New Indoor Pond

[Bob Winkler]

awesome system Chris! Thnx for filling in the "blanks"

[dick benbow]

sometime we'll have to get Chris to talk to us about her QT tank and maybe post some photos. I think it helps to see and learn what ideas/concepts are being incorporated into the current state of the art facilities.....

[gregbickal]

My greenhouse gets super humid. I have 11,000 gallons in a 20x22 building. Summer time I leave the windows and door fully open, and have though about adding those wind turning vents in the roof.

Winter time, there is condensation on anything metal, especially the aluminum H channel that joins the polycarbonate panels on the roof. Would a de-humidafire even be able to keep up?

[carolyn swanson]

I also have a greenhouse and was plagued by humidity in the winter until I opened the vents on the ends. It is a little bit cooler, but no interior rain.

In the summer, there are fans turned on and off by thermostadt. It is cooler in the greenhouse than outside.

[Lam Nguyen]

Quote: Originally Posted by dick benbow sometime we'll have to get Chris to talk to us about her QT tank and maybe post some photos. I think it helps to see and learn what ideas/concepts are being incorporated into the current state of the art facilities.....

Yes, this would be nice! Please do Chris, please do! Many of us are so focused on designing and improving our main pond. However, I believe that the most important pond of all is the QT pond. It would be nice if you could share with us the specs of your QT system.

BTW, your indoor pond looks great! I have learned so much just listening to the Olsens, Carolyn Swanson, and Dick talk about their ponds and looking at the pond images and specs of yours and Bob Winkler's. Now I know what it takes to raise a champion. Thank you for sharing your pond with us.

[Danjols]

Quote: Originally Posted by gregbickal My greenhouse gets super humid. I have 11,000 gallons in a 20x22 building. Summer time I leave the windows and door fully open, and have though about adding those wind turning vents in the roof. Winter time, there is condensation on anything metal, especially the aluminum H channel that joins the polycarbonate panels on the roof. Would a de-humidafire even be able to keep up?

Greg, you can heat the air inside your greenhouse or install a de-humidifier to the conditions you have at hand, or you can do a little of both. Cold weather (below freezing) unless you have thermally broken aluminum H channels is a bugger for condensation. You can improve your condition with air movement using fans but if cold enough you will get a certain amount of condensation. The re-claim systems on the market today are really nice, they dehumidify and heat the air, all in one package.

[ChrisC]

Dan, I'd love to pick your brain about a re-claim system to reduce humidity in winter--it sounds efficient, which is, of course, the aim. Good to get a result in the easiest way!

I agree Lam, a QT system is vitally important to koi keeping. Ask me how I know this!

My plan is this: on the back end of the greenhouse, I am putting in a deck. It will include a ramp up to it (for wheel barrows and greenhouse things, and me, if I break a leg skiiing or something.) There will be a 12' by 15' section for people to mill about, enjoying the view. Sticking up 18 inches out of the end of this deck will be my Q tank, which will be surrounded on the non-deck sides by two foot walkways. My plan is to have people be able to sit on the edges, as people like to do that with raised ponds.

The tank will have a bottom drain/air dome, and the water will flow to a turbo vortex for mechanical separation of solids, into a Challenger 40 bead filter, through a spa heater, through an Emperor Equatics UV (which I had on hand) and back into the tank through a TPR. I am not sure it is state-of the art Dick, but this little system does the job.

Today, a tractor moved my stand alone 1500 gallon tank from my garage to the deck site dangling by ropes. It was spectacular. If I can do it, I will figure out how to post the picture of it.

EVERYONE who likes koi needs a tank like this. It was built for me or $600 in materials (which is not far off a show tank set up, but much more durable). I use it for quarantining new arrivals, keeping "little" fish to grow them to be big enough to fend for themselves in the big pond, choosing fish from a "batch" of the same breed, rescuing koi from the ponds of the clueless for the club auction, and of course pulling a sick or weirdly behaving fish out of the herd etc. Very handy. Am going to make it pretty by putting the same wood as the deck up over the edges. Have checked it for toxicity and it should be OK.

Carolyn, I really wish you would post pics of your greenhouse, I would love to see where you care for your spectacular collection!

[carolyn swanson]

But I don't know how to post photos. I get into enough trouble with the regular stuff.