Intex Above Ground Pools...

[aquitori]

Just wanted to know if anybody has used a intex pool for quarantine tank or whatever else. They are far cheaper than show tanks and they hold more water too.

[stryker]

I have a 10ft one I use,Works great.I even put a retro bottom drain in it with the bulkhead going through the side.

John

[Steve E]

I'm using a 15' diameter Intex as a temporary pond while remodeling my main pond. Water depth varies between 32" and 34 ". It holds approximately 3600 US gallons or roughly 13 tones. It is the metal frame supported model. I tried to run a drain line thru the side wall with a bulk head and was unsuccessful. Wound up placing the pump on sawhorses with the suction inlet above the rim of the pool. The suction line then drops down into the pond. It feeds a bead filter then up to a modified bakki shower using 3" lava rock as the media.

I looked at the self supporting pools and decided not to use them. They just looked too easy to collapse.

Last summer I put a frame work over the pond with shade cloth. No problem with water temperature this way. Our summers are hot with several months above 90 to 100 F. Water temp stayed in the mid 80's F. With winter temps I disconnected the bakki shower to avoid super cooling. Water temps stayed in the low 50's F. I have not insulated the side walls.

I think this type can work very well for a temporary pond. If a person wanted to heat the water then the side walls should be insulated.

Steve

[aquitori]

Thanks Steve, was thinking of using one for tosai grow out this Summer.

[Steve E]

I tried to post a picture of the temporary pond set-up but I can't do it from my hard drive. If you would like a copy of the picture email me with your email address and I will send you a copy. It looks like I would need web space somewhere to store the picture before I can post it. Sorry

Steve

[bekko]

I use the 10 foot size for spawning tanks and am pleased with them. Here, people put a piece of old carpeting under the tank to make sure nut grass doesn't grow up through the bottom of the liner. A guy told me he heard that they are going to discontinue the style with the pipe frame. It is still pictured on the intex web site though.

-steve

[JasonS]

The pool is the 15' dia by 42" high metal frame supported Intex above ground
swimming pool. It holds about 110 gallons per inch. I keep it between 32
and 34 inches. The pump is visible on the left side. It sits on a platform
made from a pallet with a piece of plywood on top, then two sawhorses, with
another piece of plywood. This puts the suction intake about 2 inches above
the rim of the pond. The suction hose is a piece of 2 inch flexible pvc.
It drops over the side and extends on the bottom out to the middle of the
pond. The discharge goes into a bead filter then up to a modified bakki
shower then back into the pond.

The modified shower uses milk crates filled half way with 3 inch lava rock.
There are four towers total. Each tower consists of 3 milk crates. Two
towers are paired and placed into a black ABS plastic motar mixing tub with
a 3 inch diameter discharge hole in one end. The water is delivered thru a
piece of 4 inch pipe with two parallel lines of 1/2 inch holes drilled in
the bottom. The j-mat around the towers keeps the water from splashing over
the side. The discharge hole provides a tangental return affect and creates
a current around the perimeter of the pond. The current is approximately 24
inches wide and with the suction end in the middle of the pond all of the
waste gets pulled out of the pond.

With the advent of winter and the rainy season I found one slight issue that
I would have prepared for when I put the pond together. As the ground
became wet the legs sank into the ground about 2 inches or so. It would
have been better if I had place something like the concrete stepping stones
beneath each leg to provide a wider base for the leg. The 2 inch by 12 inch
stepping stones are made from concrete and I could have cut them in half.
That is the reason I only fill the pond to the 34 inch mark maximum. That
gives me about 6 inches of freeboard.

The pond is covered with the cheap bird netting you can buy at Home Depot or
Lowes. It is held on by looping the net squares over the top of the pins
that hold the frame together.

The electrical supply is an extension cord. It is 10 guage wire. Overkill,
but no power loss this way.

Also on the left you can see my qt/hospital tank. It is not being used
right now but the filter has water running through it just in case. That is
the black pipe you can see on the left side of the picture that dumps into
the pond. It is fed by a separate submersible pump.

The pipe frame work around the pond is for shade cloth in the summer. It
covers the pond and the pump/bead filter area. I also put a side cloth on
the side of the pond the pictures are taken from. Our summers have 90 to
100+ degree days from July thru October. With the shade cloth and the
shower the highest the water temperature reached was 86. This winter the
weather has been mild so the lowest temp has been 42 on one night. I shut
down the shower for most of the winter and have only recently hooked it back
up.

For a temporary set-up it works pretty well.

[koinut]

I was looking for an aquarium on ebay and koi fish tank popped up. opening bid is around 35bucks and the buy now price is around 45bucks. It's the type with a ring that you inflate. Just fyi

[aquitori]

Yeah seen those types, doesn't look stable thou....If you see something in regards to a framed pool let me know.