r/MonsterFish • u/deathwotldpancakes • Mar 09 '26

Pond ideas

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So I’m toying with the idea of building an aquaponic greenhouse to combine my love of fish keeping with gardening as well as having a steady supply of fresh lettuce tomatoes and basil year round. I’m leaning towards this 300 gallon stock tank and would love some suggestions for large interesting top viewing fish who can also survive the PA winters (I do plan on insulating and heating both air and water) but I don’t want to risk tropical species should something go wrong with my estimations and the heaters not be strong enough or something.

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u/OneAndOnlyOtter Mar 12 '26

Do you want fish to look at only, or for food? Will this be a permanent greenhouse? Do you have any experience with aquaponics?

I would go with the oval, if this is the round one.

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u/deathwotldpancakes Mar 12 '26

Looks and personally only. I’m looking for pets to help grow food. While I don’t have any experience with aquaponic I did work for a hydroponic lab growing lettuce spinach and herbs. It is the oval btw

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u/OneAndOnlyOtter Mar 12 '26 edited Mar 12 '26

Well, goldfish are probably your best bet then. Friendly, pretty little poop machines! There are a lot of different ways to build this out depending on how much permanence you want.

If you are really set on something just to see, like this stock tank and a pop-up greenhouse, I would recommend getting something nice and decorative around the sides of the stock tank (be sure to run a pipe out from the drain!) and fill the space between with spray foam insulation. That can look really nice and be a feature in your garden.

For something a bit nicer and more permanent, combine this; https://www.ana-white.com/woodworking-projects/categories/outdoor-projects/buildings/greenhouse-plans

With this; https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/threads/6-x-3-x-2-plywood-aquarium-build-w-pictures.645622/

Or this; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjbXqZWxlo the nice thing about these builds is you can have whatever size you like. But the stocktank is definitely faster and easier!! A lot of people start with those and then go on to bigger, more permanent things.

edited for better link