18 foot pool above ground pool, thoughts?

[urbanfarmer]

It's the one at sams. 18 foot pool, about 7,000 gallons, great reviews, going for $349.00 thoughts?

http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/produ ... rod1830025 (http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/product.jsp?productId=prod1830025)

[keith_r]

i don't see why it wouldn't work..unless the lining has some kind of chemical applied
i'm slowly working on getting an 8' intex "ring" type pool setup (in the basement), but just had to fix the car so it got the $ priority

[urbanfarmer]

That should prove to be fun. Sometimes I wish we had basements here in FL for that reason! LOL

[keith_r]

i'd rather be doing it outdoors, but our season is just too short for it without a greenhouse

[urbanfarmer]

Outdoors is nice too, but the pests and weather are just terrible sometimes.

[swamp creek farms]

are you selling your pee by the gallons now UF? ? ? ? anything to make a buck :lol:

[rfeiller]

A friend of mine has a high end KOI business buys the 3000 gal set ups with pump from target for $ 200 he said they last about 3years of use before they start to leak. If you looked at targets and compared the ones at Sam's. It might help you. He has a dozen set up as transfer tanks. Of course protect the bottoms. Weeds can puncture them, like oak tree seedlings.

[davidstcldfl]

I always wondered about the above ground pools too. UF...Now that it's getting pretty hot here, heck with the fish....I would most likely end up swimming in it, if I bought one.... :lol:

I saw some in Aquatic-eco's catalog. They are pretty costly, but they have a 20 year warranty. Maybe you could get one of their liners, when this one started to age (?)

[cedarswamp]

Could you really use 7000 gallons on a AP system? Thats alot of GB.

[keith_r]

that is a lot.. the 8' pool i'm trying out is, i think 696 gallons at the "fill line"
best use of space will be IBC's cut in half.. still thinking about a sump, probably a 3rd IBC, but no height to work with whatsoever!.. that's my biggest challenge (i have constant "goose-eggs" all over my noggin from working in the basement, i'm a hair shy of 6')
trying to figure out the tank wall penetration right now, probably go with 1.5"..

[drdreww]

just for general information.. I know from personal experience that pool liner "warranties" only apply to seams that they create. not any other parts of the liner. unless specified otherwise

[urbanfarmer]

are you selling your pee by the gallons now UF? ? ? ? anything to make a buck :lol:
If someone would buy it, heck yea I would!


A friend of mine has a high end KOI business buys the 3000 gal set ups with pump from target for $ 200 he said they last about 3years of use before they start to leak. If you looked at targets and compared the ones at Sam's. It might help you. He has a dozen set up as transfer tanks. Of course protect the bottoms. Weeds can puncture them, like oak tree seedlings.
Excellent I will look into that!


I always wondered about the above ground pools too. UF...Now that it's getting pretty hot here, heck with the fish....I would most likely end up swimming in it, if I bought one.... :lol:

I saw some in Aquatic-eco's catalog. They are pretty costly, but they have a 20 year warranty. Maybe you could get one of their liners, when this one started to age (?)
Ha, I have several 8 foot pools outside right now, and I have been tempted to swim in them on hot days, but the mosquito larvae keep me at bay... :shock: LOL, I will have to look into the ones with warranties because I'm sure the liner will degrade sooner than later.


Could you really use 7000 gallons on a AP system? Thats alot of GB.
The rules for "ratios" don't quite apply to me. I have my ways! :mrgreen:

[urbanfarmer]

that is a lot.. the 8' pool i'm trying out is, i think 696 gallons at the "fill line"
best use of space will be IBC's cut in half.. still thinking about a sump, probably a 3rd IBC, but no height to work with whatsoever!.. that's my biggest challenge (i have constant "goose-eggs" all over my noggin from working in the basement, i'm a hair shy of 6')
trying to figure out the tank wall penetration right now, probably go with 1.5"..
Yep, that sounds about right for the gallons.

In a basement system there are a lot of other options to consider that you probably wouldn't outdoors. Design the plant space around the lights. Some kind of modified NFT comes to mind. Interestingly, the NFT won't have the problem of water being heated outdoors by the sun. This could all work out! :lol:

[keith_r]

yeah, but nft won't give me the filtration i need/want... but i think at some point i'll have a few nft pipes down there

[rfeiller]

keith as you get older you will shrink, just be patient. :lol: :lol:

[keith_r]

HA!
in the meantime i'll develop a hunch

[rfeiller]

a thin layer of aggregate on the bottom of your raft grow beds will give you plenty of nitrification if that is what you are looking for.

[keith_r]

yeah, i was thinking about that, but with the limited space, gravel growbeds as filters would work best for me..
i'll have to get a drawing together that shows my space..

[rfeiller]

That is all I use for nitrification for the large vat. Hey anyone set up proteen Skimmers. We use them in Koi ponds. My greenhouse vat has the foaming problem. O ammonia and nitrites, nitrates 80-100. Since I lowered the nitrates I haven't lost any. But I lost 5koi and11 six to eight inch goldfish before the damage was stopped.

[keith_r]

well,, the nitrate levels don't really matter, right? :roll: just kidding...

i saw a really neat looking protein skimmer that a guy with a koi pond made out of pvc.. i couldn't find a link to it, and can't view many "picture" sites from work, but from what i remember, he just had a 4 or 6" length of pvc with a t in it.. the t was facing up and not covered, some kind of fabric was stuck down into the t part way that diverted a pretty good amount of foam right out of the system.. it had to be a video i saw, i know for sure that i can't get to any youtube stuff from work.. but if i come across it again, i'll send you the info

[urbanfarmer]

well,, the nitrate levels don't really matter, right? :roll: just kidding...
RIGHT! :mrgreen:

[badflash]

I use the 8' intex pool. I'm in my 2nd season. No sign of leaks yet. I would worry about birds with sharp talons though.

[urbanfarmer]

I have 2x 8' pools at the moment. They are great! Got them each for $15 brand new. They are holding up well so far. My real plan was to use the 18 footer in an experimental design that has absolutely no need for feed input from external sources or at a minimum no feed inputs that cost money (free is okay). Anyway...

[SwimmerBill]

Of course, there are many places one may purchase pools and pool-related supplies. However, I would respectfully submit that "you get what you pay for" . . . Consequently, if you're looking to have a pool which may only last one or two seasons (at the most), then purchase a "cheap" pool. However, if you're looking for a GOOD swimming pool, then it would be worth the effort to do some "homework"!

Above Ground Pools Indianapolis (http://www.familyleisure.com/)

[cedarswamp]

Hmmmm.....I wonder if Bill is in the pool business?

[William Plowman]

The good quality pools (http://www.thepoolfactory.com/swimming-pools/above-ground-pools) are of 18 foot are starts from $1000 and they are better then other easy installation pools. I also have a above ground pool which is 21 foot which was about $1500. Well intex is the best brand in above ground pools.

[Apollo]

well,, the nitrate levels don't really matter, right? :roll: just kidding...

What is the max high safe range your nitrates can be at...best way to lower nitrates?

[jvision]

well,, the nitrate levels don't really matter, right? :roll: just kidding...

What is the max high safe range your nitrates can be at...best way to lower nitrates?

Most test kits don't read above 100-120ppm, so I'd say that's pushing it for most fish's safety. The easiest way to lower nitrates is with a water change. If you have hardy fish like tilapia or goldfish, changing up to 50% of the water would be fine; however, if you have more sensitive fish, stick to 10-20% changes.
If you have an artificial source of light (ie. indoors or greenhouse), induce flowering with an increased day length or change in color (I hear more red wavelenght induces flowering).