock both to partially cover the pump.



I feed the water output hose back up through the cord organizing loops and it makes a nice little fountain with a lovely little trickling water sound.

At this point I am very pleased.



Especially considering...



The next big burst of energy will lead to tearing down pond #2. Its inhabitants (originally 4 goldfish and 2 rosie red minnows) has dwindled to two (1 goldfish and 1 rosie red minnow) mainly due to the fact that they were feeder fish and were unhealthy to begin with. the first rosie and goldfish died before they even made it into the pond. the other 2 succumbed yesterday after a prolonged treatment for ich. the remaining goldfish has been treated for ich and recovered successfully. the rosie has shown no signs of any illness.

So, I when that pond is broken down the fish will go through a treatment "just in case" and a week of melafix "just in case" the pond will be disinfected and I am on the hunt for alum to disinfect the plants with. I have been assured that alum is THE THING to disinfect plants with by numerous pond people. We shall see.

Just setting up....

There will be something here soon, I promise.