Pond design idea ,long post

I am going to build a pond in my garden to raise catfish and bluegill for aquaculture and after thinking about the idea for awhile
I came up with what I think is a good idea. I am a machinist and I have a wonderful selection of tools so this job will be cheaper for me than others but it should still be pretty simple.
What I am going to do is take a strip of 24 gauge galvanized sheet metal 40' by 3'or 4' an bend the last 2" on each end over in opposite directions so that they will hook together to form a ring about 12' in diameter. I will then put some silicone in the seam to seal it, hammer it flat and bolt through it with 1/4-20 stainless screws. You could also use other sizes of sheet and have more than one seam. I am going to cut 1/2" cuts in the bottom side of ring 2" apart and bend them in and out alternately leaving one straight between. The bent ones will help hold the ring in the concrete when you pour it and the ones you don't bend will hold the ring up to allow concrete to run under to the outside. Then you dig a flat spot for the tank lay down a layer of road base gravel and some screen. Then you put the ring of sheet metal on the gravel and screen, if you want a drain in the bottom you should put it in before the gravel and screen. I will then pour in between 2" and 3" of concrete (a little more than a yard) and paint it with epoxy paint to seal it and protect it so it will last longer. The top edge will have a garden hose split down the side on it to cover the sharp edge.
I am going to change water out daily with a garden water timer set to water the amount I want daily probably early in the morning. The water inlet will be on the side of the tank at an angle so that the water coming in will create a whirl pool effect to increase the aeration effect. The over flow will draw water from the bottom and drain it into my garden beds instead of watering them directly. The water coming out will help fertilize the garden and save me money in water costs. I am planning to build a large worm bed and feed the weeds and my house hold compost to the worms that will in turn feed the fish.
This set up should create a low cost food source for me and should be fun.
The tank metal at todays prices will be about $100.00
The bolts will be about $20.00
The concrete home made will cost about $120.00 or premix form the supplier about $200.00
The road base is about $45.00 a yard( more than enough)
The screen cost varies in price but I will use some I already have. Chicken wire should work but I am going with something stronger.
I don't have prices on the paint yet.
Add an old garden hose and whatever fittings you need and you have a nice aquaculture pool that will last a long time,
between 2500 and 4000 gallons for around $350.00
I will be starting this project some time in the next few months. When I am done I will post pics and info on how it went.

I will be stocking the pond first year with about 50 ea. of bluegill and cat fish to see which will do better in this setup. I figure I should be able to raise 500 or more pounds of good quality fish in this tank but I am going to work up to it from 100 lbs. or so the first year. You could also save money by going out and collecting fish for the tank Bluegill, Green sunfish, Bullhead, etc. Then the fish would cost you nothing but some time at the lake or river.

I have dealt with different kinds of ponds, but nothing really like you are going to undertake - so other than looking forward to seeing what you do, I have no input to offer.

I think It is a good Idea to be using the waste water to grow plants and worms. Plus the market for food fish is good from what I hear, if you can get all the permits and stuff to do it.

Sounds like fun! I would apply the epoxy to the metal prior to pouring the concrete. This should minimize the chance of corrosion at the contact point.

I'm not sure I follow... Will the 24 gauge steel be a form for the cement or are you expecting 24 gauge steel to hold 3300 gallons of water (27,500 pounds)?

24 gauge sounds very thin. That's like, what - roof flashing? I would look at swimming pools first - some of them have metal sides. Others have fiberglass-reinforced plastic (I have one such piece of plastic laid up for someday, it would make a 12' dia pool, 3' high). For about $300 in-season you can have a 4400 gallon tank. Off season when stores are transitioning to Chrismas merchandise you can get the same pool for as much as 1/2 off.

You might consider partially sinking the pond into the ground - that would take some of the stress off that 24 gauge. If you use a concrete bottom you can make it funnel shaped, with a drain/filter intake at the center of the funnel.

Intriguing idea. I'll follow your progress and make my own plans accordingly!

