Pond Barrel

We have some 55 gallon barrels all filled up and set up ready for fish. I am a little concerned because these barrels used to contain concrete sealer in it. It is a little cloudy and I am unsure if it is my dirty well water or the sealer. I overflowed the barrels today for about an hour to no avail. How can I test my water to see if it is safe? I am thinking of buying a feeder goldfish for each barrel and sticking one in each and seeing if they die. I don't want that though, because it isn't humane and I don't think I'd sleep if I did that to innocent fish like that.

 

55 gallon drums are erroble ponds because they do not have great length. You could do some smaller species like guppies though.

 

Are these barrels standing upright or cut in half like troughs?

Water conditioner aka Prime, will bind or nuetralize a range of chemicals. Charcoal can also be useful.

Are these going to be still ponds or filtered ?

Will they be planted?

What sort of fish are you planning, other than the sacrificial goldfish?

 

We are copying a friend of ours who has great luck, I was just hoping for advice on how to tell if the chemicals were gone.

Edit: I now see the confusion I am nit putting koi in just small goldfish, which I know will get big, but they will be put into a lager pond when the time comes for it.

 

Are these barrels standing upright or cut in half like troughs?

Water conditioner aka Prime, will bind or nuetralize a range of chemicals. Charcoal can also be useful.

Are these going to be still ponds or filtered ?

Will they be planted?

What sort of fish are you planning, other than the sacrificial goldfish?

They are standing upright barrels, I have thought of using some water conditioner for it. These barrels have a few uses. We have 8 bee hives on our property and they need pans of water set out, and so these will be water for them. The probelm is the mosquitos go crazy for still pans of water so barrels for the extra water volume and fish to fix the mosquitos. We want the water as still as possible, so we are going to aquire lilly pads for the bees to land on and hopefully pond oxygenator weed, and cat tails. The sacrificial goldfish are what we desire to go in it.

 

Oh cool. I get you. I would go with rosy red minnows for that application. They're inexpensive, tough, once you get them out of the feeder tanks, and stay reasonably small.

 

Try a native species. They will be more adapted to your area.

 

Try a native species. They will be more adapted to your area.

Actually funny story I know they aren't native to here, but I went backpacking 4 miles into a forest north of my home and I found a small murky still pond near where I made camp. I sat by it and watched, and I noticed lots of activity in the water, so I got out my rod and reel and dropped a line in. In less than an hour I had caught almost 10 foot long gold fish. It astonished me. I'd say that almost counts as native lol.

 

Oh cool. I get you. I would go with rosy red minnows for that application. They're inexpensive, tough, once you get them out of the feeder tanks, and stay reasonably small.

I have considered getting some of those as well. I just really have a fondness for goldfish. I may decide to go with them in the end. I'm just trying to figure out how to tell if it is safe. I have been seeing a few bees drinking the water, but again there are still piles of dead bees from winter, and I'd have no way of telling if it killed it or not.

 

If you scrubbed the barrels out with vinegar, then lots of water, and used a conditioner, and maybe dropped a net bag of activated charcoal into the bottom, I think you would be okay.

I would stock one barrel, wait a few days, then do the rest.

If you go with rosies then they should be wormed first anyway. So you could treat them in a tote while finalizing your ponds.

 

If you scrubbed the barrels out with vinegar, then lots of water, and used a conditioner, and maybe dropped a net bag of activated charcoal into the bottom, I think you would be okay.

I would stock one barrel, wait a few days, then do the rest.

If you go with rosies then they should be wormed first anyway. So you could treat them in a tote while finalizing your ponds.

I did not scrub the barrels I washed them out with my high pressure hose then I waited the cureing time for the cement sealer so it would be dry, as once it dries it is permanent. It just so happened that two days after filling them up they turned cloudy.

 

Hmm. Okay. So essentially a "cement pond".

I would just condition the water and run one test barrel. Then. I would do the charcoal too, but that's up to you. I don't know of a test kit that checks for residual chemicals.

 

Hmm. Okay. So essentially a "cement pond".

I would just condition the water and run one test barrel. Then. I would do the charcoal too, but that's up to you. I don't know of a test kit that checks for residual chemicals.

Yeah, I can't think of any way to test for chemicals. Thanks for your advice though. I'll run a test barrel and I'll update here with what goes on I'm not sure though. I have a feeling the cloudy water is a bad sign.