What do you wish you did differently when setting up you tank or pond

[Minifish]

Hi , 

So after speeding time re-doing my pond as it was becoming impossible to maintain . I wondered what people wish they had done differently when building a pond or tank . 
 

I have a pond in a sun room originally had some rice fish which are now inside to breed . It’s was growing a lot of algea that I couldn’t keep on top off so brought a few Britslenose Plecos . Weeks later still no improvement in the algea . I have tried increasing water changes and using barley straw . 

yesterday I re-scapped it to make the base easier to clean . Originally the base was half gravel, then rocks, two large oxygenating plants, lots of floating plants, a log for structure and two plant pots for hides. 
 

I have cut back on the plants just one large oxygenator and no floating plants, I have removed the gravel but kept the log, plant pots and rocks. I am hoping this will stop the high algea growth mainly as it’s easier to clean and biomaterial in the pond . If it stays manageable I will add a few floating plants in again .

I am making a new pond and was wondering what people find works well or doesn’t . More to stop algea growth ! 
 

many thanks 

[The endler guy]

I wish I actually got a good amount of set up time, all my tanks had fish introduced the first or second day they were set up due to not preferable circumstances 

[Tfred82]

I wish I would have done more research and gone slower instead of rushing into it. My tank is fine right now, but there are so many things that could be better. 

[Tanked]

My in ground pond is in its third and probably final regeneration.  Decades ago I had a large pile of construction debris next to the patio.  Instead of hauling the debris away, I decided to enlarge the existing pond and stream, using the dirt to cover the garbage and provide the elevation for a small waterfall. Those of you who are familiar with the song Alice's Restaurant might understand this thought process.

I wish that:

• Space and budget limitations had not made a lot of my decisions.
• I had a foolproof way to keep debris out of the pump.
• I had not used a rigid liner for the inground pond.  A flexible liner would have provided more options.
• I had made the pond deeper.  Deeper would better hide the plumbing and prevent the winter ice cap from depriving the pump of water.
• I had run separate wiring for the nearby toolshed.  If I turn the pump off I also turn the toolshed off.
• I could control the algae. As the setup continues to naturalize, all of the invasive plants can't consume nutrients fast enough.
• I wish that I had not introduced Peppermint. It grows across the water surface incredibly fast.
• I wish that I had kept the horsetail in containers.  When it begins climbing up the waterfall, roots begin allowing water to seep out of the pond. 

Having said all of this, the pond actually requires very little maintenance.

 

[JettsPapa]

On 6/10/2023 at 11:36 AM, Tanked said:

My in ground pond is in its third and probably final regeneration.  Decades ago I had a large pile of construction debris next to the patio.  Instead of hauling the debris away, I decided to enlarge the existing pond and stream, using the dirt to cover the garbage and provide the elevation for a small waterfall. Those of you who are familiar with the song Alice's Restaurant might understand this thought process.

Do you have twenty-seven 8x10 colored glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back?

Edited June 12, 2023 by JettsPapa

[Flumpweesel]

I wish I'd stop putting off building a pond and complete turning my super tiny yard into a garden. 

As for things I wish I'd done with my tanks under gravel filters , I'm not will to start again as the alternative equipment has now all be bought but if I had my time again that is how I'd go. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/10/2023 at 4:58 AM, Minifish said:

I wondered what people wish they had done differently when building a pond or tank . 

At this specific moment in time, there's quite a few things I would change, unfortunately.

I think one of my own mindsets, and it's something I've posted about here before, is that I need to be happy and content with where the tank is specifically in this moment.  My current, biggest regret right now is that I am using too many filters and working far too hard to keep things the way I would like to. 

1.  There isn't a setup I have where I can just pump a ton of air into the tank and where I don't have to consistently work towards removing algae.  I wish that aspect was a bit nicer.  A good airstone, a bit of a bubble wall of sorts is underrated and it's fun to have in the tank.  Even if all the other filtration is hidden, I feel like I will always end up having an airstone in there just for noise.

