Pool Project Has Started

Hi Everyone :wave:

Well I did it ::) I started getting the pool ready 4/15/03 I cleaned most of the debri from the bottom of the pool checked the parameters... they were as follows:

ph 10.3
temp ~81.5 F
us 196

This pic is from last year when I added angelfish, I didn't bother to even clean it then :-[

http://images.snapfish.com/3373%3B65923232%7Ffp6%3A%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858 %3Dxroqdf%3E232338894%3C669ot1lsi

this was the first day this year..... I figured I should clean it up a little before I attempted to put Discus in it this year ;)

http://images.snapfish.com/3373%3B65923232%7Ffp6%3B%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858 %3Dxroqdf%3E232338894%3C66%3Aot1lsi

4/17/03
I added 5 small discus.... 2 F2 WG x BD's and 3 BD's ....

http://images.snapfish.com/3373%3B65923232%7Ffp6%3A%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858 %3Dxroqdf%3E2323389494248ot1lsi

the tank they were pulled from, the parameters were.....
ph 7.16
temp ~ 85.6 F
us 423

I gradually acclimated them in a small pail for approximately 1 hour early in the morning ::)
this was a pic taken later that evening before dark.
http://images.snapfish.com/3373%3B65923232%7Ffp69%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E2323389%3B493%3A6ot1lsi

4/19/03

I decided since the first group looked like they were doing ok, I added 4 adults....2 WG x BD's and 2 Rose Reds..... A male WG x BD and a Rose Red female had spawned twice in the tank they were pulled from... not sure if the male is a male though :-\ the eggs were eaten >:(

a pic of the 4 adults

http://images.snapfish.com/3373%3B65923232%7Ffp69%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E2323389%3B493%3A3ot1lsi

I checked the parameters again..... they were:

ph 9.90
temp ~ 81.7 F
us 194

the tank parameters they were pulled from was

ph 7.69
temp ~82.2 F
us 314

I also added an extra pond type pump to the pool.

4/20/03

I feed them CBW's and it looked like all 9 were eating.... not "aggressively" but they appeared to all be eating ;)

4/21/03

parameters are

ph 9.24
temp ~77.8 F :o a little chilly
us 214

http://images.snapfish.com/3373%3B65923232%7Ffp65%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E2323389%3B493%3A5ot1lsi

[gary1218]

GREAT minds think alike Beth.

I just got in two 20" carbon blocks from Randal so that I can start getting my 18,000 gallon "holding tank" ready to pump water to my tanks. Since I'm not using the pool as a discus tank like you I need the carbon blocks to remove the chlorine.

I'm going to be pumping as much water as possible to the tanks. Can't wait to see what effect all that fresh water will have on the growth of my babies :D

Of course, it will be a little bit before our weather here in NYS gets into the 80's so that I can really get it totally up and running :'(

GARY

[yellow sub]

Beth,

Just a thought, could the pond fountain be the cause of the pool cooling a bit? Also have you thought about a pool solar blanket to keep up the temps?

By the way where do you live, to have such warm temps sooo early in the spring? :o ;D :P

Stephen

Hi Gary


I'm going to be pumping as much water as possible to the tanks. Can't wait to see what effect all that fresh water will have on the growth of my babies

Make sure to post pics of your progress ;)

Hey Stephen


Just a thought, could the pond fountain be the cause of the pool cooling a bit?
I guess that could be possible.... it's also a little overcast with a little rain today as well :-\

Also have you thought about a pool solar blanket to keep up the temps?
actually.... I should have waited a bit longer before I introduced them to the pool.... paitence "isn't" one of my strong suits ::)

By the way where do you live
Destrehan Louisiana.... not far from New Orleans maybe 20 miles ;)

Beth

[ronrca]

Keep us posted on your progress! Im quite excited for you! Hmmm! I wonder if I can get a small pool in my basement! You have me thinking!

