Summer tubbing in the heat

[DesertFish]

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has experience with summer tubing in hot places.  For example I live in the desert of Southern California where this week it’s 118-120F. (Normally it is around 110*F in the summer.) But could a summer tub under a patio work?  I would like to start but I wanted to see if anyone had any tips or trick before I do. 
 

 

 

Thanks!

[Fish Folk]

On 6/16/2021 at 2:51 PM, DesertFish said:

Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone has experience with summer tubing in hot places.  For example I live in the desert of Southern California where this week it’s 118-120F. (Normally it is around 110*F in the summer.) But could a summer tub under a patio work?  I would like to start but I wanted to see if anyone had any tips or trick before I do. 
 

 

 

Thanks!

Do you embed your tub in the ground 1/2-3/4 of the way? I've heard that sometimes helps to regulate water temperature.

The value of tubbing outside seems to be a mixture of vitamins brought by sunlight, and micro fauna that boost the quality of fish diet. Storing under the porch might help some with heat . . . but might lose the sunlight benefits. If plants won't grow down there, I'm assuming that the flora / fauna symbiosis will be a challenge to maintain. 

[DesertFish]

I’m hoping the ambient light and sunrise/sunset would be enough for low light. It would be on the concrete decking under the patio. I’m mainly curious on putting fish the can withstand high heat in hopes they breed ie rams, angels etc…

[Nate s]

I have a pond in the back corner in shade pretty much all day. Ambient light is fine for plants in fact it’s waaaay more par than aquarium lights. In shade my temps right now are like 68 morning and 73 evening. Temps here are highs 80-85 and low 60-65 at night. During July with temps in mid 90s I think my pond still only got to 80. Depth is 2 ft in ground though so temps are more regulated. 

[mouseturd13]

I was just wondering about this too. I am in Arizona and we are close to peak summer but I would really like a little pond. The above comment has me wondering if putting a smaller tub in a bigger tub with dirt filling the gap would help keep the water cooler. 

[binkysmom]

I think water volume would be important too. There are fewer temp swings with 100 gallons vs 35 gallons.

[CosmicAshhole]

I'm in Fresno.  Its currently 102.  I started a 100 gallon porch pond in one of those big rubbermaid stock tanks.  I'll let you know how it goes.  So far its not been too bad.  I did a small water change on it today...but other than that it seems ok.

[DesertFish]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:40 PM, mouseturd13 said:

I was just wondering about this too. I am in Arizona and we are close to peak summer but I would really like a little pond. The above comment has me wondering if putting a smaller tub in a bigger tub with dirt filling the gap would help keep the water cooler. 

That’s a great idea! 
 

On 6/17/2021 at 3:17 PM, binkysmom said:

I think water volume would be important too. There are fewer temp swings with 100 gallons vs 35 gallons.

Definitely the bigger the better.

On 6/16/2021 at 1:40 PM, Nate s said:

I have a pond in the back corner in shade pretty much all day. Ambient light is fine for plants in fact it’s waaaay more par than aquarium lights. In shade my temps right now are like 68 morning and 73 evening. Temps here are highs 80-85 and low 60-65 at night. During July with temps in mid 90s I think my pond still only got to 80. Depth is 2 ft in ground though so temps are more regulated. 

Ground probably is the best bet for insulation. Thanks for the info!

On 6/17/2021 at 3:59 PM, CosmicAshhole said:

I'm in Fresno.  Its currently 102.  I started a 100 gallon porch pond in one of those big rubbermaid stock tanks.  I'll let you know how it goes.  So far its not been too bad.  I did a small water change on it today...but other than that it seems ok.

I would love the updates.

I’m definitely thinking of giving it a try without fish first just to see if it’s feasible. Plants would have to tolerate the heat as well. When I do go ahead with it I’ll record the data and start a thread on it. 

[CT_]

Mine tends to peak just below the daytime high.  I'm going to shade it for the 80+ days I think.  I'll be following this closely.

[Just Renee]

On 6/17/2021 at 12:40 PM, mouseturd13 said:

I was just wondering about this too. I am in Arizona and we are close to peak summer but I would really like a little pond. The above comment has me wondering if putting a smaller tub in a bigger tub with dirt filling the gap would help keep the water cooler. 

My husband had a large pond in our back yard for several years and it was very successful.  We are in Tucson, so, you know... hotter than hot with nuclear sun rays for 4+ months every year.  I think the key to it's success was how deep it was (husband doesn't think that was as important but what does he know), 3 feet deep and that was how the koi and the gold fish survived the summers.  Deep with a lot of shade from plants on the side of the pond and floaters and shade cloth but even then the water was still really hot.  Water that hot also does not hold onto oxygen, so you need to have peak water agitation at all times to make sure you don't suffocate everything.  

I think a tub could work as long as it had, at most, dappled sunlight during peak summer days as well as a large waterfall feature or a few airstones.  Maybe wrap the exposed sides of the tub in some kind of insulation.  It could be a fun experiment to see what could work and I've low key been thinking about trying it myself.  

[Ryo Watanabe]

I would put tubs/ponds somewhere they can get some shade during the day as well as add plants like lilies, floating plants to create those cool areas.