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Sunfish tank depth


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#1 Guest_Joshaeus_*

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 11:14 AM

The title is self explanatory...how deep of water do most sunfish need? I was considering a roughly foot deep kiddie pool that is about four feet across.

Edited by Joshaeus, 17 April 2014 - 11:15 AM.


#2 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 11:47 AM

There are a couple of problems with such a shallow set-up.
  • In the summer it will get hot from top to bottom and that could be fatal for your fish. I have had experience here in Georgia and the difference between the water at the top of a 30" deep container and the bottom is dramatic and combined with lily pads providing shade, seem to be key to my success in keeping fish alive in southern heatwaves.
  • If you are keeping this outside, you will have a predator problem with such a flat shallow setup. Again, having the deeper set up means much less likelihood of having a snake problem or raccoon problem.
The fish don't really care. I kept my warmouth in a tank that was less than a foot deep until just recently and he was fine with it. But on the top rack in the basement he did not have to deal with extreme temps or predators.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#3 Guest_Joshaeus_*

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 12:12 PM

Yeah, I was thinking of keeping this indoors. I can see the problems weather could pose with such a shallow setup...I just wanted to know if they would be comfortable if that was not an issue.

#4 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 12:24 PM

Oh, inside, then yes, I think the 12" depth would not be much of a problem... it limits a little bit of movement (obviously not much up and down in such a short water column) but that just means that any structure you introduce (and you should) will be effective in limiting line of sight and force the fish to move around things (not over and under so much).

I got to feeling like I was afraid my big guy would jump after he got to be about the size of my hand... and that is why I made the move... out of the tank and taking a 6 foot fall to the concrete is not good for anyone. But if you are looking to grow up a group of smaller fish, then I think the kiddie pool should work out fine.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#5 Guest_Joshaeus_*

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 12:26 PM

I was planning on getting a taller pool, and just keeping the water level to 12 inches to leave a wall to catch kamikaze sunfish. That could also be a valid concern. (Keeping the pool shallow would also basically eliminate, or at least severely reduce, any risk to the floor).

Edited by Joshaeus, 17 April 2014 - 12:45 PM.


#6 Guest_Joshaeus_*

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 12:51 PM

Grr...just discovered that there is no such thing as a 4 foot, 16 inch high kiddie pool. Would a six foot wide (but still only foot deep, water wise) pool be safe on most non foundation floors?

#7 Michael Wolfe

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  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 17 April 2014 - 01:33 PM

so a six foot diameter pool has a radius of 3 feet
pi * r^2 is the area of the pool in sq feet
3.14159*3^2 = 28.274 square feet
if the water is 1 foot deep that is 28.274 cubic feet
that is just a little over 204 gallons of water
water is about 8.33 pounds per gallon
so almost 1700 pounds
which sounds like a lot, but is spread out over the 28.274 square feet
so is only about 60 pounds per square foot

so it is the same as if you had 28 third grade children standing in your family room... doesn't sound like a problem to me at all.

and adding to that the practicality that at 6 feet in diameter you will be spanning across multiple load bearing floor joists, you will not be creating a problem for any normally constructed building.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#8 Guest_Joshaeus_*

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 03:42 PM

...that's a lot of third graders! You sure that would be safe?

#9 Michael Wolfe

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Posted 17 April 2014 - 03:57 PM

It was all fine until I took them to the midnight showing of the 1998 version of Godzilla... then things got out of hand...
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin




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