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Whos ready for outdoor tubbing season?!?!?!?


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Whos ready for outdoor tubbing season  

52 members have voted

  1. 1. Are you ready?

    • Yes, favorite season wouldn't miss it.
      35
    • No, wont be setting any outdoor tubs
      9
    • Whats that?
      8


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Are you ready for the outdoor tubbing season? If so what fish do you plan on getting?

This year will hopefully be my first year with an outdoor tub. I had never heard of it until I subscribed to cory (July 2020) and it hasn't been till very recently that I have thought about doing an outdoor tub. I am SUPER excited. Because I live Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada) where it gets super cold in the winters (-50C, -58F, its the second coldest major city in the world) I will be setting mine up from April-Early September. In the summer months it get to an average 20ishC (73F) but can easily get to 30C (86F). So because of the weather I need colder water fish such as goldfish, whitecloud minnows, cherry shrimp, rainbow shiners, etc. 

I plant to do whitecloud minnows but I haven't decided if I want regulars or golden whiteclouds.

Its going to be a challenge to get floating plants for the pond because most are ilgeal where I live. Stuff like Water Lettuce isn't necesarilly ilegal its just hard to find. Where as stuff like duckweed, red root floaters, amazon frogbit, etc. are ilegal. I plan to do some hornwort, water sprite, dwarf aquarium lilly and if I can find some water lettuce. Perhaps some java moss too.

Edited by James Black
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I really love my outdoor tub. I was very nervous going into it (how could fish possibly survive outdoors?! Oh, wait... they do that worldwide. Lol) Since I live in Northern California, I have benefitted from a year round tubbing "season." Right now I have lots of ricefish growing out in my 29gal mini pond (3rd floor apartment... limited space,) and I have cherry shrimp breeding like crazy as well as a few guppies. Im loving it.

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I have no covered patio (or any patio) or trees in my yard, and it gets full east/southeast exposure. I can't even be outside for more than a half hour or so on really hot days except early in the morning, and it can be 90+ for days/weeks at a time. How I wish I had even just a covered patio and working outdoor water connection!! ☹

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Definitely going to try my hand in doing a small tub this year. Probably just do some Guppies and cherry shrimp. More excited about all the plants I can grow in the tub. I will need to make it esthetically pleasing so the wife will be ok with it but other than that I should be good to go. 

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So there’s one thing I don’t understand about summer tubbing... what do you all do with your fish at the end of tubbing season? Do your LFSs get a big donation, or do you move them inside to yet another new tank? (sorry hubby, I HAVE to bring them inside or they’ll DIE! 😁)

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I would LOVE to set up at least one outdoor tub, and I've been planning to do so. But I can't do it where we're currently located. Have to wait until we find a new house to buy. Then I can! In the meantime, I've been learning what works, and doesn't work, for other people and making plans!

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1 hour ago, Hobbit said:

So there’s one thing I don’t understand about summer tubbing... what do you all do with your fish at the end of tubbing season? Do your LFSs get a big donation, or do you move them inside to yet another new tank? (sorry hubby, I HAVE to bring them inside or they’ll DIE! 😁)

All of the above, it can be fun to do even if they don't breed. Can also cull with a predatory fish.

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1 hour ago, Hobbit said:

So there’s one thing I don’t understand about summer tubbing... what do you all do with your fish at the end of tubbing season? Do your LFSs get a big donation, or do you move them inside to yet another new tank? (sorry hubby, I HAVE to bring them inside or they’ll DIE! 😁)

For me the fish that I put in the tub, the plan is to breed them. So If i am starting out with 12 whiteclouds the goal is to maybe have 30 whiteclouds at the end. Then I sell the fish off to my LFS/ Fish Club auctions as if I bred those fish. Some people who have the tub setup all year around doesn't do this.

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Am looking forward to the upcoming tubbing season.  Will have to wait though, until the 3 feet of snow melts in the backyard, lol. Supposed to receive another 8-12 inches of snow Thursday.  I have a feeling it's going to be a late spring here in northeastern PA.   Probably will have something around 100 gallons or so with a variety of local fish species.  

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9 hours ago, OceanTruth said:

I don’t feel like I’m ready to try some outdoor tubbing yet, but one day I hope. Until then, I really enjoy seeing what others do. People do some amazing things with these projects. Looking forward to everyone showing off their setups and growth this season!

You will be shocked at how easy it is. I also thought I was "not ready" but seriously these tubs are almost dummy proof. I top off my tub once in a while, that's about it. You can certainly get more involved if you want, but I highly recommend giving it a shot with a smaller size tub, perhaps a 29gal tub from Home Depot (black with a yellow lid.)

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When is the right time to start a tub?  After this coast-to-coast cold snap I don't think its going to freeze again here in seattle and I was thinking of doing year round rice-fish tub.  Any reason not to start at the start of March?  Does anyone have a link to quality instructions?  Or do you just fill with water, drop in some prime, add whatever plants and throw in fish?  

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With two feet of snow in my yard, it's just a tad early to be thinking about outdoor tubbing!

In 2018 I did a 110g summer tub and wrote quite a story about it. It was quite an adventure. In the fall, the stock tank and the many fish went in the basement. Later I added the canister filter, and later still the sump with anoxic biocenosis baskets.

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Edited by MJV Aquatics
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20 minutes ago, CT_ said:

When is the right time to start a tub?  After this coast-to-coast cold snap I don't think its going to freeze again here in seattle and I was thinking of doing year round rice-fish tub.  Any reason not to start at the start of March?  Does anyone have a link to quality instructions?  Or do you just fill with water, drop in some prime, add whatever plants and throw in fish?  

I am planing to start beginning of april - mid april. Outdoor tubs are very easy, its pretty much exactly what you said. Just remember to cycle the pond.

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15 minutes ago, MJV Aquatics said:

With two feet of snow in my yard, it's just a tad early to be thinking about outdoor tubbing!

In 2018 I did a 110g summer tub and wrote quite a story about it. It was quite an adventure. In the fall, the stock tank and the many fish went in the basement. Later I added the canister filter, and later still the sump with anoxic biocenosis baskets.

20201020_163840.jpg

20180828_101310.jpg

I don't think there is ever a time where its too early to thing about the outdoor tubbing season and the warmth that comes with it. lol.

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53 minutes ago, James Black said:

 Just remember to cycle the pond.

I assume that means the standard protocol? fill with water, throw in plants if you want, add food/ammonia, wait, get impatient, buy bacteria, get more impatient throw fish in anyway?

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1 minute ago, alpenglow007 said:

What are some of the best colony breeders for outdoor tubs?

Live beares are super easy because of how easy they are. You may start off with 3 guppie s(1male, 2 female) and then by the end of the season have like 100. Shrimp are also super easy to breed.

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getting a 40 gallon tote this year and plan to keep the Medaka rice fish outside all year long. Vancouver Canada area. I've had the rice fish inside for a couple of months now.

I usually do a 20 gallon tote. So this will be an upgrade. In the past I've done guppies from May/June (depends on temps) to September.

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