In natural ponds sure, in a small tiny artificial pond the ecosystem is fragile, she also mix cold and hot water species. Basically animal abuse for social media.
She mixed tropical and temperate species,which is fine provided the water stays warm,goldfish and koi are NOT Coldwater,true Coldwater would be trout,char,salmon,ice fish,Korean perch etc.
This reminds me of working at a zoo. We had a pond with a bunch of herps and birds in it, protocol was no bug spray. No deodorant. Limit all chemicals if you were one going in it. And that was a good deal bigger then this pool and had plants and everything to help filter
This is in Arizona I believe. And the different ponds and areas where they have fish have different depths and heaters to keep them at the proper temperatures for the fish in those areas.
Most lakes are fed by streams, and thus have a constant natural flushing that occurs. But even so, I don't swim in anything fed by slow warm streams. That's how you get amoeba. Pools have chlorine for a reason (even salt water pools)
Yeah it's hilarious how sheltered some redditors are. The idea of swimming in a lake makes them recoil cus one person in hundreds of millions got a super rare parasite.
That being said with this being artificial I'd hope they have ways to prevent those kinds of critters from growing in it. Like surely they know this would need an input and output for the water.
Iām sure they do as well. Itās a pool that can still be filtered. They just said they donāt use chlorine. Obviously they are t swimming in stagnant sitting water. Lol
Tbh ponds have things like dead animals in them rotting foods and thanks to use plastic pollution so I think fish shit pool is better the godzillas lake
Ponds or lakes usually have a whole entire ecosystem, including not only fish, but also: small organisms that clean up such as snails, plants that eat the bad stuff in water and replace it with good stuff, algae also has a part in filtration.
I would much rather borrow a machiene from work and dig a real pond instead of try to make one out of a pool as the waste will never leave the water without heavy water changes.
-some random bloke who thinks they have a grasp on water cycles in planted aquariums
If substrate and plants are added as well as detritus creatures I donāt see why this couldnāt be balanced? The water quality must be somewhat self sustaining as an ecosystem as all the fish appear healrhyb
At that point i would be worried about waste building up in the bottom, even filtered it has to go somewhere and the solids aināt going anywhere. Natural ponds can pull waste toward the earth and allow roots to spread further.
I have a 2000 gallon koi/goldfish pond. When I started it I imagined being able to swim in if I wanted because of people on Facebook and with blogs showing that setup swearing it was great.
It took very little time to see why you don't want to. Even with strong filtration that keeps the water clear and good for the fish, the water smells similar to a septic tank and I hate when I have to get into it to do repairs, etc because when I get out I smell putrid and I don't like to get the water deeper than my chest because I don't want my mouth or eyes in it.
You basically swim in a big litter box. Even if you keep it scooped, it's still gross.
If your pond smells like a septic tank something is very wrong; either there's too many fish, the filters are dirty, there's a buildup of detritus on the bottom, the pH is out of wack, etc.
I say septic tank, but it's just a dirty smell you can't smell unless you stick your hand into it and smell your hand, or pour some water on the ground. My PH is a solid 8.2 and has been for years now, my filters are as clean as they can get with daily cleanings because of the sheer amount of poop, my water is clear all the way to the bottom. There's a little bit of detritus at the bottom from leaves and dirt blowing in, but short of installing a bottom drain which I'm not going to do or moving my fish multiple times a year to thoroughly vacuum it there's not much I can do besides my yearly vacuum. I run an anaerobic filter on the side that keeps the nitrates super low and my ammonia and nitrite stay at zero.
I also run a 4000gph pump in a 2000 gallon pond so the water circulates about twice per hour.
It's just the nature of having an outdoor pond. Unless you spend ridiculous effort it will never be as pristine as a fish tank, and my fish are happy because they're all huge and I haven't had any deaths or sickness in years. They've even survived 3 hurricanes now, and 2 freezes.
Do the aquatic plants in these types of natural ponds/pools keep it cleaner than conventional filters though?
Just wondering, I've seen natural swimming pools on social media before. Nobody ever talks about the smell.
No, plants just add another layer of filtration but it doesn't do anything for the nonstop shit the carp spray out all day as they graze. If it's a soil bottom pond, natural bacteria in the soil helps with the smell but the water is still gross. I wouldn't want to swim in any kind of pond unless it's large enough to be measured by the acre and also has something like a natural spring feeding it fresh water constantly.
Carp are just a dirty fish. A pond with them smells much different than a stock pond with sunfish, bass, catfish, etc. Sporting fish are mostly predators and eat insects and baby fish as they catch them and they poop way less. Carp graze all day, eating roots and swallowing dirt and algae and plants, and poop all day with it in a constant stream.
> Carp graze all day, eating roots and swallowing dirt and algae and plants, and poop all day with it in a constant stream.
so basically the horses of a pond
The ones that are done correctly have both lots of aquatic plants and a filtration system. I actually don't remember seeing fish in them when I was researching about them. I think that would just increase the amount of filtration you'd need to handle the additional bio load.
Huh interesting. Thanks for the info. I've seen some with local wildlife like tadpoles and insects and little fish.
Btw, this is a very friendly and educational sub lol. I'm pleasantly surprised. Sometimes niche hobby subs can be toxic af.
Joining subs you know nothing about is a great way to learn! I have a 4k gallon pond with ten large koi. I [backwash](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HS-hoYeIIpg) it weekly. In the clear tube you can see it get dark. All the wast like poop and organic material then when it clears you rinse and itās done! Worldās best and easiest pond filter. It makes owning a large pond with koi so so so so easy.
Check the link I posted above in this comment.
I am not well off either but you can find used tanks from people worse off and getting out on offerup easily. I got a 10 gallon with everything for 20 and just got a 45 gallon for 45. Some of the expenses like water conditioner and food seem expensive but thats only if you buy in small amounts or chase a certain brand rather than go for sales online.
Yes, it is true that both koi and goldfish do not have a stomach in the traditional sense. Instead, they have a long intestine that processes food continuously as it passes through. This anatomical feature means they need to eat more frequently and in smaller amounts to ensure proper digestion and nutrient absorption. Consequently, they also produce waste more frequently, leading to the perception that they eat and poop a lot.
Sources
ā Do goldfish have a stomach? - The Fish Vet's Blog https://thefishvet.com/2012/08/31/do-goldfish-have-a-stomach/
ā Koi Fish and Digestion - Next Day Koi https://nextdaykoi.com/koi-fish-facts/koi-fish-and-digestion/ Ā
Ā Ā
By Perplexity
So there are A LOT of different species in there, some need cold water, some are tropical, some need hard water, some very soft. Some will get huge and eat the others and have a huge bioload. I can't imagine that this works out longtime...