Wish you luck! ;)

[Mattzilla]

wow....very impressive experiement. please keep us updated. i've never seen anyone try this before. good luck

matt

[hkong]

Very very very interesting project. I have read Jim E. Quarles' article about raising Discus in an indoor pool but I never thought of raising Discus outdoors. I think I might be amazed how adaptive life could be. Good job, Beth! Look forward to your updates on the subject.

Thanks for sharing,

--Henry Kong

[Carol_Roberts]

Hi Beth:
You have kept some of these same fish in the house too haven't you so we can see the difference in growth and color? With all that natural algea and mosquito larva I bet they will be stunning.

[RandalB]

Hey Beth,
Those pH readings seem kinda high, what's your tap water like?

RandalB

[Discusgeo]

Beth what happened to the Angels? Good luck on that Discus project. I been thinking of the pool thing also.
George

[DarkDiscus]

Beth,

Carol had a really good idea - before and after pics and also measurements to see how growth is affected. Probably too late now, but it's a good idea to generate information on how fish grow and color up in the pool as opposed to the tank!

Very cool. I am really looking forward to seeing the progress of the discus. I also wonder if they will spawn in the pool...

John

Beth: Excellent project. That brought me back my first discus were raised outdoor back home and the downpour in the hot afternoon did all the soft water change. Have you thought of diverting rain water from the roof to the pool and have the water soft enough to spawn succesfully in the fish pool.
Jimmy.

[gary1218]

So Beth...........what do you do when the neighbors ask to come over for a swim on those HOT summer days ;D

GARY

[Monette]

Beth,

How interesting! How did your angels do in the pool last year?

What type of filtering system are you using?

I lived on the TX-LA southern border for 30 years, would have been perfect for growing out some angels that way.

I like your pool project, wish I could do soemthing like that here.
How did the Angels do last year?

Hi Carol

You have kept some of these same fish in the house too haven't you so we can see the difference in growth and color? With all that natural algea and mosquito larva I bet they will be stunning.
In the first group of youngsters I added 5 of the less desirables ( slower growers than the ones I have inside ) 3 were much smaller of the BD's I recieved from Jack and 2 were from the first group of F2 WGxBD's that I pulled from the parents at 5 days free swimming.... The F2's all look a little brown to me and maybe a little bigger than the BD's that are all in the pool (all about half dollar size to maybe silver dollar size) you can see them in the 3rd pic and get a pretty good idea of size ???

I still have 3 F2's along with 7 of the BD's in the house... If the ones in the pool look GREAT in a couple of weeks the ones in the house may find their way out to the pool ::) (I'm still a little undecided :-\ )

I'll get back to this thread shortly with more pics, parameters and responses ;)

Beth

Hi Randal

Those pH readings seem kinda high, what's your tap water like?

That pool hasn't seen any fresh water in well over a year :o I'm thinking the reason for the ph being so high must have something to do with the liner and the chemicals that were used when the pool was being used for people ::)

My tap water is pretty hard us/ms? 466
and ph 8.86 :o
with a low kh 2 with the drops test kit :-\
I also have chloramines :(


Hi George

Beth what happened to the Angels? Good luck on that Discus project. I been thinking of the pool thing also.

I really didn't get much of a chance to see a whole lot of growth.... I waited a little too late in the year to get them in and started.... I did see some growth in them though.

Hey John....

Carol had a really good idea - before and after pics and also measurements to see how growth is affected. Probably too late now, but it's a good idea to generate information on how fish grow and color up in the pool as opposed to the tank!

Very cool. I am really looking forward to seeing the progress of the discus. I also wonder if they will spawn in the pool...

I guess I should have taken better pics of the fish before I dumped them in :-\ the pail pics don't really give you an idea of their size :-\ I'll get better pics of the new ones that go in ;)

it wouldn't surprise me at all if they do spawn in that water..... the only thing that I can see that may deter them from spawning would be the ph being that high. Time will tell ;)

Hiyas Jimmy...

Have you thought of diverting rain water from the roof to the pool and have the water soft enough to spawn succesfully in the fish pool.


