My Outdoor Tropical Pond, by Ricky Grange

ARTICLE INFORMATION:
Author: Ricky Grange
Title: My Outdoor Tropical Pond
Summary: During the Canadian summers, Ricky keeps a variety of tropical fish outdoors in a simple pond, where they thrive, become big and colourful, and multiply.
Contact for editing purposes:
email: ricky_grange@hotmail.com
Date first published: September 2000
Publication: Vancouver Aquatic Hobbyist Club Newsletter
Reprinted from Aquarticles:
April 2002, Fins and Tales, Kitchener-Waterloo Aquarium Society.
March 2003: The Calquarium, Calgary Aquarium Society
May 2003: Newsletter, Blue Water Pond Club
April 2004: Fins & Friends, Regina Aquarium Society

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Ricky Grange,
1370 Camridge Road,
West Vancouver.
British Columbia V7S 2M8
Canada

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Watching fish in a natural setting has always been particularly appealing to me, so it probably didn’t come as a surprise to my parents when I decided to build a pond in our back yard, located in Vancouver Canada.
I excavated a pit about nine feet by five, and eighteen inches deep, and lined it with newspaper and then with 6 mil poly, which is available at any hardware store. (I replace the liner every year. A proper butyl rubber liner would be ideal).

   The first year was a disaster, or at least the first part of the year was…. I stocked my pond with goldfish, but since it was located in full sun, the stagnant water became too hot and depleted of oxygen, so the goldfish did not survive. But I then threw in a couple of cichlids just to get them out of the way, and to my surprise they thrived in the tropical environment. I decided to try some other warm water fish outside, and they too did exceedingly well. Ever since, I have stocked my pond strictly with tropical fish.
   I have tried many types of tropicals in my pond, including zebra danios, serpae tetras, rainbows, corydoras catfish, ghost shrimp, killies, kribensis, keyhole cichlids, red devils, angelfish, and even discus. But my favourites are the livebearers, and this year I have guppies, mollies, platies, and Ameca splendens. They breed readily and that is why I like livebearers – it’s not uncommon for them to have three generations of babies by the end of the season. The guppies are by far the most prolific, and just a few pairs can produce several hundred fry by the end of the summer. This year I am keeping killies and dwarf cichlids with the livebearers, and I suspect that the killies are feeding rather heavily on the babies!
   Depending on the weather here in Vancouver, I put the fish in my pond as early as May, and bring them back inside sometime during September. On hot days the pond seethes with activity but during cold snaps the fish become very lethargic. However, I don’t think I have ever lost a fish due to the temperature dropping. This is really something when you consider that during a hot day the surface temperature can climb into the 90s and on a cold day it will drop down to the 50s. Surely fish in an aquarium would not stand such large fluctuations of temperature!
   One of the problems I have with my pond is that, since it is in full sun, the water has a tendency to turn green with algal blooms. I find I can reduce this by keeping about three quarters of the surface covered with floating plants. An added bonus of having all those plants is that they provide excellent cover for new-born babies. The plants are also the sole source of filtration and aeration.
   All in all, the building and maintenance of my "tropical" pond has been hassle-free and inexpensive. The only costs are those of the liner, water conditioners, fish and plants.

Note: An article about the author, Ricky Grange, may be viewed in Aquarticles' PEOPLE section.