Cliff, very nice updates man. Glad to see all your shovelnose and various other kitties are doing well. I do need a favor....some indepth filtration pics/info via pm...I still haven't done it
Ummm, my filtration on the pond is lacking. I have the stuff to do it up right, but seems like I have to repair a leak everytime I turn around. This pool is just irritating. I can't wait to have the bigger tank up and running. I will be adding another 5 gal bucket full of scrubbies to the 1100 gal and to the 350 gal to keep up with the growing demands on the bioload. Think I will just try to focus on getting my tank built. Best thing I can say to do is get a large tote like 40 gals, put a divider in it with silicone. Drill holes on one end, this end will have pillow batting to take out debris. drill smaller holes in the divider. Fill the other side with pot scrubbies, and put a pump or two in this chamber also. Now drill a hole for the outlet. Fix the tubes from the pumps to go out of the tote. Put the lid on, and crank her up. That should be some great filtration for the time being. That's pretty much what I did just on a smaller tote. I will either add a 5 gal bucket full of scrubbies, or just make a bigger tote to put the old and new scrubbies in with the same pump. Another note is that this type of filter is like an in the tank canister filter(sorta), it will want to float at first so you will need to put some rocks in the bottom, and some rocks on the lid to keep it from floating off or come up with some plastic clips to hold the sides down.
Also I noticed in a couple of the pics it looks like your TSN's have lightened up alot color wise especially behind the gills to the tail. Are they eating normally still and fine? Reason I'm asking is mine did the same thing when I moved it into the pond. Eating like a horse still but definately alot lighter especilally at night. I need to take some updated pics of mine but have been lazy lately. Do you have any full or mostly full overhead shots of the whole pond?
I will try to get some overhead shots of the pond, lol have to stand on the other pond to do it. The tsn have definitely lightened up, but I think it is due to the fact that they are actually in the dark for longer periods of time, and when I turn on the lights they go pale for a little while, but resume their normal colors after about 30 mins or so of the lights being on. They eat fine, and grow quicker than ever. They are rather lazy in the pond. Of course I kept them with limas before they entered the pond, and they just schooled with the limas and acted like them. After they settled into the pond they just lay around all day and are just active at night which seems normal enough. All my fish are lighter colored when I first turn on the lights though. Seems to spook them like they just saw a ghost. The jau is the worst.
How far off is your "real" pond the 4000 gallon one? I'm plotting much like yourself about mine down the road to house my shovelnose and actually in the market (pending I don't blow all my cash on azuls and other pbass in the near future) for a large Juruense since I lost my smaller one and maybe another planiceps since its about the right time for the babies to come into Baltimore area again. Glad to see all is well bro ~Trent
