Wendigoblue
- #1
Hi,
So I have a 300 gallon stock tank that I'm setting up! I'm so excited!
Stats for the stock tank:
Temperature: air temp is around 100oF in the summer, with it reaching up to 115oF on the rare occasion (Texas.....)
Setup area: above ground (I know, I know), surrounded by clay/dirt + plenty of large plants to shield from the sun and bamboo poles on all four sides tied together in the middle with vines growing up them (passion flower, rex begonia vine, etc...)
Fauna: hopefully angelfish + others
Plants: pond will have two bog areas one on either side (irises, carnivorous plants (yes!!), monkey flowers, cattails, creeping jenny, dwarf papyrus, caladium, canna lily and horsetail rush) + large bushy plants (hibiscus, butterfly bush, ect...) on the eastern side, with a couple reaching around onto the NE and SE sides + smaller plants on the western side (shaded by the house on this side) (day lilies, black mondo grass, butterfly weed, sedum, coleus, coral bells, hostas ect...) and aquatic plants (water lilies, mosaic plants, penny wort, moss, horn wort, etc...)
Decor (inside the stock tank): driftwood, accent rocks, pvc pipes coated with pea gravel, etc..
Questions!!
No one is willing to let me drag a 300 gallon stock tank into the house for the winter or get more tanks to house them in... So I'm gonna need to get aquarium heaters for winter, will this be okay? The side will be surrounded by around 1-2 ft of soil at the top and slopes down to maybe 3-4 ft on the bottom. I live in zone 8a, so it doesn't get too cold and last winter we didn't get snow and the coldest I'm aware it got was around 45oF.
Time for the stocking questions! So, my current plan is:
Angelfish, swordtails, 3 spot gouramis, bristle nose plecos and most likely emerald corydora (because of their green sheen). This pond will only be seen from the top, but we are planning to use white sand with lights under the water for better viewing. If my current stocking is bad, please let me know and if you have any suggestions please tell me!! I'm very iffy on how many of each species, plus the gender ratio, since I have no experience with these species (except bristle noses). Guidance is much appreciated! (I still have plenty more research to do!)
So the plan for better viewing is white sand, should this be switched out for black? Or is it best kept white?
Our backyard is a magnet for damselflies and dragonflies as it is, will they wipe out our fish? I know they like floating plants and their larvae are carnivorous, is there a way to keep them out, without netting the pond?
I love mystery snails! If they are in a pond, will they just slime their way down the sides to freedom? Or will they happily eat, breed and poop everywhere in my pond?
So I have a 300 gallon stock tank that I'm setting up! I'm so excited!
Stats for the stock tank:
Temperature: air temp is around 100oF in the summer, with it reaching up to 115oF on the rare occasion (Texas.....)
Setup area: above ground (I know, I know), surrounded by clay/dirt + plenty of large plants to shield from the sun and bamboo poles on all four sides tied together in the middle with vines growing up them (passion flower, rex begonia vine, etc...)
Fauna: hopefully angelfish + others
Plants: pond will have two bog areas one on either side (irises, carnivorous plants (yes!!), monkey flowers, cattails, creeping jenny, dwarf papyrus, caladium, canna lily and horsetail rush) + large bushy plants (hibiscus, butterfly bush, ect...) on the eastern side, with a couple reaching around onto the NE and SE sides + smaller plants on the western side (shaded by the house on this side) (day lilies, black mondo grass, butterfly weed, sedum, coleus, coral bells, hostas ect...) and aquatic plants (water lilies, mosaic plants, penny wort, moss, horn wort, etc...)
Decor (inside the stock tank): driftwood, accent rocks, pvc pipes coated with pea gravel, etc..
Questions!!
No one is willing to let me drag a 300 gallon stock tank into the house for the winter or get more tanks to house them in... So I'm gonna need to get aquarium heaters for winter, will this be okay? The side will be surrounded by around 1-2 ft of soil at the top and slopes down to maybe 3-4 ft on the bottom. I live in zone 8a, so it doesn't get too cold and last winter we didn't get snow and the coldest I'm aware it got was around 45oF.
Time for the stocking questions! So, my current plan is:
Angelfish, swordtails, 3 spot gouramis, bristle nose plecos and most likely emerald corydora (because of their green sheen). This pond will only be seen from the top, but we are planning to use white sand with lights under the water for better viewing. If my current stocking is bad, please let me know and if you have any suggestions please tell me!! I'm very iffy on how many of each species, plus the gender ratio, since I have no experience with these species (except bristle noses). Guidance is much appreciated! (I still have plenty more research to do!)
So the plan for better viewing is white sand, should this be switched out for black? Or is it best kept white?
Our backyard is a magnet for damselflies and dragonflies as it is, will they wipe out our fish? I know they like floating plants and their larvae are carnivorous, is there a way to keep them out, without netting the pond?
I love mystery snails! If they are in a pond, will they just slime their way down the sides to freedom? Or will they happily eat, breed and poop everywhere in my pond?