I think it's an interesting idea, but I would only stock it with fish that fit your temps and water parameters.
Instead of an Oscar since they like hard water it's better to put in something like a sunfish from a nearby creek. They're 90% the same, are smart as hell, get pretty colors depending on the kind, and are aggressive as hell about anything they can swallow. I had 3 bluegills and I'd watch them snatch dragonflies off the surface when they would try to touch it for a drink, and in mating season they would try to bully the koi that were 3x their size. Once I saw a wasp land on the bank and walk up for a drink and a bluegill nearly beached itself grabbing it like an alligator grabbing a baby impala. They were also smart enough to take food directly from my hand pretty quickly.
Once I got rid of them, I started getting baby goldfish and koi the very next year.
I will repeat this everywhere I can. American sunfish will out-aggro just about any fish in their size catagory, and several sizes up if ifs a "peaceful" species theyre bullying. Hell there's videos of bass attacking and ramming divers who get too close to nests. They are not for the uninformed or unprepared.
Yeah, I have a video somewhere of the male bluegill building little nests in the shallow water and they would patrol a couple feet in all directions and nip at anything that got close. The big koi would mostly ignore them, but the goldfish would stay away since my comets are only like 10 inches long.
What was more aggressive than the bluegill was the 2 creek chub I had. One got to 12 inches long and was built like a trout, the other only got to like 6 inches. That chub was super aggressive to anything the same size or smaller, so the big chub bullied the little one constantly. Then one day I went out and the big chub was swimming around with the tail of the little chub sticking out of its mouth. It had swallowed it whole and the fish was too big so it was lodged hanging out of its mouth and it was having difficulty swimming because not being able to flex its body to turn easily so I caught it and it spit the little chub out, which it was dead of course. So I released it in a buddies stock pond and I assume it's still there living its best life.
When I was 12-13 or so, I brought home a small bluegill I caught and kept him in a (Iām certain too small for himš) tank in my room before eventually re-releasing him. I named him Bad News because thatās what he was to ANYthing I put in there with himāI originally had a school of maybe a dozen small minnows and one huge one, and after his first night, I had just the huge one. He also took out all my crayfish except Big Claw (his name explains why). I loved that fishāwhich is why, eventually, even young me realized it was wrong to keep him so confined.
Yeah I wouldn't keep a bluegill in anything smaller than a 100 gallon tank, because they get up to 8-10 inches in length. I always say that bluegill are just piranha who never developed sharp teeth. They do not give a fuck.
Natural aquaponic pools are a thing, where plants and fish filter the water, but the fish are usually in a separate spot from swimming while the plants line the edge of the pool and there's also sand/rocks assisting with filtration.
This setup isn't really that.
https://www.archdaily.com/979979/natural-pools-small-ecosystems-for-leisure
People can and do keep goldfish and koi at what we think of as tropical temperatures. CABI have good information a few species that are invading wild ecosystems. Goldfish need temperatures of 15 degrees C or above to grow well and reproduce, but they survive up to 30 degrees C. Koi fare best at 16-28 degrees C, and temperatures approaching 35 degrees ' are harmful to them Though it should be noted that carp in their wild range, are exposed to hot summer temperatures year round, it is rather that these fish have evolved to make the most of good weather in seasonal climates. And when these species are cultured in such tropical climates, as those of Indonesia, they are usually accommodated in deep water. When goldfish and carp suffer thermal stress,from either heat or cold, they move to deeper water.
Not saying it can't be done. But if I had the chance to do a pond like that I just wouldn't mix so many different species from different continents, climate zones, different sizes and needs in water parameters.
Oh I see what you mean. I'm sure there is predation going on in the tank, ald all fish seem to be behaving normally enough, but will their health be optimal? Improper pH or hardness might not directly harm a fish, but fish can be more susceptible to certain pathogenic organisms, when they are in unfamiliar water parameters. Thus fish from blackwaters are not used to pathogens suppressed by low pH, brackish species are prone to pathogens suppressed by salinity, etc.
Not to mention its an open air pit, with confirmed bird kills. This could be a local ecological mini-disaster waiting to happen. Anyone interested in doing such things should really ideally be filling it with local species.
Iām curious about how you manage to keep koi and tetras together for any length of time. If the massive bioload doesnāt get them, the fact that koi are voracious eaters will.
One. I moved them as soon as I set the other tank up. They became 500 ish over the next few months. The family tree would have made a good fishing pole.
Koi are vociferous eaters, but they're also lazy as hell since they're domesticated. They'd rather graze on plants and be fed pellets over trying to chase down smaller fast fish so tetras would problem be okay. The bigger issue will be winter killing the tetras unless they live in like florida.
Not in this type off setup but swimming ponds are a thing. They have a big filter, plants and are light on stocking (only small fish that live on insects, no feeding flakes/pellets).
Water movement and plants don't sanitize a closed system that fish are shitting in. If it's not clean enough to drink, it's not clean enough to swim in recreationally with 100% safety. People regularly get nasty infections from natural lakes and rivers. I'd rather not risk flesh eating bacteria getting into a small cut on my body if I can avoid it.
To have a non-chlorinated pool like they do in places like Finland takes a lot of work to maintain, more work than a standard pool, and having animals and plants in it makes that impossible.
Thousands of people get nasty infections from chlorinated pools every year. The system has to be constantly monitored and adjusted because deviations can drastically reduce the efficacy of chlorine. Natural pools require less maintenance once established because the plants and beneficial bacteria are part of the filtration system. This creates a system that is more stable than chemical treatment, hence less work. Flesh eating bacteria are a risk in salt or brackish water, so not really a concern.
The problem with the pool shown in this post is that it's stocked with large fish that create a ton of waste that could overload the system. It also doesn't look like they have enough area devoted to the biological filter. This seems like either a very poorly executed idea or social media attention stunt and not an example of a proper natural pool.
I would but the stocking in this pond is all over the place. The biggest problem is that I spotted some off the big sharks (either paroon or iridescent) that will end up eating the other fish in the future.
Personally with an outdoor pool I would just make it a koi pond and focus on getting them nice and big. Where I live it's too cold for any off the tropical species anyway.
Our winters aren't even that extreme compared to some other places, but when we have a harsh winter ponds can be frozen over for weeks. The plus on that is that only a few fish are banned since tropical species can't survive.
I inherited a house with a 5000gal inground pool last year. My plan when I retire in a few years is to live in the house and make the pool into a Koi/Gold fish pond. I'd love to do tropical fish in it but I can't imagine how much it would cost to heat in the winter, I'm near Seattle. I'm leasing the house out for now.