I thought about it.... but I really haven't given it that much thought ::) Maybe I should consider it ;)

Gary :D


So Beth...........what do you do when the neighbors ask to come over for a swim on those HOT summer days
I could have cared less if there were still angelfish in there, if they wanted to swim with them they could have ;D Now that the Discus are in there.... they can't ;D

Hi Monnette

How interesting! How did your angels do in the pool last year?

What type of filtering system are you using?

I lived on the TX-LA southern border for 30 years, would have been perfect for growing out some angels that way.

The angels did fine....the ones I could catch when the water starting getting too chilly were the lucky ones ::)

One of the filters are the type that came with the pool
http://images.snapfish.com/3374266723232%7Ffp6%3B%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E232338%3A554648ot1lsi
the other filter is one I picked up at Home Depot for a small pond that I have out in the yard... a fountain type
http://images.snapfish.com/3374266723232%7Ffp69%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3Dx roqdf%3E232338%3A554649ot1lsi

I'll keep you all updated as things go along ;)

Beth

Just a few pics I took earlier today....

The first few days they seemed to be pretty spooked by any movement by the pool..... They're starting to get brave now and get a little closer to the top....

http://images.snapfish.com/3374266723232%7Ffp66%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3Dx roqdf%3E232338%3A55464%3Bot1lsi

http://images.snapfish.com/3374266723232%7Ffp6%3A%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E232338%3A55464%3Aot1lsi

the 2 closest to the top are what I think is a pair.... they've spawned recently in the house

http://images.snapfish.com/3374266723232%7Ffp67%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3Dx roqdf%3E232338%3A554652ot1lsi

I'm getting a little more Excited each day ;D

Beth

[Tyler]

Beth,
This whole project is getting me excited....you must be going crazy!!! It looks great....thanks for the updates.

Tyler

[RandalB]

Beth,
Same thing I was thinking about the liner/chemicals. Either that or you forgot to keep the electrode wet on your pH meter.....

I'd run some of that flexible gutter stuff over and divert rainwater into the pool. You'll probably have 300+ fry in there before long....


Keep us posted! Great thread!
RandalB

[DISCUSDADDYSLC]

I want to go swimming to them ;Dmy hands and arms are in the water with them most the time anyway.

[EthanCote.com]

So Beth,

How goes the daily WC? ;D hehe


Best of luck on the project. It is looking great so far.


Cheerio,

Chi.

[Ardan]

8)

Soon you may have to expand and set up a 2nd pool, then a 3rd...... ;D

Looks great!

Hey Ardan

That thought has crossed my mind ::) I have another pool ... I just need to clear some ground so I can have somewhere to put it ;D

just a quick update ;)

4/23/03
8:30 am

I checked the temp and ph this morning and the water was pretty chilly ~74.7 F
ph was 9.92

we had a little rain here yesterday evening.... I'm assuming it caused the temp to drop a little more than normal :-\

I noticed the 4 adults were close to the top by the intake of the pool filter this morning and the much smaller guys were on the bottom by the other filter... I would have figured they'd of been all together :-\ They were all together tonight :)

It was overcast a good bit of the day today, but the pool temp. did rise a good bit.

7:30 pm

Temp ~ 80.7 F
ph 9.69

Tomorrow.... We're expecting rain all day >:(

BTW..... ALL Discus in the pool ate agressively this evening (CBW's)

Beth

I forgot to add a picture ::) This was taken at 7:30 pm... tonight ;) They were eating CBW's. After they were finished eating they seperated into 2 groups. (that I don't understand)

http://images.snapfish.com/3374374723232%7Ffp65%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3Dx roqdf%3E232338%3A%3A294%3A7ot1lsi

[CARY_GLdiscus]

;D ;D ;D


BETH YOUR THE BEST!

[April]

Beth your "koi" are looking kinda roundish.
i will be interested to see how they grow etc. dont let a bird fly off with them. or a raccoon taste test them.

[DarkDiscus]

Beth,

Once summer sets in, you can probably stop the CBW, as you want the discus to go for the mosquito larvae that will invariably end up in the pool. Otherwise your back yard is going to be mosquito heaven! (or hell, depending on your point of view!)