2.  I would like to replace the 75G filtration with a good canister.  This is in the works, but cost is a major factor here.  There isn't a such thing as a 48" spraybar kit and it's pretty frustrating that to get an "out of the box" solution to a lot of my own wants for filtration is just about impossible.  I want to get away from running multiple filters and moreso towards having a refined setup.  I am absolutely fine seeing equipment, as long as it is the correct equipment for the setup.  I will be excited when I can head to the store and pick up some things I want to have, needless to say we all know that feeling.

3.  I absolutely do not have enough hardscape and I definitely don't have the correct setup.  I have a fish that likes a lot of hides, swim throughs, etc.  The plan was to have a densely planted tank, but I do not have that going on right now.  Things happen and unfortunately it just is going to take time to get where I have things the way I would like them to be. One day at a time.

4.  I would like to be successful with certain plants i failed with.  Specifically susswassertang, Scarlet Temple, and Fissidens Nobilis.

5.  I would like to swap my 29G for 20L size or even 30L aquariums.  This is a good balance in size and height and I do like the taller tanks.... if they are longer (40B, 75G), but when it comes to smaller tanks, I think the size of a 20L is better for my own goals as opposed to dealing with height issues in the 29G setup..... or worse yet, the 38G bowfront I had that was even taller.

6.  I would like to trash some substrates and get things I like better.  Don't settle for what is in front of you.  Get what you need to if it just means wait a few weeks.

7.  Fight the urge to have something "out of the box" and just go ahead and deal with the challenge of getting certain items I need custom made. It's frustrating to be stuck waiting for companies to fix their poor products.  This has basically touched every single aspect of my own hobby.  You get what you pay for is such a true statement, but there is also a necessity as a designer sometimes to just have what you want to have.

8.  Spend more time reading and studying people who are much better at this.  Sometimes it takes a lot longer than you'd like for the advice and the inspiration of others to find it's meaning for you.
 

[JettsPapa]

On 6/12/2023 at 10:28 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

. . . 4.  I would like to be successful with certain plants i failed with.  Specifically susswassertang, Scarlet Temple, and Fissidens Nobilis.

5.  I would like to swap my 29G for 20L size or even 30L aquariums.  This is a good balance in size and height and I do like the taller tanks.... if they are longer (40B, 75G), but when it comes to smaller tanks, I think the size of a 20L is better for my own goals as opposed to dealing with height issues in the 29G setup..... or worse yet, the 38G bowfront I had that was even taller.

6.  I would like to trash some substrates and get things I like better.  Don't settle for what is in front of you.  Get what you need to if it just means wait a few weeks.

7.  Fight the urge to have something "out of the box" and just go ahead and deal with the challenge of getting certain items I need custom made. It's frustrating to be stuck waiting for companies to fix their poor products.  This has basically touched every single aspect of my own hobby.  You get what you pay for is such a true statement, but there is also a necessity as a designer sometimes to just have what you want to have.

8.  Spend more time reading and studying people who are much better at this.  Sometimes it takes a lot longer than you'd like for the advice and the inspiration of others to find it's meaning for you.
 

Don't give up on it yet.  It can take a very long time to get acclimated.

I bought a beautiful ball of it from a member on another forum about 3 years ago.  It dwindled away until I thought it was all dead, but months later, when I had almost forgotten about it, I started seeing a few bits and pieces in the tank.  Before long it was thriving, and not long after that I had enough to move some to other tanks, and then start selling some.

[nabokovfan87]

On 6/13/2023 at 5:45 AM, JettsPapa said:

Don't give up on it yet.  It can take a very long time to get acclimated.

Oh absolutely! My main issue is source. I'm about to beg @mountaintoppufferkeepery to let me have some of his! 😂

I run extremely high flow tanks and the main issue for me has always been that I start with these little pieces of glitter that just aren't big enough for me to work with. On top of that I just cannot get the stuff to grow. When it does grow.... Right into the filter it goes.  I've redone things so I have two "moss only" tanks which do not have that issue anymore. 🙂