I have kept my 16 year old goldfish in galvanized since they were fry. They must not have read the very scary info source you did. Perhaps it said humans should not eat fish grown in a galvanized tank. I bet some really smart fish wrote the info you took to heart since they wanted to stop goldfish owners from eating the fish POISONED by the zinc. Those fish have probably conned a lot of people who believed that information, so don't feel too bad. They won't tell if you won't.

@@348Tobico It was the manufacturer who explained to me their process of galvanizing steel and that they, and all manufactures preparing galvanized steel use a process of several layers of hot dipping in zinc to prevent the steel from rusting. The product I bought was a 100 G galvanized steel animal trough from a tractor supply store and it was commercial grade galvanized.. It is fine for humans, animals, plants but they told me not fish. I then read studies on zinc poisonings in different types of fish. When water is added more than an acceptable amount of zinc can leach into the water. When the tank starts to break down from weather, there is a white powder that forms on the steel and this gives a further protection to the steel from corroding. This powder if it falls in the water is lethal to fish, however it can harm or kill fish way before that stage.. I am glad that your 16 yr old goldfish has not be effected, or have not had any gill issues. I personally do not know anyone who eats goldfish, I certainly would not. A google search while also readily show that zinc in even low amounts is lethal to fish. Your tank could possibly be coated with something else over the zinc, as I know there are finishes one can purchase to do this, or even put in a liner (which the manufacturer suggested), and I chose not to talk the chance, as I too raised my 12 yr old goldfish from eggs, and by buying the stock tank I was attempting to provide them with a better life. I did my homework, I called the very company that manufactured the tank. If you do some research you will learn that different thicknesses of the hot dipping is required for certain purposes. I did appreciate your humour in your response, but I am not a person who believes everything I hear. I wish you many more years with your goldfish as some if taken care of well and their needs are met can live for a very long time.

I'm going to be using a stock tank to build a new koi pond, but I've read a lot of the same information regarding the issue with zinc poisoning. I'd rather be safe than sorry so I'm lining mine with a pond liner.

@@PDC7275 I don't know where you live but I am in Ontario Canada, and you can buy some really nice, differently shaped and sizes of stock tanks from Peaveys (it is a tractor supply store) that are made of animal safe plastics, plus they have some gorgeous galvanized steel ones. They have stock tanks that have drains that also hook up directly to a garden hose, and they have one's without the drain. I have a small vermicompost business, selling Red Wiggler composting worms and Premium Worm Castings and I use the 50 G plastic stock tank without a drain for vermicomposting. I also have a 50G plastic stock that I use for goldfish. I use the water from the filters from my fish in the vermicompost and for moisture for the compost worms, and directly in my outdoor composting bin that also has Red Wigglers in it. Peaveys put the stock tanks "on sale" quite often and they sell them really cheap when they are on sale. I paid $45 Cdn including tax for a 50G tank. I also noticed that lots of folks advertise used stock tanks on FB Marketplace and through Kijiji as well. The nice thing with the black plastic is that you don't need a liner which can really jack up the cost. I got into vermicomposting with Red Wiggler Composting worms so I could feed my fish a natural, high protein, live food and these worms are high in Omega fatty acids as well. Red Wigglers are easy to raise as they simply consume your kitchen scraps (veg/fruit/grains) and for worm bedding you use moistened carbon/browns ( I use shredded cardboard/newspaper, maple shavings and junk mail!) and since they consume the composting food wastes there is no smell so one can vermicompost indoors or out. I now have free high quality live food for my fish, plus the benefit of having an abundance of "Black Gold" the world's best fertilizer, worm castings! Enjoy your koi, they are beautiful and Good luck with your project! I am glad my comment was of help to you.~ Shar

@@sharmclean1145 I'm in the SE area of the US. I've been using a 125 preformed pond for a while, but I have a 2 year old Koi that just keeps getting bigger and bigger. The stock tank that I bought is about 500 gallons, so that should be plenty of room for a while for him/her (?) and the 10 or so 5" goldfish that I also have. I found a decent priced pond liner so that will be going into the tank, too... but you are correct, liners have become very expensive so I feel lucky that I was able to find the one I did that didn't break the bank. It will all be tied together with water plants and 2 bog filters. ~ Just as a side note, I searched for large preformed plastic ponds and I had no luck finding anything (easily obtainable) larger than I already had.

Wish I was closer! (On the opposite side of the country). My koi love duckweed. I actually grow it in one of my aquariums, scoop it out snd dump it in my pond every few days!

Thanks man! My pond is definitely my favorite part of my yard!

Glad we could help! Enjoy your pond!!

Thanks!!

Thanks! Do you have container pond?

@@DoItYourselfDad here is my pond.kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fMqCrd2mspPJiHU.html

Thanks! Best of luck on your project!