John

[limige]

HI BETH!
great to see you up to your old tricks, last year you got me thinking, sometime or another i want to put a large holding tank or pool in the basement for growout room.


anyway, heres a suggestion, see if you can find some kind of really fine mesh bags and split up a bail of peat throughout the pool, should help the ph factor and make the discus a bit more comfortable.

keep the pics coming!

Hey Limige.....

I spoke with Cary about my ph and he's suggested the same thing ;D I may go out and pick up a bail and just punch a few holes in and drop it in the pool....... the only thing that stops me so far has been the fact that it may be a little hard to see any progress if the pool water starts turning brown with the tanins from the peat :-\

Thanks for the input ;)

Beth

[scotz]

Hey Beth - So when are you having a "pool" party ! 8) I will bring the kegger ;D.

How many gal. is that pool ? I know you had this pool up and going last year - but I was wondering if any of the chemicals that were used in the development of the pool (leaching into the water, etc.) would have a long term effect on the fish ?. I do know that some of the newer kiddie pools have chemicals in them to prevent algae, do you know if your pool has or had any algacide in it ?.

Anyways - I hope it gets hot soon so your water temp. comes up. Good luck with getting the Ph lowered.

scotz

PS I am still waiting for my BD x WD fry. ;)

Hey Scotz :wave:

No pool party this year :-\

I think the pool is somewhere around 5500 gals.

I have no clue as to the effect the leaching chemicals will have on the Discus long term or short term for that matter
:-\ You're guess is as good as mine ;)

As far an algacide goes..... if there was any I think it's not working..... I have what looks like some type of algae growing along the sides of that liner :o

I hope the temps star to rise myself ::)

Thanks ;)
Beth

ps..... they're looking ok to me and it looks like the second pair may be getting it right this time :bounce:..... this is the first fry they've allowed to get free swimming..... not many , but hey! it's a start ;D

the group.... I took this pic this mornin

http://images.snapfish.com/3374532%3B23232%7Ffp6%3B%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858 %3Dxroqdf%3E232338%3B46%3B%3A65ot1lsi

here's the other pair F1 WG x BD with a few fry

http://images.snapfish.com/3374532%3B23232%7Ffp69%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E232338%3B46%3B%3A64ot1lsi

Thought I'd add a pic of the sibblings that are in the pool. These are much bigger than the ones outside.

http://images.snapfish.com/3374532%3B23232%7Ffp66%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E232338%3B46%3B%3A63ot1lsi

[Surfghost63]

HI Beth.

Thanks for sharing the progress of your project, it's a great idea :thumbsup:

I have a question though, How can you observe the fish in case they catch some disease ? Maybe installing a camera would help, just a thought.

Cheers,

Bill :guitarist:

[scotz]

Beth - Thanks for the update and the pics. I think that the parents and the F2's that you already have are really beautiful - I love the coloring and patterns. ;D

As I said - I'm waiting ;D ;D ;D ;)

scotz

[limige]

beth, i think you've kinda lost the ability to take good pics in the pool, i think the focus now should be creating a good habitat for them to thrive in.

i have some water sprite that is doing awesome in my tanks, including some in my bass tank. it does very well in both so temp is not a big concern, maybe some floating sprites would help block some of the intense light on those sunny days. i see you have some water lilies or something but it's another option.

hey, now you need one of those divers camera's so you can go swimming with your fish ;D
you know, get those good pics :fish:

anyway, whatever you decide to do, good luck and give up some updates when you can!

i've gotta go do some re-arranging with my tanks, time to move tanks to the rack and start plumbing :bounce: :bounce2:

a few additions to the pool

http://images.snapfish.com/337468%3B523232%7Ffp6%3B%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858 %3Dxroqdf%3E232338%3B893%3B48ot1lsi

look at the eyes on that little BD.... nice and red ;) you can see the angel fry on the right bottom of the pic.

http://images.snapfish.com/337468%3B523232%7Ffp69%3Dot%3E2327%3D%3A49%3D858%3 Dxroqdf%3E232338%3B893%3B49ot1lsi

Hey Bill....

