# Outdoor Tank



## chc (Jul 28, 2004)

Had an "issue" with the UV system on the outdoor 10x4 tank. 










Much better now...... I can actually see the fish again!










It turned out I had a bad ballast. Now that everything is in working order again, I cleared out about 50 POUNDS of water hyacinth (seriously!) and took a few shots. The baskets you see are serving two purposes. One, it keeps the plants (hyacinth and parrot's feather) from floating away (I had the skimmer operating when I shot these). two, they are great refuges for the smaller inhabitants. In fact, there is a apawning pair of Lake Nic convicts in the center one right now. Truthfully, though, the little guys hang just fine with the giants --- they show them NO RESPECT!

Some of the tank's inhabitants:

Wild male labiatus with amarillo, rostratus, and xiloaensis also in the shot.









Male altifrons and wild female rostratus









Clockwise from top left: wild male xiloaensis, wild male longimanus, altifrons, wild xanthic male sagittae, nicaraguensis pair (and a serious need to trim the grass around the tank!)









F1 labiatus (female)









These guys keep the mosquito fish in check (only 3,456,782 left!)...... grammodes and dovii, males









Male citrinellus









All in all, it was an interesting experiment. If I made an effort to actually decorate the thing with the several hundred pounds of rocks (boulders actually) and driftwood I got it might actually look pretty cool! Until then it's a good thing it's inside a privacy fence!

Got to go...... have to order a backup UV light ballast!


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## trigger (Sep 6, 2002)

always nice to be able to have a real big tank


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## F8LBITEva (Nov 9, 2007)

that is a really cool idea. Do you just let the rain fall in it?


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## chc (Jul 28, 2004)

F8LBITEva said:


> that is a really cool idea. Do you just let the rain fall in it?


Yes I do...... The fish love it and often breed in response. I;ve got a little limestone in there to help maintain the buffering capacity (not much at all though). If I had more sensitive fish I'd make more of an effort!


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

This might be a stupid question but, doesn't it get too cold/ what about winter?


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

I could not do that kind of tank where i live! Maybe i should move...


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## chc (Jul 28, 2004)

xalow said:


> This might be a stupid question but, doesn't it get too cold/ what about winter?


Yea..... It either comes down or a greenhouse and heating goes up!


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## xalow (May 10, 2007)

Is that terribly expensive?


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## chc (Jul 28, 2004)

xalow said:


> Is that terribly expensive?


What exactly? The cost of a greenhouse and heat?

If that's the question, the greenhouses big enough to fit around the tank (and well insulated) are about $2K minimum.... More like $3K for a decent one it appears. Heating costs would depend quite a bit on the quality of the greenhouse but shouldn't be too terrible given the solar driven heat during the day and the tendency of a large body of water to hold heat pretty well. I have three 1000 watt fireplug type heaters on hand.


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