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outdoor ponds

LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭


We have a large patch of space that we don't use. It would benefit from a pond of some sort. :) I have the basic idea of how to build one and would really like to do it myself. I would love to have a few Koi in it but im fine not having fish in it. Im planning on having it be about 2.5-3 feet deep and about 5ft x 7ft. Not sure if I wanna do squared off or rounded sides yet. I could use some input...

Do you have one? Did your living situation come with it or did you build/install it yourself? What do you do for upkeep? are there plants in it or is it just a water feature? Would you recommend one?

Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
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  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    jgibv said:
    We have a pond in the back.  We have a pool and a pond... Pond'd be good for you.



    what can you tell me about your pond and how you use/care for it?
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • jlmartajlmarta Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
    This outfit, https://www.anjonmfg.com/, made the kit that I installed in my yard. You're better off searching on eBay for Anjon pond kits - I think you'll get more info that way. 

    I opted for a pondless waterfall instead instead of a pond (which I had previously) so I didn't have to deal with mosquitoes, algae, fish, etc. but Anjon sells both kinds and the materials are quite good IMO. 

    There are also a buncha videos on YouTube showing how to do it. 

    Good luck to ya. Mine is quite enjoyable and I recommend these guys....  
  • jlmartajlmarta Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sample photo of a koi pond taken from the web:


  • 0patience0patience Posts: 10,665 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Get a good quality liner. 
    That is the foundation. 
    Once you have it dug out, set your liner, use good clean pond rock on the bottom with a good filtration/circulation system.
    In the pathetic northwest, algae grows fast, so be prepared to do some maintenance.
    In Fumo Pax
    Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy cigars and that's close enough.

    Wylaff said:
    Atmospheric pressure and crap.
  • jlmartajlmarta Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
    There are non-chemical methods of dealing with algae. I learned this AFTER giving up on my previous, algae-producing pond. 

    In times before electricity, folks used to store things like butter, milk, etc. in the spring house - usually a small shed built over a spring located on ones property. In order to prevent algae folks used to tie small 'logs' of barley straw to float in the spring and eventually settle to the bottom. Something in the barley straw prevents algae without using chemicals harmful to fish, etc. 

    Nowadays, you can even buy barley straw pellets by the bagful and scatter a handful into the water every now and then. These pellets (logs, too, IIRC) are for sale on eBay or from Doctors Foster and Smith online. 
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    jlmarta said:
    This outfit, https://www.anjonmfg.com/, made the kit that I installed in my yard. You're better off searching on eBay for Anjon pond kits - I think you'll get more info that way. 

    I opted for a pondless waterfall instead instead of a pond (which I had previously) so I didn't have to deal with mosquitoes, algae, fish, etc. but Anjon sells both kinds and the materials are quite good IMO. 

    There are also a buncha videos on YouTube showing how to do it. 

    Good luck to ya. Mine is quite enjoyable and I recommend these guys....  
    this site had a lot of great info! Lots of things to think about when it comes to construction of a pond. The 'small' pond kit they have is way bigger than I have space for. So maybe I'll get a pond liner and a few other supplies from them. Just not a kit. Lol
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    0patience said:
    Get a good quality liner. 
    That is the foundation. 
    Once you have it dug out, set your liner, use good clean pond rock on the bottom with a good filtration/circulation system.
    In the pathetic northwest, algae grows fast, so be prepared to do some maintenance.
    I hadn't thought of pond rock... not sure why. Lol we have a lot of pea gravel in the area I'm gonna dig up. You think that would work for a base cover over the liner?
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    jlmarta said:
    There are non-chemical methods of dealing with algae. I learned this AFTER giving up on my previous, algae-producing pond. 

    In times before electricity, folks used to store things like butter, milk, etc. in the spring house - usually a small shed built over a spring located on ones property. In order to prevent algae folks used to tie small 'logs' of barley straw to float in the spring and eventually settle to the bottom. Something in the barley straw prevents algae without using chemicals harmful to fish, etc. 

    Nowadays, you can even buy barley straw pellets by the bagful and scatter a handful into the water every now and then. These pellets (logs, too, IIRC) are for sale on eBay or from Doctors Foster and Smith online. 
    This gives me hope that MAYBE I won't have to battle algae with this pond. Lol if I end up going with some fish for my pond I will use this. :) heck. I'll use it either way. But you get my point lol
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • jlmartajlmarta Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
    You also have to keep in mind that your pond has to be big enough not only for your koi, if you decide to have them, but also room for your pump. 