I think as long as the Discus show NO clamped fins and are all coming out to eat when I drop food in, I shouldn't have to worry ;)

Scot....

I'm working on it ::) Thanks

Hey Limige....

I'm no photographer :P It is hard to get a halfway descent pic of the fish in the pool :-\

I believe those lilly looking things are what they call water lettuce and I forget what the other 2 types I have in there all called.... before the end of the summer I'll have already thrown out all of the lillies in the pool several times.... they multiply sooooooo fast.


hey, now you need one of those divers camera's so you can go swimming with your fish
Nah! I'll just climb in and take pics of them out of the water as the water gets warmer ;D

Beth

[Fisheyes]

Hi Beth
I have not read all of the posts but I did notice 2 things of concern .
One was heat loss .- cover part or all of pool with blu styrafoam to keep heat in on those cool nights and cloudy days.
Second was algea some poisinous some not-For this I would add gold fish as they love blu and brown algea
Just a thought .
Fisheyes( :crazy:) Good stuff Beth
For underwater pictures -put your camera in a zip lock bag

Hey Fisheyes.....


For underwater pictures -put your camera in a zip lock bag

ummm.... that's a thought ;D Have you tried that ??? I think maybe I'll just net them to take the pics ;)

Those cool nights were worrying me a little ...... but all the fish seem to be stress free as far as I can tell. The temps here are suppose to be in the mid 80's all week with no sign of rain.

Goldfish :o out of the question ;)
Thanks for the input ;)
Beth

[April]

Beth. i had plans for a computer operated sub with a camera on it from the vancouver aquarium...its like a mini submarine with a computer camera eye on it. it goes where you want it to and sends the images back to the puter. think you really need one. ;D
you can make it. hows that sound? cool eh.
think i need to move where its warmer so i can have a pool. the 5th floor wont quite cut it.

[Surfghost63]

Hi Beth, I was just a little worried about the discus health, but I'm sure that in your hands they will be very well and healthy ;)

Cheers,

Bill :guitarist:

P.S. Anyway it would be great if you can count on a little underwater cam, just for the joy and pleasure of observing the kids, LOL.

[limige]

hehe, just think of those poor discus getting chased by a cyclops submarine :o lol

Hi Pril....

a computer operated sub camera sounds like just what I need ;D Can you put one together for me and send it my way?
As many times as I've flooded my house, I don't think a 5th floor apartment would cut it for me either ::)

Bill.....

I hope those Discus have as much faith in me as you do ;D

Limige.....

I think my Discus would probably try to eat it ;D

[Surfghost63]

LOL Beth, I think faith is one of the main ingredients needed to be successful with discus, TLC also :thumbsup:

Keep up the good work :drummer:

Bill :guitarist:

just adding a couple pics that were taken Mothers Day. All is looking Good and I've added 7 more Discus for a total of 16.

http://images.snapfish.com/3375%3B96323232%7Ffp8%3Enu%3D3236%3E958%3E767%3Ews nrcg%3D3232488394%3B4%3Cnu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/3375%3B96323232%7Ffp8%3Enu%3D3236%3E958%3E767%3Ews nrcg%3D3232488394%3B53nu0mrj
Beth

[Mr. Limpet]

Hi Beth, totally envious over here in colder clims. How are the little guys doing that you added in April? Got any temp updates? Just curious, Paul.

[CARY_GLdiscus]

Again!

That's My girl! ;D

[Lance_Krueger]

Hey Beth,
How about getting one of those $10 underwater disposable cameras that people take snorkling on vacations. Usually they're good down to a couple of feet. Won't endanger your regular camera. It's just one of those cardboard and plastic one-time-use cameras, but in a clear housing. Just stick your hands underwater while holding the camera (swish the bubbles off of the lens, and click when you think you've got a discus in range. Shoot midday for better light levels. It's hit and miss, but I've seen people shoot some neat dolphin photos while hanging the camera over the side of the boat while on vacation ;D.
Just a thought,
Lance