Believe it or not there are some crazy ways to capture natural energy for heat.
I have this one idea for a swimming pool (not for fish use) where you take hundreds and hundreds of yards of black tubing coils and put several scoops of black mulch on top of it. Run water through the tubes with a pump.
Weird shit happens and sometimes that mulch could even catch fire if thereās some buried too deep. It will be more than hot enough.
Now take that idea and figure something out thatās aquarium safe
Aren't you going to be spending more on running heavy filtration on koi/goldfish, it might not be that much more expensive for heating the water. Also a lot more work keeping a koi/goldfish pool clean
My plan is to have lots of plants(floaters, lily, papyrus, ect) and make the attached hot tub into a bog filter that overflows into the pool, the filter should be about 300gals in capacity. I also plan on very low stocking levels.
That sounds great actually. Make sure you share pics with us when you eventually do it. I think most people tend to overstock which causes a lot of problems with dirty fish, seems like you've got it all figured out though. Good luck
There's this movement of natural pools (no chlorine) that people are doing these days.
I can see it from an aesthetic POV, but using it as a pool?? I don't want to get brain eating amoeba.
if this was better thought out and used native plants and fish and they actually did the work to like, put the proper kind of fish in it and put a LOT more plants n stuff and somehow figured out how to filter it this would be super cool lol
If you check her page they put a shit-ton of plants in another section of the pond. Itās a crazy system they have set up with multiple bogs and filters and stuff.
If i were to try swimming in my pond, i would be bothered by my fish, too much.
Not because they're Nefarious or dirty or some stuff, they nibble at me the whole time expecting me to feed them if i put my feet/hands into the pond.
I don't mind it either, but if i were to swim in my pond, i'd probably accidentaly hurt my trusting little friends.
I love it when my fish swim up to me, it makes spotting problems much easier and i feel appreciated as i know they're happy as a fish can be when i come to feed them. :)
I feel like this is sustainable in the way that certain fish will get eaten and only the strong will survive. Eventually the numbers of fish will dwindle and only the big hardy ones or super small will be left as long as this is in some warm places where winter doesn't happen. If you go to Florida most of the little ponds/ canals look pretty much like this due to people letting pets go and invasive species and stuff.
The only thing I'm not sure if would be swimming in it. Seems like that could stress the fish and introduce some weird chemicals but if it's big enough that wouldn't matter.
So youāre saying not sustainable with same types and numbers of fish with people diving in.
I think the bacteria would become a problem for people.
With enough plants it could be nice for some fish but likely not all the ones in this video.
I've known two people who have done this. They had pools that were getting expensive, never used and were becoming too old to properly maintain them anymore. Instead of getting rid of them or just covering them up and forgetting about it, they put several water features, lights and various native plants in and around it and stocked it up. Now it attracts a bunch of wildlife from deer to dragonflies.
It would be cool to make a wildlife pond and maybe stock it with some native species. Lots of ramps for turtles and frogs and whatever else winds up in there.
Iām not getting in there, though. Might put a little clear kayak or raft or something in there so I can float out to the middle of my pool-pond and hang out with the fish.
ā¦ You know what, the more I think about this the more I think I just want a day out on the water somewhere. Fuck the pool-pond, thatās too much work.
Jumping in a pool/pond with a bunch of fish is horrible! They can hurt the fish by landing on top of the fish and kill or bruise them. Iāve seen that happen when some jerks jumped into a bass pro shop aquarium! They hurt one of the fishes and the employees had to remove the fish and put them in a quarantine tank to recover. And donāt get me started on swimming with the fish without dive suits. Humans are covered in germs and bacteria that will harm the fish. Whenever aquariums clean the inside of the tanks, the divers disinfect themselves and then completely cover themselves head to toe in scuba gear, so the skin doesnāt come in contact with the water and infect the fish. These people in the video are clueless and reckless I feel so bad for their fish.
I donāt believe that and itās still not safe for the fish. Itās probably so stressful for the fish, constantly looking out for giant humans falling from the sky.
Kenan Harkness of Kamp Kenan YouTube channel has a natural fish pool his swims in. But, it has a soil bottom and natural filtration, much like swimming in a pond. He didnāt just dump fish in a concrete swimming pool. Iāve looked it up. Natural pools like his seem more popular in Europe but there are companies building them here.
Iād do this, but maybe with some turtles and other compatible fish. Maybe even fence it in and get a snapping turtle. Vaguely refer to the pool as āthe bogā and vaguely gesture at a potentially dangerous creature in there. Or Iād do like a caimen Lizard and have a rock structure in the middle for them.
Then Iād make my dream hydroponic garden with the water.
It just got really stagnant since an area that size is hard to circulate. The amount of light it gets causes obscene amounts of algae in the water and now you can't see more than like 2 inches deep. You also can't really water change it since it's so big and you can't put the water anywhere. Part of my problem is that I live in Arizona so a lot of the plants that would be useful can't stand the heat
I would love to do this, but I would only stock it with appropriate native species. The sheer amount of different species in this thing shows they did 0 research, and that pisses me the fuck off. Fish aren't decorations and props for content.
Itās a nice idea, but no way am I swimming in there. Not just for my own safety, but what about the oils on my skin and stuff that will get into the water?
As tempting as this sound I would not do this and swimming it is a big no no since it's a closed system the amount of waste you're bathing in is unreal...
My parents converted our above ground pool to a koi pond once my brother and I stopped using it in our late teens. They built a deck around it to completely cover the surround so it is flush with the deck and doesnāt look like an ugly above ground pool anymore. Itās been about 20-25 years, the koi are going strong, some have to be up to 25lbs easy.
No one swims in it through a couple over excited dogs have jumped in from time to time.
Itās an amplified risk vs normal pool. I would expect itās a similar to health risk in the majority of small lakes, depending on care and maintenance.
That said, precautions could be taken to keep yourself safe, as you would in a lake. But vs a well maintained traditional pool, I would worry about very young or elderly people getting infections more.
Cleaning / filtering, like an aquarium, should still matter, since you risk algae blooms, chemical balance etc. Honestly, I have no idea how you would fight that, but vid maker might be an expert? Maybe reach out.
Overall, this is a very cool and unique idea that is likely far more maintenance than traditional chemical based swimming pools, with elevated health risks and thus necessitates precautions and research.
It's missing a lot of ecosystem though. Deep soil, a billion insects in the soil, microfauna population, probably a much richer variety or healthy bacteria. Probably other things I've no idea about. Massive plant and tree root structures, fungi, I bet it all plays a part in a natural ecosystem.
