Quick update: We had a cold snap and I am seeing that the downside of an outdoor tank is rapid temperature fluctuations. I don't think its causing any harm to the fish, but the water temp dropped to around 48 overnight lastnight. The fish activity is way down in terms of eating and movement in general. I have seen the bluegill eat several times and before the temp dropped he was eating both pellets and worms. I still have not witnessed the RES eating anything but she looks plump so I suspect she is being shy and scavenging after I leave.
The pump/filter setup is working really well but its not the ideal design for this tank. The filter surface sits off the bottom about 4 inches so it does not trap any sediments. I tried to set up the tank with a slight slope toward the bottom drain in hopes the sediments would end up there and be sucked out during water changes. That didn't really work very well with the first attempt, so next time I 'm going to try brushing it over in that area before I open the valve. Worst case I guess I will be using a siphon vacuum.
