Concrete Tanks For Fish

[ignis]

I have a 'King 6' pump just to push the water around, fitted it with the 1½ inch air adaptor [cost about 100 baht] so extra air at the same time, had this system about 10 years.. the adaptors just screw on to the pump came in ½ inch upwards.. have 2 x ½ inch and 1 x ¾ inch in the other breeding ponds..

Also have a air pump which I connected to ¾ inch UPVC pipe, running the length of the pond drilled hole in pipe and have 12 air balls connected... also have AC/DC units if any problem with electric in all the ponds.... Air is most important with Koi..

[leo202]

I did have a single outlet on the oval pond to start with but I got nowhere near the same movement as I do with the spray bar though I am pumping the water in. I'll try it out though on the new filter and see how it goes. There's 14 12mm holes in the bar on the new filter the water is moving. Around well.

[leo202]

[canuckamuck]

The way I tested the movement in my tank was to take a water bottle with some rocks and water in it; so it floated but only a couple of inches sticking out of the water. Then I put it in front of the jet and timed how long it would take to get back to the same general area. You have to do it more than once and take an average.

I found having the jet positioned only a few inches above the water and angled down only a few degrees gave me my best overall water movement.

Something for you to try. Your family might think your strange, timing a water bottle, but mine thinks I am strange anyway.

[leo202]

Same here, I'll give it a go, thanks.

[leo202]

I used the spray bar because I've taken care of tropical ornamental fish for many years now and used the fluval filters that also used a spray bar. I'll try doing your bottle idea as I'm interested, I'll let you know tomorrow.

[leo202]

This is a pic of the first tank I made canuckamuck, I put a glass front on this one, I've had loads of different fish in it arowana, alligator gar, redtails and pacu. Also had all sorts of small tropical fish.

[leo202]

Had some baby mekong in there once but they hated it so I let them free.

[canuckamuck]

I always wanted to make one of those. Maybe one day.

[leo202]

Canuckamuck, the bottle idea is useless in the catfish pond as the catfish seem to think the bottle is breakfast, there just pushing the bottle all around the pond. I'm going into town tomorrow and I'll buy the bits I need to try a single nozzle.

[leo202]

Tried it in the oval pond and it just gets pushed to the middle of the pond. Can't get the bloody thing out.

[canuckamuck]

Sorry to make you through all that, I guess it doesn't work for all tanks.

Here is a nozzle I use in the raceway tank. The tank isn't in operation right now, but I hope you can see what I did. I start out with a 3 " and give it a good drop, then I have it reduced to 1/2". It takes the full flow of a 120 watt pump but the water comes out fast and straight like a glass rod.

Edited January 18, 2015 by canuckamuck

[leo202]

Nice, I'll give it a go.

[leo202]

Canuckamuck, decided to go with bio balls in the second chamber, put them in 4 days ago now. It's really starting to work well. I had to give the scrubbies a clean out after the first 5 days as the water was very dirty, I didn't bother with a water change because I wanted to see how well the filter worked. Very happy with it so far.

[canuckamuck]

Wish I could come have a look. I am nearly done with my other projects, so my next tank is only weeks away now.

[leo202]

Wish I could come have a look. I am nearly done with my other projects, so my next tank is only weeks away now.

If I was to make another and I will do for the tilapia pond I'd make each following chamber 10cm lower as I did have issues with the second chamber. Water clarity has improved and the quality of the catfish is better after only a short time.

[leo202]

If you do want to take a drive down your more than welcome.

[leo202]

Ok the filters been up and running now for a couple of months now and to be honest as for catfish I'll be giving up on them for now. I'll take Mr redbullhorn's advice and wait till we have land with earthen ponds, the catfish have improved with the filter but there dirty suckers and after 10 days the filter is full of waste. Still happy with the filter but I'll be putting climbing perch in next time as I've got a hundred in with the tilapia and there doing well.

[leo202]

Also it seems that every man and his dog has a catfish pond around my area. My bigger catfish are around a half kilo now, the wife's sold just over 300 kilo now and the ponds still full, we just can't sell them quick enough.

[jethro69]

Like the concept of the horseshoe raceway. Tonight I had one of my glorious moments, well it was just an idea it's definitely not thought to the end. But to make it short.

I was wondering to stack a couple of tanks 2,3 or 4, water is pumped from the filter to the upper tank, and flows to the lower one(s) by gravity. Because of the weight only the lowest one might be concrete, the upper ones would be best done with pond liners or similar, and water levels can't be to high either, again because of the weight. It would require a rather strong construction, probably steel frame, maybe rebar to keep it cheap.

In Theory, one could tune that to an endless system, put the fingerlings to the top, and move them to an lower level as they grow.

Well, as said, just an idea which came to mind.

[leo202]

That would have to be some filter, good luck with that idea.

[jethro69]

That would have to be some filter, good luck with that idea.

Agree on that, probably less suitable for catfish. But maybe prawns, crayfish a.s.o.

[canuckamuck]

I am building a new tank. 5m wide hex tank with a recessed bottom so my fish overwinter better in deeper water. it gets real cold up here.

Edited April 18, 2015 by canuckamuck

[djayz]

This has been a great thread so far and I've enjoyed reading it.

May I ask why you're building the next tank as a hexagon? Just wondering...

[canuckamuck]

I have a hope that the tank will be self cleaning. The detritus always collects in the center of a circular tank if you give it some current. However, I didn't want to buy all that plywood to make round forms for the walls. So a hexagon is better than a square

[canuckamuck]

It is taking time to get done, but I do have the bottom finished now. The circular parts got a little crooked because the forms twisted a bit. But it was too late to do anything about it. I don't think the fish will mind as much as I do.

[canuckamuck]

Slowly getting through the task, I am only doing one wall a day, 3 to go.

[canuckamuck]

Long time to get back to this thread, but I have a few more pics. The tank is done, I might beautify it a bit, but it is already up and running and there are fish in it.

The water is muddy in the pics because my water comes from a stream which I have a dam on. But this time of year it frequently gets muddy from the rains.

Anyhow it is all working good, I have good rotation of the water even to the point that a small vortex forms in the middle. I now have to see how good the triple filter works. first indications are pretty good.

[leo200]

Looks good canuckamuck, what you got going on in those three chambers of your filter?

[leo200]

Looks like your pumping the water back into the pond from the last chamber. Do you have any more picks from above the filter to show what's going on in there.