Personally I wouldn't try to make this suitable for swimming. The natural ponds people do make for swimming are heavily planted, have big filters of natural materials and don't have many fish, from the little I know. If I wanted something more heavily stocked like this, I think I'd do cold water species only, and plant it more. The bare bottom is nice to see what's going on. But could do with at least patches of cover for the fish to feel safe. I feel like a heron is going to have a feast on this lot.
There this, and thereās the mad lad Big Rich from Ohio Fish Rescue who has arapaima, gar, red tail cats, and many more predator fish in his indoor pool.
The algae is pretty rough. They need more floating plants or a way to shade the pool.
I wonder if they simply over feed them and do less than optimal water changes
I don't think I'd swim in it... And I'd have to figure out heating for winter (if I can ever be a fucking home owner in this state...). Other than that, yes, would absolutely do this.
I kind of did.
The pump in my pool broke, and we never bothered fixing it. Eventually, my brother and I went fishing and caught a bunch of bream and bass.
Brought them back and dumped them in the unchlorinated pool.
Frogs and turtles had also moved in, and a hawk set up shop in the trees to scoop out a meal every now and then.
The fish ate all the mosquitoes too, that was *fantastic.*
So I found this ladyās instagram account and the story behind this is quite interesting. Her family already had a koi pond and an artificial waterfall/stream. The pond was filtered by a bog filter and the stream runs into a bed of gravel. They dug a massive pool in between them, added at least one more bog, a shallow skimming area, an industrial pool filter, and connected everything together. They also apparently have a fancy one of those āpool cleaning robotsā that sucks detritus off the bottom nightly, which i would imagine leads to them adding more water each day.
I genuinely believe this thing can handle the bioload of all the fish theyāve put in it. It looks like sheās had the pond set up for at least a year and the fish for at least a few months and I havenāt noticed any signs of crashing.
They also have so many bogs, plants, shallow areas, etc that it seems like the smaller fish have been able to survive and hide from the bigger predator fish.
Temperature-wise, she lives in Arizona, cools the pond in summer, and heats it in winter. I canāt imagine how expensive or impractical that is but if she can afford it, thatās impressive.
She responds to every comment on her instagram and seems to know at least the basics when it comes to fishkeeping. Iām quite curious to see how this project goes over time.
[https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dziMvu02E/?igsh=Z252aXAzZjZ1bXZ3](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dziMvu02E/?igsh=Z252aXAzZjZ1bXZ3)
Pool to pond conversions are generally terrible ideas because chlorine essentially leeches into the pool walls. No amount of cleaning will realistically address this issue, so your pond is bound to slowly be contaminated by having bleach within it's boundaries. If you want a pond, better to just dig a pond.
The other downside to pool ponds is that they'll always look like a pool.
Anyone who has kept goldfish/koi etc would know better than to swim in there
Yeah, I saw the "would you do this if you could?" And my answer was absolutely, until they jumped in the pool with them š¬
blood flukes and intestinal worms! oh my!
The fluke is my favorite episode of the x-files
YES! That one and the alien who came to observe humanity and ended up wanting to stay because he fell in love with playing baseball.
Thatās a good one too. The inbred family one was terrifying
The one where they kept the mom under the bed on a mechanic's skid?
Yeah, but that part was hawt
I like you.
Aw thanks !
š¤¢š¤¢
The shear amount of fish poop would be insane
As someone who grew up swimming in ponds.... meh Its the brain eating amoebas in the warm water that really gets you.
Nobidy remembers to warn others though after they get them.
I have a few people that I work with who would probably be okay in the presence of brain eating amoeba.
Because with the amoeba, they finally have a functional cell in their cranium
Mainly because their brain has been eaten
Oh you figure out the joke š
/r/yourjokebutworse
Brain eating amoebas are friends. All please go swim in warm water together now.
What is this, the brain sucker episode of Futurama or something?
Just walk around not wearing a hat
Just switch to a garlic based shampoo. You'll be fine.
TOGETHER... NOW.
In natural ponds sure, in a small tiny artificial pond the ecosystem is fragile, she also mix cold and hot water species. Basically animal abuse for social media.
There are SO many animal videos that fall into this category and it's become a real pet peeve of mine
She mixed tropical and temperate species,which is fine provided the water stays warm,goldfish and koi are NOT Coldwater,true Coldwater would be trout,char,salmon,ice fish,Korean perch etc.
Correct
And what about all the products we use. Shampoo, soaps, etc. and skin oils, etc?
This reminds me of working at a zoo. We had a pond with a bunch of herps and birds in it, protocol was no bug spray. No deodorant. Limit all chemicals if you were one going in it. And that was a good deal bigger then this pool and had plants and everything to help filter
This is in Arizona I believe. And the different ponds and areas where they have fish have different depths and heaters to keep them at the proper temperatures for the fish in those areas.
plus you'd be stressing out the fish at best and at worst touching or hitting them fucking up their scales/slime layer.
Tbh tho we all swim in lakes and I'll just say it, the water has more shit in it then any fishtank will ever
Most lakes are fed by streams, and thus have a constant natural flushing that occurs. But even so, I don't swim in anything fed by slow warm streams. That's how you get amoeba. Pools have chlorine for a reason (even salt water pools)
There are millions of ppl all over the world who swim in lakes most of their lives and are fine. Swimming with fish in lakes/ponds is not dangerous.
Yeah it's hilarious how sheltered some redditors are. The idea of swimming in a lake makes them recoil cus one person in hundreds of millions got a super rare parasite. That being said with this being artificial I'd hope they have ways to prevent those kinds of critters from growing in it. Like surely they know this would need an input and output for the water.
Iām sure they do as well. Itās a pool that can still be filtered. They just said they donāt use chlorine. Obviously they are t swimming in stagnant sitting water. Lol
Tbh ponds have things like dead animals in them rotting foods and thanks to use plastic pollution so I think fish shit pool is better the godzillas lake
Ah, water. Never touch the stuff, fish fuck in it.
Woodhouse..fish..fuck..in.. it..(dying breath) REGGGGGIIIEEEEEEE!
DANGER ZONEEEE! I miss this show.
fun fact the line was actually taken from Indiana Jones where Brody is offered water and he says no, fish make love in it.
funner fact: the line was originally made famous by W.C. Fields.
How is it different than a pond or lake?
Ponds or lakes usually have a whole entire ecosystem, including not only fish, but also: small organisms that clean up such as snails, plants that eat the bad stuff in water and replace it with good stuff, algae also has a part in filtration. I would much rather borrow a machiene from work and dig a real pond instead of try to make one out of a pool as the waste will never leave the water without heavy water changes. -some random bloke who thinks they have a grasp on water cycles in planted aquariums
While I absolutely agree, your description sounds like Charlie from IASIP explaining how burning trash makes stars.
