December - Hill Country Cichlid Club

9
cerned with. That is heat and cold. It gets way hotter
and much cooler here than the subtropical climate
of the Miami area. This however, I considered
a drawback, not a game stopper.
For the last six years we have kept fish in containers
of some sort outside in the yearly time period Jeff
had suggested. These containers amounted to old
plexi-glass vats at first and then into kiddie pools. I
had experimented with some home made filtration
systems, some effective, some not so much. Three
years ago my buddy JB gave me
a large above ground pool. Immediately
I realized that this was
the going to be the framework
for my conquering the year
round outdoor cichlidarium!
Thinking that I had pretty much everything figured
out, we went on to have the hottest summer on record.
If I remember it was nearly 100 days in a row
of temperatures in excess of 100F. The pool water
heated to a point that I could not cool it or turn it
enough to keep a descent oxygen content in it. The
fish did not do very well. I decided that the next
piece of equipment that would be necessary was a
pump capable of turning the water better than what I
had set up. While searching for an additional pump
I happened on a sand filter unit that had what I
thought would be needed and extra filtration! This
was external item number three.
Initially I set the big 5500 gallon
pool up, added the stock filter
that came with it and let it run.
Within a week the water was so
green that I could not see anything.
Extra piece of equipment
number one, UV sterilizer to
handle the green water. A small
power hear ran water through the
sterilizer rather than hooking it
inline with the filter. I wasn’t
sure the high water flow would
be as effective as a slower flow
through the UV. It took about
two weeks but the UV Sterilizer
did the trick and kept the water
crystal clear.
It was now time to add some fish. I can’t remember
what species I added first but I do remember that
shortly after the fish went in, the oak trees that surround
our property, started shedding oak pollen
pods. When they inevitably hit the pond, the water
immediately turned a crappy tea colored and again I
could not see what was in the water. After the pollen
fall had ended, I was able to drain the pond and
basically start over. Needed item number two:
some sort of cover to keep the pollen pods from the
water.
The sand filter unit replaced the original stock pump and filter unit.
One other design flaw was that in the summer heat,
the sides of the pond generated a great deal of heat
and in the winter, there was nothing to insulate the
water from the chill of the air. We added silver insulation
commonly found in fish crates and used in
shipping as well. We pieced these together with
duct tape. While not ascetically pleasing, it turned
out to be very effective for both purposes.
We ordered a “solar blanket” to keep foreign objects
out of the water and as an added bonus, it converts
the suns rays into heat. It is very noticeable
when the weather is cooler. The top comes off after
the April pollen fall and will go on with the onset of
cooler weather around November. On warmer winter
days I don’t remove it but I do peel it back.