Today I cleaned the tub out and thought it'd be a waste to have it stay empty so I filled with water, set up an old fluval canister (uncycled sadly) and put my 3 older fry, telescope and calico ranchu in there and after watching them for an hour, it seems they're really enjoying the swimming area and the sun My telescope is now chasing my ranchu but she's got so much room to move - she just darts away from him

I was going to put the lilly in there but opted for screen instead - to keep most of the native birds that come around here out....

Anyhow, I thought I'd post some pics:











If I end up keeping this setup, I'll be able to bring home a few new fish... My 40 only has 2 in it while my 90 only has 4.... I want to keep up a decent supply of ammonia to keep the good bacteria alive - although I do have 11 fry that will get bigger

it looks great jen!, there getting bigger and bigger just like the telescope from my batch of fry, i swear i will need to put a brick (or pebble) on him to stop him growing!

That just looks great! Lot's of space to swim (and grow!)!

It looks so great Jen! Nice and clear and the fish are beautiful.

Thanks guys I just pulled them back in for the evening because I did a quick check on the ammonia - 1.0ppm So i'm in the process of doing a fishless cycle - just added 1/4 cup of ammonia... So i'll keep this up until it's ready then place 8 of my hardier fish out there (it's 135 gallons)...

They did love it though and now that Spring's here - I think it'll (hopefully) enhance their colours

lol, and since spring is here it's the perfect time to take them out for a bit of sun!

Jen! Wonderful setup! I hope ur gonna get greenwater

Good luck w/ your fishless cycle.... I love your tub and am sure your fishes will enjoy their big house also.
How big is your tele? Love your ranchu also

My telescope's about 6 inches now And Riz, I just switched the filter off and the airstone on, plus I now have ammonia sitting at 3.0ppm - a nice start for green water

Very nice start indeed

Well I am just going to have to live through your summer with pics of your gorgeous tub Jen! Now our summer is over here btw did I hear you made room for a new fish? Once that idea comes along, it won't budge

Jen those are some pretty impressive fish! I have to say I can't wait to see the pics of the fry as they grow.

Wow, lookin' good! Good luck with the cycling!

Looks great Beautiful Fish by the way/

Jen, that looks lovely, I know how you spent your public holiday lol, very relaxing. I'm amazed that the ammonia rose so quickly.

I hope the tub sorts itself out soon so you can put the fishies back out again. Good luck.

I'm loving it Jen! The babies are getting so big-I can't believe it!!! I want more pics of course!

Lol - thanks guys and I think some of the ammonia was possibly from the tap. I manage to go through a 500ml bottle of Prime in 4 weeks just to keep the water levels out of my tap acceptable.

I think doing the fishless cycle is much less stressful and when I pick up my new black ranchu and mighty big black/orange oranda on the weekend, after their quarantine, I'll place them out there

And Lol Annette - nothing like a long weeked spent mucking around with tubs and waterchanges

Very nice set-up. I'd love to keep a tub like that in our balcony too. BuT my problem is dust. There's so much dust over here and I don't know how to handle that...may be I can keep a tub outside and put my fish in there for few hours every week or so.
Sorry I'm thinking aloud on your thread but your pic;s tempt me so much...

Nice Jen

kool wow nice fish love the telescope

Hey! That's really cool.

Those fish are already really bright. They're going to be on fire when you get them out in the sunshine.

Thanks guys - once it's cycled, they're out there for the summer

And Marsha, you can cover the tub with some window screen as it traps dust effectively. I've got a big sheet of aluminium screen - it's tear resistent and clamp it around the edges and I got it to keep the wild birds from gaining entry but i've noticed it also stops and debris falling in - so win win

Great suggestion...thanks JenW. I will post pic;s of my 130litre tub which is inside at the moment as soon as possible...

I look forward to seeing them

my dad uses fly screen netting to keep the birds out of his pond xD it's actually quite funny to look at, since his pond is quite big.

looks great jen!!

Nice telescope. He looks awesome.

on ponds made out of tubs like this do you have to bring the fish inside? I know that they say in bigger ponds you only have to bring them in if it freezes over, is the same true here?

And it's beautiful Jen, you've got my wheels turning, lol

If you live in an area where it gets cold in the winter I recommend bringing them indoors when it gets too cold. Since tub ponds aren't in the ground they don't have the same protection from freezing at certain depths of the water.