Looking really good kenour. With the pond - be careful that there is no way that water can come into contact with the treated pine before going into the tank. Nasty shit.

heh, one perk of working for the devil

The big snag is 'the water feature', it's obviously not integral, but keeps the boss happy, I'm making a pretty as well as a garden

I'm thinking of putting shells in the bottom of the waterfall/stream, under the river rocks, sort of a bio filter. Apparently shells harden the water, worth a go (not sure if I can just steal some from the shell grit I've got for the chickens, or need something specific, I read something about oyster shell's?).

Those quite a few people here who have used quantities of "shellgrit" to buffer against the acidic tendancies of an AP system Kenny

Great! I like using junk I have laying around!

I'm using red scoria in the growbeds which apparently raises the ph. My tank water tends to have quite a low ph, was about 6 last time (very yellow, so maybe lower), so hopefully the shells and the scoria work together to keep everything happy when I top up the system:)

Not a chance! I don't want floaters (me or the fish!)

It's all layers of rubber between the two, I'm even considering doing the water feature as concrete with a plastic barrier, but that might be getting ambitious!

looks beaut. On the fish front, don't worry about silvers this season. By the time ur ready for them, u won't get any growth. Cycle ur system and come March, Ballarat Trout Farm will have some advanced fingerlings which will grow out comfortably for u over winter. (I have silver breeders, so believe me, I am not pushing anyone's barrow.) Expect to pay around $1.50 for 100mm-150mm fish.

I am covering a IBC with treated pine to make kiddie proof.
I intent to paint it with weather proof paint. A little rain may slash from these into the tank, do you think that will be ok?

If you can, I'd use hardwood or steel. The poison is just too toxic, for your fish and you. These things tend to built up over time I think.
to kiddie proof, it'd only cost a bit more for KDHW. or make it from pine and seal it. that way there's no way. I just wouldn't use that stuff.

I covered my IBCs with corrugated iron, cos I had some onhand. This works well, although I'd like a stif steel frame riveted on.

Ahh ok then, I'll get some for next season then (so like... whens the season start ). I was going to actually net some redfin and whack them in, but I don't think my goldies would appreciate that I've got 10 goldies and a tortoise in the tank, I'll probably need more for the system size I'm guessing

I planned on trying trout over winter My neighbours brother works there, I actually think he runs the place! Not sure, but when I showed Barry what I was doing he said if I want some fish he could get me some from his brother! When I saw him yesterday, he said he'd had a talk to his brother about what I was doing and his brother said I should pop up to the hatchery... Hopefully there's a pot of free fish at the the end of this rainbow

Kenour.
Please tell me you're not covering the tank with the tortoise in it. Tortoises have a high biological requirement for UV light, hence the sunbaking. If you don't allow it, their shell goes soft, and stops retaining their body. So the body just pushes the shell out of the way and grows where it likes.
It's a hideous deformity, and really cruel, it must hurt, especially when his shell hardens again.
So please please please make sure he has all the light he can handle. And somewhere warm and dry to sleep out the winter. (unless he's inside)

Hehe, yeah mate I've keep tortoises before, he's not a pet, just a visitor, I haven't seen him lately, so might have moved on.

Mum gets them in her fish pond too, trying to eat her fish, so she relocates them to her back dam, cheeky little buggers!

oic, :large sigh of relief:
That's all well and good then :-)

Re: Treated Pine. Put it this way, the stuff has now been banned here for use in childrens playgrounds - even if painted. Problem with painting the stuff is that if the paint is breached - then all the more leachate comes out at that point.

As KP indicated - it is the buildup of toxins that is a concern also. Your fish may not die - but you and your family may end up with major health problems down the track. Copper, chromium and arsenic - not good stuff.

Makes the decision easy then. Will look for somehting else. Hopefully I can find some untreated timber decking at a reasonable price. It is pretty much the exact size I want.

Maybe try that "waxwood" stuff down the "Park" way....

Sure they'd talk to you about the process... was deliberately designed as an alternaive to treated pine and the use of arsenic in those koppers logs