Above ground pool question....you don't even want to know why!

[aylad]

Hmmm, that's an interesting idea, have to put some thought into it to wrap my head around how well it would work. I don't know the answer to your question about the main drain, but I don't think the ice in the pool would be an issue for the fish as long as you can make some holes in the ice to allow air in. Poconos does this in his pool, I think he just partially weights some 5 gallon buckets to float in the water and lets the ice form around it, then removes the buckets. Maybe you could do something similar there?

What kind of fish are you planning to put into your pond? I have an 1100 gallon koi pond right next to my pool, and they do fine in the winter, as long as they can get to some source of air. Would you still keep your pump/filter intact to provide filtration?

janet

[SandyDittmer]

Hi, and thanks for the reply.

Well, if we can just kind of forget it is a pool and consider it an above ground pond, that seems to work better for most people. I would not be able to use the existing pool pump or filter, as filtration of a pond is a whole different animal than filtration of a pool. I will be making a biological filter (huge) from a stock tank. The sand filter would just clog immediately, and the pump is not geared toward moving the volume of water the right speed for a pond. So, in short, it will be filtered, but not with my pool equipment.

My main concern right now is is anybody knows how far down an above ground pool freezes in the winter. There would need to be some liquid water for the fish. I do believe that even if the whole 4 feet of shallow end freezes solid (which I doubt it would), at least the 2 feet that are underground in the deep end would remain liquid. The fish could go there. I will be having Koi, goldfish, Shubunkins, and/or a mixture of all. Not quite sure yet. I will keep a bubbler/aerator going in the winter, but turn off the main pump/filter unit until Spring.

It's just a thought in progress right now, but I am getting more excited about it the more research I do. It won't look like a landscaped inground pond like yours does, which I'm sure is beautiful. But I will be happy to have fish and lots of lillies, water hyacinths, water lettuce, cattails, etc.

Thanks for the input. I am going to call the pool place and ask about a main drain cover.

Have a good one!

Sandy

[Phillbo]

2 thoughts come to my mind.

The bubbler / aerator should prevent freezing and you may want to consider filling in the deep end, do you really want a 6.5' deep pond ? You may, I'm not familiar with the pond thing .

[SandyDittmer]

Hi. Yes, I do want a 6.5' pond. Koi like the water a bit on the deep side, so that won't be a problem.

I know what you mean though, pools and ponds are not the same animal for sure. I already have a small one, and there is no comparison other than they both contain water.

Take care!

Sandy

[Phillbo]

I was always under the impression Koi ponds were only a couple feet deep. I learned something today.

[aylad]

I learned it, too!

My pond is about 3 1/2 feet deep with a 1 foot deep shelf around the perimeter. My fish tend to stay at the top of the water, sometimes even crawling over the lily pads, but when the temps are extremely hot or cold they do tend to go deeper--I assume it's because the water temp changes more slowly there.



Janet

[AnnaK]

They go deeper when it's hot because the deeper water holds more oxygen.

Sandy, I love your idea of turning the pool into a fish pond. With the deck built around it the landscaping possibilities are endless. I envision lily pads, clumps of various grasses, vines, a waterfall, hidden lights . . . an oasis in your backyard.

I would probably start with the external landscaping and let the pool freeze over winter to get rid of the CYA. Mine ends the season with around 60 ppm and is at zero when it's finally thawed out the end of April. To the best of my knowledge all 48" or so freeze solid. We don't have a deep end.

But that would mean continuing the chlorine maintenance for the rest of this season and you probably don't want to do that.