Thank you for admitting im dumb but smart ;)
If substrate and plants are added as well as detritus creatures I donāt see why this couldnāt be balanced? The water quality must be somewhat self sustaining as an ecosystem as all the fish appear healrhyb
At that point i would be worried about waste building up in the bottom, even filtered it has to go somewhere and the solids aināt going anywhere. Natural ponds can pull waste toward the earth and allow roots to spread further.
make a giant walstad pool
They probably bought all the fish and filmed everything over a single weekend.
Volume and the absence of earth.
Too small of a body of water and not a natural inflow of water (turnover) from a creek, spring or snowmelt.
They do though, they have different parts to naturally filter as well as plants and organisms throughout
I haven't kept goldfish or koi. Why is this bad?
They are known for their poop.
TIL Iām a goldfish or a koi
Same.
I have a 2000 gallon koi/goldfish pond. When I started it I imagined being able to swim in if I wanted because of people on Facebook and with blogs showing that setup swearing it was great. It took very little time to see why you don't want to. Even with strong filtration that keeps the water clear and good for the fish, the water smells similar to a septic tank and I hate when I have to get into it to do repairs, etc because when I get out I smell putrid and I don't like to get the water deeper than my chest because I don't want my mouth or eyes in it. You basically swim in a big litter box. Even if you keep it scooped, it's still gross.
If your pond smells like a septic tank something is very wrong; either there's too many fish, the filters are dirty, there's a buildup of detritus on the bottom, the pH is out of wack, etc.
I say septic tank, but it's just a dirty smell you can't smell unless you stick your hand into it and smell your hand, or pour some water on the ground. My PH is a solid 8.2 and has been for years now, my filters are as clean as they can get with daily cleanings because of the sheer amount of poop, my water is clear all the way to the bottom. There's a little bit of detritus at the bottom from leaves and dirt blowing in, but short of installing a bottom drain which I'm not going to do or moving my fish multiple times a year to thoroughly vacuum it there's not much I can do besides my yearly vacuum. I run an anaerobic filter on the side that keeps the nitrates super low and my ammonia and nitrite stay at zero. I also run a 4000gph pump in a 2000 gallon pond so the water circulates about twice per hour. It's just the nature of having an outdoor pond. Unless you spend ridiculous effort it will never be as pristine as a fish tank, and my fish are happy because they're all huge and I haven't had any deaths or sickness in years. They've even survived 3 hurricanes now, and 2 freezes.
Do the aquatic plants in these types of natural ponds/pools keep it cleaner than conventional filters though? Just wondering, I've seen natural swimming pools on social media before. Nobody ever talks about the smell.
No, plants just add another layer of filtration but it doesn't do anything for the nonstop shit the carp spray out all day as they graze. If it's a soil bottom pond, natural bacteria in the soil helps with the smell but the water is still gross. I wouldn't want to swim in any kind of pond unless it's large enough to be measured by the acre and also has something like a natural spring feeding it fresh water constantly. Carp are just a dirty fish. A pond with them smells much different than a stock pond with sunfish, bass, catfish, etc. Sporting fish are mostly predators and eat insects and baby fish as they catch them and they poop way less. Carp graze all day, eating roots and swallowing dirt and algae and plants, and poop all day with it in a constant stream.
> Carp graze all day, eating roots and swallowing dirt and algae and plants, and poop all day with it in a constant stream. so basically the horses of a pond
The ones that are done correctly have both lots of aquatic plants and a filtration system. I actually don't remember seeing fish in them when I was researching about them. I think that would just increase the amount of filtration you'd need to handle the additional bio load.
Huh interesting. Thanks for the info. I've seen some with local wildlife like tadpoles and insects and little fish. Btw, this is a very friendly and educational sub lol. I'm pleasantly surprised. Sometimes niche hobby subs can be toxic af.
That's nice to know. Your user name is very fitting for this little conversation.
Just backwashed my pond (weekly). My oranges are amazing. Because of poop.
I don't even know why I'm in this sub. I don't know what any of this means. Backwashed??
Joining subs you know nothing about is a great way to learn! I have a 4k gallon pond with ten large koi. I [backwash](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HS-hoYeIIpg) it weekly. In the clear tube you can see it get dark. All the wast like poop and organic material then when it clears you rinse and itās done! Worldās best and easiest pond filter. It makes owning a large pond with koi so so so so easy. Check the link I posted above in this comment.
Haha i'm not rich enough for this hobby. I see the occasional set ups pop up and it looks expensive af. Thanks for the info though, fascinating
I am not well off either but you can find used tanks from people worse off and getting out on offerup easily. I got a 10 gallon with everything for 20 and just got a 45 gallon for 45. Some of the expenses like water conditioner and food seem expensive but thats only if you buy in small amounts or chase a certain brand rather than go for sales online.
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-backwash-a-pool-2736842 Basically putting the pump filter in reverse but divert the effluent water into a drain.
Poop, smell, bacteria, etc
They dont have stomachs so they eat and poo alot
They don't have stomachs??
Holy crap, they donāt. TIL. Also, appropriate username is appropriate. https://nextdaykoi.com/koi-fish-facts/koi-fish-and-digestion/
Yes, it is true that both koi and goldfish do not have a stomach in the traditional sense. Instead, they have a long intestine that processes food continuously as it passes through. This anatomical feature means they need to eat more frequently and in smaller amounts to ensure proper digestion and nutrient absorption. Consequently, they also produce waste more frequently, leading to the perception that they eat and poop a lot. Sources ā Do goldfish have a stomach? - The Fish Vet's Blog https://thefishvet.com/2012/08/31/do-goldfish-have-a-stomach/ ā Koi Fish and Digestion - Next Day Koi https://nextdaykoi.com/koi-fish-facts/koi-fish-and-digestion/ Ā Ā Ā By Perplexity
A lot*
I would think humans themselves are gross in general and would throw off the ph and bio-load. š¤¢
No pooping in the pool Timmy!
IF THE FISH CAN DO IT, WHY CAN'T I?
I agree, I no longer keep my humans in the pool pond because of this.
Excellent decision. They must be rehomed. š
It is perfectly safe to swim in there. Also I am not a brain eating amoeba.
So there are A LOT of different species in there, some need cold water, some are tropical, some need hard water, some very soft. Some will get huge and eat the others and have a huge bioload. I can't imagine that this works out longtime... I think it's an interesting idea, but I would only stock it with fish that fit your temps and water parameters.
Shouldnt you keep one oscar in there to keep the numbers down?
