I have to go to aol5.0 to respond so usually I have to skip responding to
emails. lucky for you guys. hehe.
but a few comments. home depot in roofing section sells rolls of lead for
flashing chimneys etc. you can buy a foot and slice it with a utility knife
or metal cutting shears. there is also a product called ice and water
shield. it is very sticky on one side and is made of flexible thick rubber.
it is great for patching holes in outdoor ponds like kiddie pools, sheet
plastic, etc. they also have free samples just the perfect size for
patches. I sometimes put a piece on both the inside and outside of the
patch. the roofing supply distributors give me a package of free samples
with about 20 inside at a time. roofers would be happy to give you a sample
from the end of a job. they might give you some old lead flashing also.
of course if the water is acid metal will dissolve into the water. metal
dissolves in all acids. On plastic tubs. they have a number on the bottom
for recycling. this tells us the type of plastic. I think #5 is pretty much
OK. but I am not sure. I have had nothing but good luck with plastic tubs.
but ultraviolet will ruin all plastic. black plastic stops the UV from
penetrating so lasts longer than clear plastic. notice garden centers use
soft black plastic pots for plants. this lasts a long time and is reusable.
the hard plastic pots have more limited life for reuse. they tend to get dry
and brittle. one trick might be to use the thin 4 mil plastic sheeting
inside an unknown tub. they work for me in quick outdoor ponds.
I can use the thin black plastic for a pond. the plastic will last the one
summer. and costs me about $1 to $3 per year per sheet. I buy a 100 foot
long sheet. this is very low cost compared to pond liners which cost in the
humdreds of dollars. another thing. the thin plastic will last almost
forever in the basement because there is NO ultraviolet light. I use an old
run as a liner underlayment. they are free and work great to soften any
edges or bumps. with a run under the sheet I can walk inside the pond
carefully.
I bought a 12 ft diameter swimming pool at wal mart last year, of course the
$50 liner is only about 4 mils also. It went before filling. so I used a
black plastic sheet perfectly. cost about $1. then used some paper clips
around the edge to hold the plastic up around the edges. this makes a nice
outdoor pond for the fish. it is a bit too deep to step over the edge. you
need a ladder ( supplied with the pool ) but the ladder tends to rip holes
in the bottom of the pond.
for the guys who advised I pan fry my Oscars. well all my oscars are gone.
no more oscars. the native fish are so much better.
oh yes. I get 265 gallon opaque barrels about 40 inches cube for $5. they
are purchased with tea extract inside. and my guess is they cannot be reused
so they sell them for $5. try local botteling plants. wineries buy
california grape juice in bulk. all kinds of things. or you can try the
manufactured of the 265 gallon tanks and ask them if any locals buy them.
they come on a wooden skid and heavy cardboard box. they are called Bulkdrum
II, Hoover Group Inc,. material handling division. 219 commerce drive, Mt
Vernon Ohio. and also 1800 coleman road, Anniston Alabama. I am sure
they sell them for much more than the $5 but they might tell you where they
sell them locally and maybe you can find someone who has to get rid of them
after using them. good luck.
I am gong to bury my tank in the spring and make a nice little pond.
George Arndt
harvard, mass
In a message dated 2/18/01 9:55:55 AM Eastern Standard Time,
HOLLIS1506_at_webtv.net writes:
<< Subj: Re: NANFA-- plastic storage tubs as aquariums?
Date: 2/18/01 9:55:55 AM Eastern Standard Time
From: HOLLIS1506_at_webtv.net (Leo Arieux)
Sender: owner-nanfa_at_aquaria.net
Reply-to: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
To: nanfa_at_aquaria.net
More years ago than I care to count when
I had just started in the hobby/obsession
there were no plastic tubs we had to improvise........ Not many will
remember the old "ringer type" washing machines
but the tub made a great "outside"small
pond type aquariums, after you sealed the hole in the bottom with a
piece of metal and the old black tar like aquarium sealer. Another good
outside aquarium was refrigerator liners , those had to be sealed as
well and the good part was both
were metal but porcelanized,so no interaction with the metal at all.
Last but not least were the kiddy pools,
you could occasionally find them "out in the trash" on garbage
collection days. These made great breeding pools for livebearers and for
growing plants. I was
able to breed enough plants and fish to help support my hobby almost to
my satisfaction and to my mother's distraction.
If you looked most things were free, such
as gravel (free) just pick it up ,wash it etc.
place a layer on the bottom of the kiddy pool then a layer of composted
sheep manure, finally another layer of gravel.
You would not believe how fast and lushly the plants grew....Amazon
swords,vallisneria,
Aponogeton, Cryptocoryne ,Cabomba anything you planted took off like
mad.
There was a place in Audubon Park way in the back where there was a pond
with tons of anacharis (elodia) in so no need to grow it AND the strands
were 6 feet long
and beautiful especially when blooming.
See even a"KID" can improvise and have fun ,make money and support the
hobby.
I sold to the pet stores around town so much the gave me discounts on
the fish and equipment I wanted. Another trick was when a shipment of
fish came in they would call me and I would go to the
pet shop and "check out" the new arrivals.
I always checked the tank with Egyptian Mouthbroders for female with
eggs in their respective mouths, these were the one's I bought put them
in 5 gal. tanks OR the outside pools grew them up to saleable size then
sold them BACK to the fish shops......they never caught on .
There is more than one way to skin a cat, so having little money one
needs to improvise.
One other thing, there was an open drainage ditch between Orleans Parish
and Jefferson Parish ( New Orleans ) That "someone" threw some Red
Paradise fish in. They were breeding like mad....so I caught some and
sold them to the pet shops as well. Didn't cost me a red cent. These
were probably the first introduced exotic fish in this area.
The rather belabored point I am trying to make is that adapt and
improvise is the key to most anything, hobbies or life. End of tale.
Leo
************************************
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler' >>
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
/ Association"
/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org