Three goldfish have been living in this outdoor tank for around 15 years.
A lovely big concrete thing which was made for plants so i had to plug the hole on the bottom and for fish you need to coat the inside of the concrete which is porous. The coating is a waterproof membrane made specifically for this situation.
They have provided years of enjoyment and some lovely photographs - like this triptych that was featured on the front page at one stage
The water gets mucky over time and i need to clean it out every 6-8 weeks in summer and around 10 weeks in winter.
This image above is halfway through a cleanup - it takes hours - catch fish and remove, place in a bucket of water - half out of the dirty tank and half tap water.
catch the fish and remove, placing them in a bucket of water - half water from the mucky bowl and half tap water
remove potted plants and toys
bucket out the dirty water until there is very little left in the bottom
using the hose with a dribble of clean water coming out start scrubbing with a pot scrubber
beginning at the top, round and round slowly working my way down
the hose dribbling clean water in is used to clean up the scrubbed area as i go along
bucket out the water time and time again in between the scrubbing
once its clean, begin to hose in clean water up to the halfway mark
fish, still in bucket are lowered along the side using a large hook so they can stay in the bucket whilst the water in both areas comes to the same temperature
replace potted plants and toys
let them out into the tank using a third of the mucky water in the bucket and leave them overnight
next day i top up the tank for some happy fish
the tank is due for a clean again (now) ... this video is musing about the barley straw i put in the tank which seems to be keeping the water clear even though there is grime built up on the sides of the tank and of the barley straw.
enjoying life in country #tasmania #lifestyle #artistlifestyle
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