Instead of an Oscar since they like hard water it's better to put in something like a sunfish from a nearby creek. They're 90% the same, are smart as hell, get pretty colors depending on the kind, and are aggressive as hell about anything they can swallow. I had 3 bluegills and I'd watch them snatch dragonflies off the surface when they would try to touch it for a drink, and in mating season they would try to bully the koi that were 3x their size. Once I saw a wasp land on the bank and walk up for a drink and a bluegill nearly beached itself grabbing it like an alligator grabbing a baby impala. They were also smart enough to take food directly from my hand pretty quickly. Once I got rid of them, I started getting baby goldfish and koi the very next year.
I will repeat this everywhere I can. American sunfish will out-aggro just about any fish in their size catagory, and several sizes up if ifs a "peaceful" species theyre bullying. Hell there's videos of bass attacking and ramming divers who get too close to nests. They are not for the uninformed or unprepared.
Yeah, I have a video somewhere of the male bluegill building little nests in the shallow water and they would patrol a couple feet in all directions and nip at anything that got close. The big koi would mostly ignore them, but the goldfish would stay away since my comets are only like 10 inches long. What was more aggressive than the bluegill was the 2 creek chub I had. One got to 12 inches long and was built like a trout, the other only got to like 6 inches. That chub was super aggressive to anything the same size or smaller, so the big chub bullied the little one constantly. Then one day I went out and the big chub was swimming around with the tail of the little chub sticking out of its mouth. It had swallowed it whole and the fish was too big so it was lodged hanging out of its mouth and it was having difficulty swimming because not being able to flex its body to turn easily so I caught it and it spit the little chub out, which it was dead of course. So I released it in a buddies stock pond and I assume it's still there living its best life.
When I was 12-13 or so, I brought home a small bluegill I caught and kept him in a (Iām certain too small for himš) tank in my room before eventually re-releasing him. I named him Bad News because thatās what he was to ANYthing I put in there with himāI originally had a school of maybe a dozen small minnows and one huge one, and after his first night, I had just the huge one. He also took out all my crayfish except Big Claw (his name explains why). I loved that fishāwhich is why, eventually, even young me realized it was wrong to keep him so confined.
Yeah I wouldn't keep a bluegill in anything smaller than a 100 gallon tank, because they get up to 8-10 inches in length. I always say that bluegill are just piranha who never developed sharp teeth. They do not give a fuck.
Bluegills' the Ted Bundy's of the fish world.
Don't worry, they only need to keep them alive for a couple of days to shoot some YouTube videos.
I think 10 Oscarās juvenile size would be a fun addition to the community
Natural aquaponic pools are a thing, where plants and fish filter the water, but the fish are usually in a separate spot from swimming while the plants line the edge of the pool and there's also sand/rocks assisting with filtration. This setup isn't really that. https://www.archdaily.com/979979/natural-pools-small-ecosystems-for-leisure
Yeah there will be some problems for sure!
People can and do keep goldfish and koi at what we think of as tropical temperatures. CABI have good information a few species that are invading wild ecosystems. Goldfish need temperatures of 15 degrees C or above to grow well and reproduce, but they survive up to 30 degrees C. Koi fare best at 16-28 degrees C, and temperatures approaching 35 degrees ' are harmful to them Though it should be noted that carp in their wild range, are exposed to hot summer temperatures year round, it is rather that these fish have evolved to make the most of good weather in seasonal climates. And when these species are cultured in such tropical climates, as those of Indonesia, they are usually accommodated in deep water. When goldfish and carp suffer thermal stress,from either heat or cold, they move to deeper water.
Not saying it can't be done. But if I had the chance to do a pond like that I just wouldn't mix so many different species from different continents, climate zones, different sizes and needs in water parameters.
Oh I see what you mean. I'm sure there is predation going on in the tank, ald all fish seem to be behaving normally enough, but will their health be optimal? Improper pH or hardness might not directly harm a fish, but fish can be more susceptible to certain pathogenic organisms, when they are in unfamiliar water parameters. Thus fish from blackwaters are not used to pathogens suppressed by low pH, brackish species are prone to pathogens suppressed by salinity, etc.
Not to mention its an open air pit, with confirmed bird kills. This could be a local ecological mini-disaster waiting to happen. Anyone interested in doing such things should really ideally be filling it with local species.
Iām curious about how you manage to keep koi and tetras together for any length of time. If the massive bioload doesnāt get them, the fact that koi are voracious eaters will.
Yeah thatās a good question for the owner for sure
I have two koi in a large tank with a bristlenose and two serpae tetras. It was 3, but I forgot to feed Fred for a day and I think he got hungry.
I had one night where I had a koi, a pleco, a goldfish, and 10 guppies in a 55 gallon when I was moving. When I woke up, it was 5 guppies.
had to reread it a couple times before realizing you didnāt mean the 5 guppies ate everything else
How many days did you have 5 guppies ?
One. I moved them as soon as I set the other tank up. They became 500 ish over the next few months. The family tree would have made a good fishing pole.
Koi are vociferous eaters, but they're also lazy as hell since they're domesticated. They'd rather graze on plants and be fed pellets over trying to chase down smaller fast fish so tetras would problem be okay. The bigger issue will be winter killing the tetras unless they live in like florida.
All the eyeballs they could potentially suck out! The possibilities are endless !
Doubt they gonna hunt and eat the tetras, however, when you put food in the koi might just vacuum up the tetras which artive first with the pellets.
its like they went to the pet box store and just threw it all in there.
Yeah those poor fish. The video creators are assholes
https://imgur.com/a/upySLph
Iāve seen that pools can make great ponds. You should NOT swim in them though. I donāt understand what these folk were thinking there.
Not in this type off setup but swimming ponds are a thing. They have a big filter, plants and are light on stocking (only small fish that live on insects, no feeding flakes/pellets).
There a thing, but there still gross unless your swimming pond is measured by the acre instead of gallons.
If you have enough plants and water movement it's perfectly fine. Better, imo. The chemicals in pools make them gross
Water movement and plants don't sanitize a closed system that fish are shitting in. If it's not clean enough to drink, it's not clean enough to swim in recreationally with 100% safety. People regularly get nasty infections from natural lakes and rivers. I'd rather not risk flesh eating bacteria getting into a small cut on my body if I can avoid it. To have a non-chlorinated pool like they do in places like Finland takes a lot of work to maintain, more work than a standard pool, and having animals and plants in it makes that impossible.