@@DoItYourselfDad Thanks

@@DoItYourselfDad I did it. I now have a little pond with 6 minnows! Videos like yours were very helpful👍🏻

Yeah temp variations can cook your plants as well as fish(if you have fish). The first year I did mine I cooked both plants and fish because I thought the plants needed full sun. NO NO NO! Sun in early morning or early evening, just not full mid-day sun. And the larger your gallon capacity the easier it is to keep the water from having temp. spikes.

Awsome! Best of luck with your container pond! Let us know if you have any questions along the way!

Rebecca, how's it going? I have the same tub.

@@goggleuser12 first one I did looked really pretty but it didn't get enough Sun so the plants didn't do all that well and over the winter I put it out to water my horses and I bought another one but I haven't set it up yet how is yours going

Hey I think I'm going to get my new one out tomorrow and set it up as I watched this again...awesome!

@@rebeccals143 I have some pond plants, a filter, a 260 GPH pump with water ftn. I put in 2 comet goldfish that died the next day. 😢 I bought a water test kit, and found the water's pH was too high. Added 2 air stones, and some white vinegar. PH is going down. I'm scared to buy more fish. Not positive what went wrong.

My pond is setup with a bog/biological filter so once it’s been cycled it stays pretty stable. I’ve got enough biological filtration and plants in the pond the water stays very balanced.

Check our Pond Shield by Pond Armor. It’s a coating that’s fish safe you can spray or roll on.

use bigger size stones!

Yes, that should be enough as long as the panels are well exposed to the sun.

Id return it if it’s leaking. If don’t want to bother with that clean the area with rubbing alcohol and use 100% silicone caulking.

Definitely more filtration, and using a dechlorinator when adding the water. If you are adding fish make sure it’s in the shade, the temperature can swing drastically in these container ponds if they are in the sun.

It’s not necessary but it makes cleaning the tank easier and requires much less clay. I also move plants in and out of my large pond so having them potted makes that easier too.

I put a shade sail over my backyard pond with helped a lot. Here's how I did it: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iK-UjcufrrOVpnU.html&t If you don't want to do a shade sail and it's going on a patio you could also use a patio umbrella.

A patio umbrella, but you'd have to close it if there's a strong wind. Or, look at a privacy screen panel. Just saw a bunch online at HD and Lowes, some were no dig, just stakes that go in the ground.

Yeah, the pump I use is pretty under powered.

You could, but they would pretty quickly outgrow the container. Also, make sure it's shaded, these can increase in temperature quickly if they're in the sun.

@@DoItYourselfDad what fish would you recommend then ?

@@eastonsilverman1645 There are varieties of gold fish, which are related to Koi that don't get as large. Also check out mosquito fish, they will prevent mosquitos from breeding in the water, the fish breed like crazy, and are fun to watch.

Yes, there are stock tanks that are much larger than this one. Check out your local farm supply.

You can, but you should coat the container fist as these can leach small amounts of zinc into the water.

It’s important if you are going to have fish in the pond

If you don’t use a filter or pump the water will stagnate and breed mosquitoes

The best way to clear up green water is a UV filter. It will kill any algae suspended in the water, however, it won't clear up algae on the surfaces of the tank. Something like this: amzn.to/3zWyMPN or similar depending on the size of your tank would work.

I was about to ask about coating the galv metal..? I do want/need to add guppies and snails because I have too many in my tanks atm. I have a galvanized tub that’s about 30 years old.. I don’t know if that makes it less toxic or more ??thank you for your comment 😊

@quki3 I've been told that the older the galvanized tub the better especially of there is a nice layer of build up on the inside... but I don't have any personal experience with this.

Filters don’t filter out bacteria.

@@DoItYourselfDad No but they harbour bacteria. I was told not to turn off a filter then turn back on after anything over half an hour.i only asked as I was considering trying building a pond based on yours.

They don’t harbor any bacteria more significant than anything else in your pond. The biggest issue with restarting most filters is that they empty when off, so the inrush of water and displacement of air churns everything up in the filter and spits it back into the pond. That isn’t the case with submerged filters.

@@DoItYourselfDad I see,thank you for your info 👍

It’s the seam in the metal.

I wouldn't recommend it, Koi will get larger than a stock tank can handle. I'd look at some smaller varieties of goldfish and mosquito fish.

Tractor Supply

It’s natural clay, which does contain trace amounts of uranium. As does many many other items. If you buy pond clay, it contains the same amount and puts off the same amount of radiation.

I wouldn’t recommend it without some way to keep them from climbing out. Aquatic turtles will wonder off. You’ll also have to make a flat area out of the water for them to sun themselves on.

Aquarium gravel isn’t clay, and it costs 10x as much.

I have a planted kitty litter aquarium and my plants grow amazingly well. It is soooo much cheaper than the Fluval Stratum and other substrates.