I have looked at the designs for bottomless stock tanks and they are made form 22 to 10 gauge steel sheet. These tanks are made to hold up to the abuse of cattle out on the range and are built accordingly. The sides on a Doughboy pool are of thinner material than I am going to use and they hold up. They do have supports but they are mostly to hold up the sides and don't really make much difference in the strength of the pool. l like the idea of painting the sheet before I pour the concrete thanks Skipjack.
My tank will not get the kind of abuse that a pool or stock tank would get so I don't have to worry about that. I am thinking of adding some bands of 1/8"x1" steel around the top middle and bottom to add strength to the system but I don't think they are necessary. My brother is a mechanical engineer and I may have him do a stress analysis on the design before I build it. I know that 27,000 lbs. of water sounds like a lot but you have to consider that most of that weight is on the slab not the side walls of the tank. The wall only get a small fraction of that weight. The tinsel strength of the sheet is probably around 10,000 pounds for a 3 foot sheet of galvanized steel sheet which is way way more than I think I will need.
The only point that I worry about is the seam so I am going to double it form mi original design. With a 2" overlap and double bolts.
I thought about using a pool but I don't want a gopher to dig a hole through the bottom and kill all my fish. Not only that but my tank will probably last 10 or more years and a pool only last about 5 if you take good care of it. You could also use this tank year round whereas a pool should be put in in the winter. If I insulate the tank I may be able to raise trout in the winter and catfish in the summer. Its all an experiment at this time. More as it develops.

Sounds like a fun project; good luck!

That epoxy paint may well be the most expensive part of the whole project.

I am also going to dig out the tank at the end of the year and add it to my garden beds that along with the leavings from the worm will make just about the best garden you could want. Using a shovel in a pool is not a good idea but it wont hurt my tank. I am planing to build the bottom slightly conical with a drain in the center to improve the cleaning of the tank. I thought of burying the tank but I'm afraid that the dirt may decrease the life span of the tank walls.
Epoxy paint is expensive $57.00 a gallon and $54.00 a gallon for primer form Aquatic ecosystems (www.aquticeco.com)
so I will be looking for other options to fill this part of the project. I have seen other epoxy paints an if you wipe the steel with a kind of acid ( I cant remember which but I have a friend that has some) I don't think you need the primer. On the other hand I probably don't need to paint the steel at all because good galvanized steel last a long time anyway.

I am looking forward to updates. Now you just need to deal with California's restrictive laws. As the purported governor of Irate-land, I of course do not concern myself with such trivial matters.

The forum staff wish it to be known that they have nothing to do with me, and they claim all ignorance of my alleged lawbreaking activities, and would not condone them if they did know, and they would kick me off the forum if I didn't know where they lived and would surely come after their fishes.

The operator at stillwater aqua farm has been real helpful with that laws that concern this project. Thats what he does for a living so he should know all about it. I will save my self the trouble of trying to sell the fish which makes most of the laws not apply. This could be considered a gold fish pond if I have any trouble. If you want to attach the tank to a stream where you divert some water into the tank and then back into the stream it gets really restrictive. My tank will be in my garden more than 300 yards from the nearest creek and that creek only runs in the middle of the winter. None of my water will get out of my yard at least on the surface that is.

I have a fantastic book by Gene Logsdon called "Getting food from Water" It covers home scale aquaculture, including a chapter about raising bullheads in a 55 gallon drum, fed solely on earthworms. See if you can find it on Amazon. If you cannot locate it, send me a PM, maybe I could lend it out.

A three foot tall pool with 3000 gallons has no more outward pressure than a three foot tall aquarium with any given gallonage. Gallons have nothing to do with the outward pressure, Only altitude affects it.

I have a fantastic book by Gene Logsdon called "Getting food from Water" It covers home scale aquaculture, including a chapter about raising bullheads in a 55 gallon drum, fed solely on earthworms. See if you can find it on Amazon. If you cannot locate it, send me a PM, maybe I could lend it out.