Thousands of people get nasty infections from chlorinated pools every year. The system has to be constantly monitored and adjusted because deviations can drastically reduce the efficacy of chlorine. Natural pools require less maintenance once established because the plants and beneficial bacteria are part of the filtration system. This creates a system that is more stable than chemical treatment, hence less work. Flesh eating bacteria are a risk in salt or brackish water, so not really a concern. The problem with the pool shown in this post is that it's stocked with large fish that create a ton of waste that could overload the system. It also doesn't look like they have enough area devoted to the biological filter. This seems like either a very poorly executed idea or social media attention stunt and not an example of a proper natural pool.
More money than brains
Oh really? Just because of stressing out the fish?
I would but the stocking in this pond is all over the place. The biggest problem is that I spotted some off the big sharks (either paroon or iridescent) that will end up eating the other fish in the future. Personally with an outdoor pool I would just make it a koi pond and focus on getting them nice and big. Where I live it's too cold for any off the tropical species anyway.
Yeah Iām in the same boat as you. Winter time can be brutal here
Our winters aren't even that extreme compared to some other places, but when we have a harsh winter ponds can be frozen over for weeks. The plus on that is that only a few fish are banned since tropical species can't survive.
I inherited a house with a 5000gal inground pool last year. My plan when I retire in a few years is to live in the house and make the pool into a Koi/Gold fish pond. I'd love to do tropical fish in it but I can't imagine how much it would cost to heat in the winter, I'm near Seattle. I'm leasing the house out for now.
Believe it or not there are some crazy ways to capture natural energy for heat. I have this one idea for a swimming pool (not for fish use) where you take hundreds and hundreds of yards of black tubing coils and put several scoops of black mulch on top of it. Run water through the tubes with a pump. Weird shit happens and sometimes that mulch could even catch fire if thereās some buried too deep. It will be more than hot enough. Now take that idea and figure something out thatās aquarium safe
I did something like this, except I put the black irrigation tubing on the roof of my garage and ran it to the pool
Genius!! I bet that water was cooking in summer time.
Aren't you going to be spending more on running heavy filtration on koi/goldfish, it might not be that much more expensive for heating the water. Also a lot more work keeping a koi/goldfish pool clean
My plan is to have lots of plants(floaters, lily, papyrus, ect) and make the attached hot tub into a bog filter that overflows into the pool, the filter should be about 300gals in capacity. I also plan on very low stocking levels.
That sounds great actually. Make sure you share pics with us when you eventually do it. I think most people tend to overstock which causes a lot of problems with dirty fish, seems like you've got it all figured out though. Good luck
There's this movement of natural pools (no chlorine) that people are doing these days. I can see it from an aesthetic POV, but using it as a pool?? I don't want to get brain eating amoeba.
if this was better thought out and used native plants and fish and they actually did the work to like, put the proper kind of fish in it and put a LOT more plants n stuff and somehow figured out how to filter it this would be super cool lol
I agree they would be much more successful with native plants and fish.
If you check her page they put a shit-ton of plants in another section of the pond. Itās a crazy system they have set up with multiple bogs and filters and stuff.
Yeah, except if I had anywhere to put a pool, all you'd find in mine would be hoplos and some overgrown fancy swordtails.
Fr. I'm currently obsessed with Asian Stone Cats so I'd have a million of those little guys in something like this lol.
If i were to try swimming in my pond, i would be bothered by my fish, too much. Not because they're Nefarious or dirty or some stuff, they nibble at me the whole time expecting me to feed them if i put my feet/hands into the pond.
True that!
It's all fun and games until ca. 30 comet goldfish in fancy colors descend upon your form and start tickling you.
thats the opposite of a problem. i dont mind/ kinda like fish nibbles as long as there arent big teeth
I don't mind it either, but if i were to swim in my pond, i'd probably accidentaly hurt my trusting little friends. I love it when my fish swim up to me, it makes spotting problems much easier and i feel appreciated as i know they're happy as a fish can be when i come to feed them. :)
I would be interested to see if this is a sustainable setup, same species and people diving into it, doesn't you could keep it up for 2-3 years.
I feel like this is sustainable in the way that certain fish will get eaten and only the strong will survive. Eventually the numbers of fish will dwindle and only the big hardy ones or super small will be left as long as this is in some warm places where winter doesn't happen. If you go to Florida most of the little ponds/ canals look pretty much like this due to people letting pets go and invasive species and stuff. The only thing I'm not sure if would be swimming in it. Seems like that could stress the fish and introduce some weird chemicals but if it's big enough that wouldn't matter.
So youāre saying not sustainable with same types and numbers of fish with people diving in. I think the bacteria would become a problem for people. With enough plants it could be nice for some fish but likely not all the ones in this video.
I agree. I hope we get some updates from them
I've known two people who have done this. They had pools that were getting expensive, never used and were becoming too old to properly maintain them anymore. Instead of getting rid of them or just covering them up and forgetting about it, they put several water features, lights and various native plants in and around it and stocked it up. Now it attracts a bunch of wildlife from deer to dragonflies.
Finally a tank big enough for common plecos
It would be cool to make a wildlife pond and maybe stock it with some native species. Lots of ramps for turtles and frogs and whatever else winds up in there. Iām not getting in there, though. Might put a little clear kayak or raft or something in there so I can float out to the middle of my pool-pond and hang out with the fish. ā¦ You know what, the more I think about this the more I think I just want a day out on the water somewhere. Fuck the pool-pond, thatās too much work.
Let me see this a year after they've had it and I'll let you know.
it's like they literally walked through the petstore and just bought random fish
Great for the likes on the vid , give it a month they all be dead šš¤¦š»āāļø
Some of these fish being together is very sus
Jumping in a pool/pond with a bunch of fish is horrible! They can hurt the fish by landing on top of the fish and kill or bruise them. Iāve seen that happen when some jerks jumped into a bass pro shop aquarium! They hurt one of the fishes and the employees had to remove the fish and put them in a quarantine tank to recover. And donāt get me started on swimming with the fish without dive suits. Humans are covered in germs and bacteria that will harm the fish. Whenever aquariums clean the inside of the tanks, the divers disinfect themselves and then completely cover themselves head to toe in scuba gear, so the skin doesnāt come in contact with the water and infect the fish. These people in the video are clueless and reckless I feel so bad for their fish.
they told the comments that the fish were fine cause they swim fast enough away when you dive in lol
I donāt believe that and itās still not safe for the fish. Itās probably so stressful for the fish, constantly looking out for giant humans falling from the sky.
Kenan Harkness of Kamp Kenan YouTube channel has a natural fish pool his swims in. But, it has a soil bottom and natural filtration, much like swimming in a pond. He didnāt just dump fish in a concrete swimming pool. Iāve looked it up. Natural pools like his seem more popular in Europe but there are companies building them here.
