# Anybody got a pond



## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Well my next venture is gonna be a pond. I'm pretty excited but I gotta do some research.

I was wondering if anybody here has a pond?
Any initial advice?
Any good websites?
Some DIY ideas?
Some Pics?

Thanks...BA


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

I have a preformed pond (110 gallons I think). Biggest pain with the preformed ponds is digging the hole to the right shape at the right depth and level. Best bet is to get a liner (the thicker the better and free form it. Make sure you remove any rocks and put a layer of sand down to help protect it. Over time the ground freeze will push up rocks. I had to patch my pond once because of it. The liners are flexible and will have more give then a preform. Depending on the size, dont skimp on the pump you buy for the filter. and get a floating net for it for the fall. You'll be amazed at how much of a leaf magnet the pond can be. [/list]


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## 54zamboni (Mar 16, 2005)

I have had a 2500g pond running now for a couple years -- the best advice i can give is:

make sure your edges are level all the way around, or it will be like an aquarium out of level, only worse. if the spot isn't level, build up the sides as needed to get it level

however big you think you want it, add a little bit

use a skimmer box -- they aren't that easy to install once the pond is finished  
spend a LOT of time planning before you lift a shovel -- once its there, its there. i dug my first one way too small, then it was probably more work redoing/enlarging it then if i had planned it better in the first place.

don't scrimp on the materials you use, particularly the liner -- again, its going to be there a long time, hopefully.


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Thanks for the advice...I am in the beginning stages here and plan to research quite a bit. I'll keep you posted....BA


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## bones06 (Sep 26, 2007)

Before you put down the liner make sure you first put down one of the fabric protective liners over the hole, then your water liner. This will help keep most sharp stones or roots from popping through the rubber liner. Buy the best liner you can, this is the most important part of the pond, epdm liners are much better then the cheaper pvc/plastic ones and usually have a much better warranty. Pre-formed ponds are a major pain, and are more prone to cracking, the pre-formed shells are also non repairable. When you pick your size, definitely go bigger because you will wish you did the first time. Get good filters and pumps if you can afford them, and look for equipment that is easy to service(cleaning the filter/pump pads). If you plan on doing plants, be sure to dig shelves in the hole at varying depths for the different plants. Situate it in an area that is not too sunny, or you will have major algae blooms, and if there are fish they will not like it. One of the best plants to place in ponds is the water hyacinth, but be sure to see if they are allowed in your area. They are considered invasive in several states and are illegal to have in those areas. They are great natural filters and readily clear up algae in your pond.


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Thanks for the advice....Your are definitely echoing much of what I am coming across in my research.I haven't been on this site much lately...been spending my www time researching....I'm getting closer to picking up the shovel. :dancing: I will be using a liner although my first thoughts were a preformed. I will be going as big as possible. I may build my own filter. There are some great ideas out there for that.....I'll post my progress on this thread....Thanks guys...BA


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

Must be spring fever because I have the same idea bouncing around in my head! I was reffered to the two websights below on another forum. Please keep this going, I wanna mooch off your hard work  
http://www.thepondoutlet.com/home/tpo/cpage_211/home.html
http://www.aquascapeinc.com/waterscapingarticles


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## BoostedX (Mar 1, 2009)

We went to our local carpet store and asked if we could dumpster dive for capret scraps. We put sand down on the bottom then the carpet over it. Seems to be working we have had it up and running for 4-5 years now. Ill get some pics tomarrow of it. Not the prettiest right now. No lillies or anything are up yet. It is stocked with koi and 3-5 bluegill to keep the koi population in check.


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Well...I started digging today.. :dancing: Hoosier..I'll check out those sites. I have a couple of you too. My pond is looking to be about 10x7 with an avg depth of 2.5ft. That'll be roughly 1300gallons. I have researched a ton and one thing I'll tell you is if you have kept fish for a while, just about everything translates. I will be building my own filter and saving tons of money doing it. I'll give you a link. Also a UV light seems very important to keep algae down, since it will be getting so much sun. Be careful on the pump choice cause a cheep pump could cost you 50 bucks a month to run while a decent pump may only cost 10 bucks. ...Man I'm rambling. Don't hesitate to pick my brain. I am a research geek and have learned quite a bit....here are a couple of links. I'll post pics of the progress too...

http://www.gardenpondforum.com/
http://www.koiphen.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45239
http://www.skippysstuff.com/biofiltr.htm
http://www.garden-pond-filters.com/index.htm
http://www.watergarden.com/catalog/_pum ... hoose4.php
http://www.webbsonline.com/


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

OH!!!! VERY IMPORTANT.....No rocks on bottom...this was a surprise to me!!!