A three foot tall pool with 3000 gallons has no more outward pressure than a three foot tall aquarium with any given gallonage. Gallons have nothing to do with the outward pressure, Only altitude affects it.

I have the book you are talking about. Its a great book. I think I have read the whole thing more than three times. My wife thinks I am nuts, but she says she would rather have fish than goats which is what I was planning before. The catfish in the barrel part was part of my inspiration for my designs. I also enjoyed the part about raising 1000 pounds of trout in a pool like the one I am building. I just don't have that much water so catfish is a better fish. I would raise Tilapia if I could (illegal in CA.) because they don't need to be fed. All you have to do is put a pair of them in a pond with a lot of algae and you get lots of fish. I know Tilapia isn't a native but they are good for aquaculture. If anyone out there is considering doing a similar project then you should think about Tilapia as a possibility if they are legal in your state.

I thought the catfish were channel cats that he raised in the drum. Doesn't really matter but they do grow more meat for a given body weight than bullheads.

A three foot tall pool with 3000 gallons has no more outward pressure than a three foot tall aquarium with any given gallonage. Gallons have nothing to do with the outward pressure

Indeed depth is really the issue when constructing tanks of any type. My point about the gallonage/weight is the energy stored behind 0.0239" sheet steel. As with the kiddie pools without a turned lip, they easily collapse. The thought of a youngster kicking the side of that tank to see what happens and having a 3300 gallon surprise might be particularly unhealthy.

To steal a line from Bruce...Just sayin'

I don't think that there is any danger of a kid damaging this tank. The sides of those kiddy pools depend on the water inside to hold them up and they are very flexible plastic. It would be hard to push down or kick in the side of my tank.

I am also going to dig out the tank at the end of the year and add it to my garden beds that along with the leavings from the worm will make just about the best garden you could want. Using a shovel in a pool is not a good idea but it wont hurt my tank. I am planing to build the bottom slightly conical with a drain in the center to improve the cleaning of the tank. I thought of burying the tank but I'm afraid that the dirt may decrease the life span of the tank walls.
Epoxy paint is expensive $57.00 a gallon and $54.00 a gallon for primer form Aquatic ecosystems (www.aquticeco.com)
so I will be looking for other options to fill this part of the project. I have seen other epoxy paints an if you wipe the steel with a kind of acid ( I cant remember which but I have a friend that has some) I don't think you need the primer. On the other hand I probably don't need to paint the steel at all because good galvanized steel last a long time anyway.

I used to serve as Maintaince forman for a forty thousand sq foot printing plant. I took over the Job from a fine Finish fellow who was retiring. He to would use this acid. I do not know the name either but the use he had for it was to etch the galvanizing away to make it suitable for sweating together. "solder" ?spelling. This may not be the same acid you speak of but any way I would certainly do some research before I used any type of acid on galvanized material because it may just to that " take away the galvanizing which will make you tank erode/corode away much more rapidly". Of course the epoxy will decrease that rate of eroding but just seems to me that a primer would be better.

Hope this helps even though I do not have the technical names for the acids.

Good luck and I look forward to some photos,
Daniel

If you go to your Local Advance Auto Parts, (if you have one), look in the body repair section, and there are 2 things you can use to rust proof it before you paint it, one is in a green bttle, and by the quart I believe it is $10, and the gallon in around $25 or $30, the other stuff in actually a rust dissolver and that comes in a small bottle(for those of you that remember Elmers Paste Glue, it come in the same size container) and it it like $3 or$4 dollars, these 2 items will work very well...I work at Advance Auto Parts, and it just so happens that I have to work tonight, so if you are interested, I will get the prices for sure for you.


Tim

With stuff like that you have to worry about how toxic it is for fish. This tank actually is fine without paint. I just think that the paint will make it last longer.

I am going to a commercial fish farm today and he is going to show me his tanks and ideas for making a tank for my yard. I am going to take pictures if he will let me. He raises many different fish and was real nice on the phone so it should be fun. He is one of only White sturgeon breeders in the state.

That sounds like fun. Wish I could go!