Iād do this, but maybe with some turtles and other compatible fish. Maybe even fence it in and get a snapping turtle. Vaguely refer to the pool as āthe bogā and vaguely gesture at a potentially dangerous creature in there. Or Iād do like a caimen Lizard and have a rock structure in the middle for them. Then Iād make my dream hydroponic garden with the water.
this would be better in r/shittyaquariums
Probably so lol
I DON'T RELEASE POOP MACHINES INTO THE POOL, especially the carps and goldies.
Bacteria To The Future
Cool idea but not much research was put into this. You have cold water and tropical fish in the same pond
I tried this. It's not nearly as cool as one would hope
What happened?
It just got really stagnant since an area that size is hard to circulate. The amount of light it gets causes obscene amounts of algae in the water and now you can't see more than like 2 inches deep. You also can't really water change it since it's so big and you can't put the water anywhere. Part of my problem is that I live in Arizona so a lot of the plants that would be useful can't stand the heat
I would love to do this, but I would only stock it with appropriate native species. The sheer amount of different species in this thing shows they did 0 research, and that pisses me the fuck off. Fish aren't decorations and props for content.
Clown loach school
Works better as a video for likes than a practical long term option
It's cool but a lot of these fish need vastly different parameters
Itās a nice idea, but no way am I swimming in there. Not just for my own safety, but what about the oils on my skin and stuff that will get into the water?
Fish live in ponds people swim in all the time.
Overstocked. Thatās only enough room for a betta
As tempting as this sound I would not do this and swimming it is a big no no since it's a closed system the amount of waste you're bathing in is unreal...
Cool idea, donāt swim in it
My parents converted our above ground pool to a koi pond once my brother and I stopped using it in our late teens. They built a deck around it to completely cover the surround so it is flush with the deck and doesnāt look like an ugly above ground pool anymore. Itās been about 20-25 years, the koi are going strong, some have to be up to 25lbs easy. No one swims in it through a couple over excited dogs have jumped in from time to time.
Mainly concerned about how this is being filtered and this looks way overstocked at a few angles...
Absolutely not. a pool have residue of chlorine, and I wouldn't swim with fish except in nature. a human made pond are a patogene paradise.
Interesting. How many more pathogens would there be vs just a natural pond? Wouldnāt it balance out once you get the ecosystem going?
Itās an amplified risk vs normal pool. I would expect itās a similar to health risk in the majority of small lakes, depending on care and maintenance. That said, precautions could be taken to keep yourself safe, as you would in a lake. But vs a well maintained traditional pool, I would worry about very young or elderly people getting infections more. Cleaning / filtering, like an aquarium, should still matter, since you risk algae blooms, chemical balance etc. Honestly, I have no idea how you would fight that, but vid maker might be an expert? Maybe reach out. Overall, this is a very cool and unique idea that is likely far more maintenance than traditional chemical based swimming pools, with elevated health risks and thus necessitates precautions and research.
It's missing a lot of ecosystem though. Deep soil, a billion insects in the soil, microfauna population, probably a much richer variety or healthy bacteria. Probably other things I've no idea about. Massive plant and tree root structures, fungi, I bet it all plays a part in a natural ecosystem. Personally I wouldn't try to make this suitable for swimming. The natural ponds people do make for swimming are heavily planted, have big filters of natural materials and don't have many fish, from the little I know. If I wanted something more heavily stocked like this, I think I'd do cold water species only, and plant it more. The bare bottom is nice to see what's going on. But could do with at least patches of cover for the fish to feel safe. I feel like a heron is going to have a feast on this lot.
Pools are chlorinated for a reason. Not a fucking chance you'd catch me swimming in there.
There this, and thereās the mad lad Big Rich from Ohio Fish Rescue who has arapaima, gar, red tail cats, and many more predator fish in his indoor pool.
The algae is pretty rough. They need more floating plants or a way to shade the pool. I wonder if they simply over feed them and do less than optimal water changes
Check out Ohio Fish Rescue. He turned his indoor swimming pool into a swimmable aquarium, with some HUGE fish!
Iād never swim in it, but if I couldnāt have a loach moat then I guess I could settle for a loach pool
Not big enough for my betta
I don't think I'd swim in it... And I'd have to figure out heating for winter (if I can ever be a fucking home owner in this state...). Other than that, yes, would absolutely do this.
Ugh. I love fish, but this seems like it would definitely increase risks of getting parasites and flesh eating bacteria. Bleh.
I kind of did. The pump in my pool broke, and we never bothered fixing it. Eventually, my brother and I went fishing and caught a bunch of bream and bass. Brought them back and dumped them in the unchlorinated pool. Frogs and turtles had also moved in, and a hawk set up shop in the trees to scoop out a meal every now and then. The fish ate all the mosquitoes too, that was *fantastic.*
Just picturing in my head all the fish poop that gets stirred up everytime you jump in. Gross lol
That high finned catfish and the iridescent sharks have adult sizes measured in FEET. Many of the smaller fish won't last.
So I found this ladyās instagram account and the story behind this is quite interesting. Her family already had a koi pond and an artificial waterfall/stream. The pond was filtered by a bog filter and the stream runs into a bed of gravel. They dug a massive pool in between them, added at least one more bog, a shallow skimming area, an industrial pool filter, and connected everything together. They also apparently have a fancy one of those āpool cleaning robotsā that sucks detritus off the bottom nightly, which i would imagine leads to them adding more water each day. I genuinely believe this thing can handle the bioload of all the fish theyāve put in it. It looks like sheās had the pond set up for at least a year and the fish for at least a few months and I havenāt noticed any signs of crashing. They also have so many bogs, plants, shallow areas, etc that it seems like the smaller fish have been able to survive and hide from the bigger predator fish. Temperature-wise, she lives in Arizona, cools the pond in summer, and heats it in winter. I canāt imagine how expensive or impractical that is but if she can afford it, thatās impressive. She responds to every comment on her instagram and seems to know at least the basics when it comes to fishkeeping. Iām quite curious to see how this project goes over time. [https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dziMvu02E/?igsh=Z252aXAzZjZ1bXZ3](https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8dziMvu02E/?igsh=Z252aXAzZjZ1bXZ3)
Pool to pond conversions are generally terrible ideas because chlorine essentially leeches into the pool walls. No amount of cleaning will realistically address this issue, so your pond is bound to slowly be contaminated by having bleach within it's boundaries. If you want a pond, better to just dig a pond. The other downside to pool ponds is that they'll always look like a pool.
I have to leave for work at 1. This video made me shit me pants, thinking it was already 1:40š
I hope that pool is really big with some of those baby monsters.
Yes but no, I would definitely turn my pool into a pond, but no to swimming in it other than if it needed some type of maintenance
I can only dream. my husband would never.