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

Baraccus,

I know Las Vegas had some snow this winter and I was wondering if the temperature during the winter gets below freezing very often. The reason I ask, is that I live in upstate New York and I would need to have a pond about 4 feet deep in order for the fish to survive. I do have a 300-gallon Rubbermaid stock tank which I use for water lilies, but I have to drain it in the fall because it is only 25 inches deep and would freeze solid. It's above ground, but even if it were in the ground it would still freeze solid being just 25 inches deep. If it were me I would try to go at least 3 feet deep.

John


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Hey johnd... It doesn't get below freezing much here but...I am going to go 3 feet deep. Actually more for the heat than anything. If I go to shallow I'll be cooking the fish during the summer. only said avg depth 2.5 cause I will have a step down with in the tank. ...thanks...BA


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## 54zamboni (Mar 16, 2005)

the only word of caution i would have is don't go too deep, unless you have really long arms, or don't mind totally immersing yourself to pick up **** off the bottom or pulling out pots of lilies. bending at the waist, my arms reach less than 36". when the water is cold here in the fall, i need waders, but if you have to bend too far from the waist or stoop down for your hand to reach the bottom, it gets real cold, real fast when the water floods the waders.  not a problem when the water is nice and warm though. also, i know that there are some lilies that will not tolerate depths of 3'. just my 2 cents.


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Ok I haven't been around too much...Been working on the pond. My idea started off as a 200 gal preformed pond and morphed into a 1300gal dug pond. ...

I have the pond dug and filter built. Going to get some rocks tomorrow for the waterfall. I still need to pick up some silt sand to go under the liner. Waiting on the pump, UV light, and some filter media to come in the mail. I should be completed by the end of the week.

Here are some pics from start to now....

BEFORE



















Dug out that palm and used the hose to plan the pond










Dug the pond, moved the palm (it'll give great shade for the summer months), had to move some sprinklers, moved all the rocks from the rivebed, put my dirt where the rocks were and put the rocks back on top. Waterfall outline in place (may change once I get my rocks) Filter also in place.










Here are a couple pics of my filter. A 20 gallon trash can, PVC to run the water in. Notice the 90 degree bends in opposite directions to force a circular motion in waterflow. I will use the light diffuser (egg crate) to separate filter media. I will use a layer of pond matrix from seachem and the other layer will be a bunch of scotch brite pads. I used a shower drain for my filter outlet. I will silicone in place later.



















I'll post more pics later...


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

It looks like you are going to have a real nice pond when you are finished. I have one question--how do you move a palm tree? Do palm trees have a small root system and even if they do, it must be pretty heavy?

John


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Well john moving the tree came down to one thing...I'm one strong SOB.... :lol:

No really that was the hardest part of this pond build so far. The root system is smaller than most trees so in that sense it was easier than it could've been. But I did use a jackhammer to dig around the sides. I wasn't sure if the tree was gonna live cause I was just getting pist and wanted it out. But it's doing fine. I pried it out and then rolled it to the next hole. It wasn't that big palm in the pic though it's that bushy looking palm in the pic. ..


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Well finally about done Ladies & Gents here it is.. :dancing: ..I still need to do some work on the waterfall to get it flowing correctly. Plus cleaning it up around the edges, add plants and fish....but these pics show a semi final product...


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## Hoosier Tank (May 8, 2007)

=D> =D> =D>

Well you sure beat me to the finish, I'm still pricing materials! Great job it looks very natural. What are your stocking plans? Koi.. Comets... or ?


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Thanks planning on just a few koi..let me know if you have any q's and keep us posted..BA


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## Baraccus (Nov 23, 2008)

Added 4 small koi...each one very different. I will probably add 3 more keeping with the everyone is different plan. Still waiting on some plants I ordered on the internet and for my local nursery to get some in. I also added a cool light that changes colors. Also changed the waterfall a bit to get a better flow. I will post some pics once I get the plants in....


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