Above ground pond possible in AZ?

[Kaczie]

I've been lurking around forums for the past month trying to learn all I can before taking the plunge and setting up a pond! I've had varying sizes of aquariums in the past but am looking to add a little something to my yard. I would like some advice regarding my ideas so I can hopefully make them a reality over the next couple months. :]

I am in Arizona, in the valley, so it gets quite hot (110 today)! I don't have a ton of space in the backyard and would rather not dig if possible so my idea was to get one of the following:
http://www.tankandbarrel.com/round-...steel-round-stock-tank-281-gallon-p-1461.html or
http://www.tankandbarrel.com/round-...steel-round-stock-tank-404-gallon-p-1462.html
because the price+shipping is great, I like the look of the metal tank, and it's not black so would hopefully not absorb so much heat. It would also keep our dogs (and potential kids) from easily going in it.

We have already ordered a pergola:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00556Z3LU...&ie=UTF8&qid=1437525223&sr=1&keywords=pergola
to shade the pond and plan to grow some evergreen vines up and over to make the shade dense.

Where the pond will be positioned in the backyard (which faces south) it will receive full morning sun, should be shaded by pergola from midafternoon sun, and then completely shaded from afternoon sun since it will be a few feet from a shed on the west side. I also want to grow some plants around the base of the pond to help with shading the steel from direct sun on the east side. My goal is start with plants and small tropical fish (Killis, Rasboras, Mollies, Corys, etc) and about 3-6 months down the road add in two small male turtles that max out at 5-6" to keep the fish population in check.

Now my question is... how reasonable is this where I am located? Is this thing just going to boil my fish in the summer or will the effort put into shading keep the water temps cool enough? I know a deeper pond helps with temp regulation, and I really wish these stock tanks came in 3' or 4' depths, but I am hoping the width may also possibly help. I would also be using air stones and a water fountain feature in this pond to help with aeration. Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

I had a in ground pond in arizona, it stayed around 84 or so during the summer, no shade. I had a 3 - 4 foot water fall to help cool it. If you have a waterfall, aeration you might be able to keep the temps down to reasonable. The shade will really help to.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

First, be very cautious. Some galvanized containers are toxic to fish.
Even with a pergola for shade you may have temperature issues. Although direct sunlight plays a major role in water temps, ambient air temperature is the ultimate controlling factor. The summer months may present the biggest problem.

 

[Dave 54]

Welcome to the forum from a sunny Plymouth UK
Personally I would look for the normal black plastic type of stock tank , like you we have an above ground pond of 1,000 imperial gallons UK , at its hottest the water has never gone above 22c and water falls etc will cool the water down as will the pergola .
Instead of that we went for a 3m wide Parasol [in high winds it has to come down but in lighter winds its fine and covers the pond by a 1m overlap .
We clad the pond itself in wood which again takes the heat away from the pond .
I hope this helps ?

Dave

 

[addy1]

First, be very cautious. Some galvanized containers are toxic to fish.
Even with a pergola for shade you may have temperature issues. Although direct sunlight plays a major role in water temps, ambient air temperature is the ultimate controlling factor. The summer months may present the biggest problem.

True Meyer, sort of forgot about the air temp, i.e. hot and hot. Never cooling down below 100 in the hot months. One summer we hit 124F.
I had ground temp helping keep mine cool.

 

[C-Note]

I had a small, pre-formed plastic pond in Tucson for a few years, and left it completely above ground. It was fine, as long as I kept an aerator running, plus a UV. Funny thing... I had NO IDEA about anything I was doing. I had 5 koi fish in that pond, and it was shy of 200 gallons. Luckily, they were small koi, and I was able to re-home them when I left AZ for Seattle. So, I say go for it, but I wouldn't use the metal or galvanized stock tank. Definitely plastic. I tried a galvanized stock tank as a QT set up here, and it ruined the water quality. I don't trust it for fish. Good luck! Post pics when you get something set up!

 

[Kaczie]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

Many of you recommended against the metal tank so I have put in an inquiry to the company. I would assume since these are meant to sit in the elements and water livestock that they would not be leaching harmful chemicals into the water but we will see. They do seem pretty popular and I have not come across anyone that has had problems in a Google search. @C-Note, what issue did you have with the water quality while using a galvanized tank?

I did not intend to have a waterfall, just two air stones and a water fountain for aeration. I'm trying to keep the amount of hoses, cords, and tubes, to a minimal level to go with the simplistic look of the tank. Though I did consider doing some type of build up around the outside with bricks to give it some height, a seating area, and a bit of insulation. I suppose I could always add a waterfall later if I did build up around the outside... or find that the water temp is getting too high.

And yes, C-Note, I do plan on purchasing a filter with a UV light!

 

[C-Note]

@Kaczie when I set up the galvanized tank and started letting the water get cycled, the water turned milky white, and tested with a very high pH. There was no way I was going to QT fish in there. I had used it last winter as a temporary indoor pond for some more delicate Ryukin goldfish and our two baby koi that survived from last year's spawn, but we're still too small to survive winter in the pond. When we had a very sudden and severe temperature drop, there was an oxygen saturation issue in the stock tank, and it appears the indoor fish were oxygen gassed to death. Very sad. But after that incident plus the weird milky water and high pH, I just don't trust the metal stock tanks for fish.

 

[addy1]

You could put a piece of liner on the inside of the tank. I have never used one so can't help there.

 

[Mmathis]

I would use a liner, but that defeats the purpose, since you didn't want black. But seriously, a "plastic" stock tank might be a better choice. Looking at the price, you get about the same # of gallons.

 

[fish pond Den]

I did mine half above and half in ground. I used landscape rail road ties and came out great.

 

[sissy]

Welcome and i used ruff stuff tank it is black but it is sturdy and since you are shading it black should be no problem .Or with the steel tank you could maybe seal coat the inside of it with fish safe coating or maybe you could put a rubber tank like mine inside the metal tank .

 

[Kaczie]

Thanks for the input!
I did get a response back from the company, Hastings, stating the tanks are completely safe to use with fish in case anyone is curious in the future.

My husband and I have decided to make the pond a more permanent fixture in our yard so it looks like we will be making it from cinder blocks and liner. It will still be above ground but now we have more flexibility with the dimensions - I'm thinking we will go bigger than originally planned! :] I still like the look of the stock tanks but I think our new plan will work better in the long run for our weather and the pond inhabitants.

 

[bettasngoldfish]

Check this thread about using a galvanized stock tank for fish https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/galvanized-stock-tanks.11882/

I have never used one myself but I know I have read online where others use them and like them. Personally I love the look of them much better than the black rubbermaid (even though I have the black rubbermaid tanks)