Indoor Pond Project

[CatWhat]

I have been thinking about doing an indoor pond for years now and finally decided to go ahead and start a log of the progression.
The pond is actually an agricultural waterer that I had to get ordered in and it is approximately 300 gallons. I just picked it up two days ago.
My plan is to frame around it for extra support and then to box it in just to tidy it up. Basically having a ledge around the pond, perhaps to place some potted plants around to naturalize it a bit.
The only thing I have done with it so far is taken the drain and bulk head fittings apart to silicone the fittings before reinstalling them. I don't intend to actually utilize the drain so I figured I would seal it up the best I could before leak testing it.
The next step is to place it outside and fill it up and see how it hold ups for a few days.

[chennaihobbyist]

Good luck :)

[Diana]

Rubbermaid usually makes a good product. I have seen their stock tanks and thought about getting one.

Will this be 'hanging' from the floor? It needs to be supported at the bottom. Can you build a platform under it?

I would keep the bulkhead useful, as a means of draining the pond, if you can plumb it to a place where it will drain via gravity. You could add a pipe and a ball valve that is accessible.

The material you use for camouflaging the tank should be selected from other materials already in use in your house. If there is stone, then use that. If there is wood with a certain kind of finish, use that.
Stone that has rounded edges as if it has been tumbled in flowing water looks very natural around a pond.

[CatWhat]

I was thinking of elevating it off the floor about 10" with a 2 x 10 wood frame to allow for any siphoning. Although I do plan to use a pump to take water out of it. Then run a side support frame around it, then box it when with some clear pine plywood and paint it all black, which would match the rest of the aquarium racks in the fish room.

[Diana]

Fully support the bottom of the tank. A piece of plywood used for subfloor would be good. You can paint this to keep the water off.
Is the bulkhead on the bottom? Cut out enough of the subfloor to be able to work with that. Easiest to install a bit of pipe and a ball valve before filling. Add a 'secret door' that you can open to connect a hose to drain it.

[CatWhat]

Yeah the plan is to have the entire enclosure accessible so I can get to the power bars, filters, etc.... Basically I hope to have at least two sides hinged so I can flip them up also I think I will have the sides go higher than the actual pond so to prevent any fish from making it to the floor while the pond is not covered.

[ScottFish]

Great idea! I'm looking forward to seeing how this comes along. Any special lighting? And for the obvious question: what is going IN the tank?

[CatWhat]

Now for the leak test. I'll let it sit for a few days and hope for the best.

[CatWhat]

The leak test is going good after 24hrs, seems to be holding the water with no issue. The overnight temp did dip below zero so there was a little skim of ice over the water this morning but no issue.

[CatWhat]

Ok so after roughly 80 hours there were no leaks so I figured it was ok to call it good. I pumped it out with a submersible pond pump and brought it back inside. Now on to the construction phase although I am of two minds about elevating it up on a boxed in frame. I thought it would be more convenient to have it up off the floor so I could siphon it out, but after using the pump to do so I thought perhaps why not use that for cleaning and draining purposes.

[Diana]

The pump could get clogged with the debris you are tying to siphon out. I have tried this, and I had to keep cleaning the pump intake. Makes the water changes take quite a while.
Still, a 'pond' brings up the mental picture of something low, below the floor level.
Is there a door or window nearby that you could siphon out to a lower level (in the garden?) Then you could have the pond on or below the floor level in the house, and still have the siphon to do water changes. I have done this, and it works quite well. Even if the tubing goes up (to go out a window, for example) as long as the outlet end is below the pond, it will siphon.

[CatWhat]

Good point, it would be a pain having to shut down the pump with clean the impeller. The pond will be in the basement which would put roughly 8 feet below ground level, so the siphon option through the window may not work. But I have a hole cut in the concrete that I can siphon down to, but of course I would have to elevate the pond as if I didn't it would take 10 years to siphon it out lol.

[Diana]

Yes, 8' uphill will certainly not gravity flow.

I think you will have to use a pump.

[CatWhat]

The construction has begun. Now just to box it in so I can hide the filters, power bars etc...and to have a little bit of a shelf/rim around it for potted plants.

[CatWhat]