    Using the hole from my old pond as a pond and not just a waterfall would have been a tad bit dicey since the pump is much larger than my old one. 
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    My task tonight is to measure what space I actually have to work with. from there ill start making my full game plan.
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • twistedstemtwistedstem Posts: 3,912 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jgibv said:6
    We have a pond in the back.  We have a pool and a pond... Pond'd be good for you.


    OMG..  THAT'S FUNNY RIGHT THERE .
    no matter where you go, there you are.

  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    Looks like I have a safe 7x12 while leaving space for the plants on the border of my yard. Not gonna do any fish cause it would have to be waaaaaay too deep. So I'll shoot for 2ft deep with some plants and a water feature. :) 


    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • GuitardedGuitarded Posts: 4,643 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I would put a hot tub there, rather be in the water than just looking at it. 
    But I am old and falling apart and hot water helps the broken parts.   :#
    Friends don't let good friends smoke cheap cigars.
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2017
    There was a hot tub there and by 'there' I mean the cement pad to the left in the pic. The prior owner removed it and mangled the wiring to the power box on the pad. So without having to hire an electrician... it's a nice place to set up some chairs and enjoy a cigar. :)
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • dirtdudedirtdude Posts: 5,641 ✭✭✭✭✭
    We always used goldfish to keep he algae cleaned up in the horse watering troughs, 2 or 3 in a 70 gallon maybe a half dozen to  300 gal. Did a great job of keeping the tanks from going green.
    A little dirt never hurt
  • MartelMartel Posts: 3,306 ✭✭✭✭
    I just finished one for my wife.

    The pond was already there, but it was nasty.  I cleaned it out last fall and found lots of dead animal remains.  Birds mostly.  The pump didn't work.  It was green and gross.

    FF to this spring and it's what she wants for mom's day.  Says she'll help with the work.  To her credit she did, and so did the kids.

    We rent and don't want to invest too much, so we reused what we could but still spent several hundred bucks.  Had it been my property, I'd have done a few things differently.  I went with the PVC liner.  The 5 year warranty is the lowest of the three liner options.  PVC and HDPE are not UV resistant.  HDPE is stiff and our pond has some slopes and levels so I went with PVC.  EPDM is probably the best liner but it's also expensive.  Flexible and tough, you can get it in several different thicknesses.

    Use the underlayment.  The thick geotextile stuff seems to be the best.  Since the ground in our pond was pretty smooth and compacted from previous pond use, I wasn't too worried about roots and weeds coming through, so I used the old underlayment from the previous pond.  We have rocks on the border of the pond, and this provides cushion underneath the liner itself.  I'd worry about punctures otherwise, but this provides give.  Invest in it.  Many sellers offer a lifetime warranty with an EPDM liner and geotextile underlayment. 

    We have a 15x20 liner in our pond which allowed us to fold and mold it to the contours of the pond with a generous overlap on the edge for stability.  Any smaller would not have worked for us.  I have an Anjou pump kit.  I'll probably upgrade the pump in the future, but this was a budget project for us.  It has a 750gpm pump which powers a tulip head fountain and a waterfall.  The pond itself is about 2-2.5 ft deep at the deepest point.  To help with the UV susceptibility of the liner, we dyed the water with a fish-safe blue dye.  It took a day or two to get used to it, but now we barely notice.  I have three water plants in the pond, one of which seems to be doing great after a half-week.  The other two aren't growing as much if at all.  They were cheap; came in a three pack from the blue roof store, which had a better selection than the orange roof store.  We used the orange roof for the landscaping materials, though, b/c they had a better selection on some things.

    I'll attach some pics.  Some changes have been made.  We've added real end-tables.  I've buried the cables and added a solar spotlight ($10 at Wally World).  We mulched the flower bed along the shed.  I added a small dish for a birdbath to keep them out of the pond.  I need a couple more bags of gravel.

    BTW, speaking of birds.  With steep edges and nothing to hold onto, they'll slip in and drown.  We've fished out two corpses already before adding the bath.

    We might add fish.  If we do, it'll be cheap goldfish.  Chances are, we'd kill them, though, so right now it's just a water feature, though everything is "fish safe".  I did put in some "beneficial bacteria" to help keep it clear.  We didn't put pond rocks on bottom, just the liner.  It seemed unnecessary with the dye, which will protect the whole thing from UV, not just the bottom. 

    Happy to share any of my experience if you want.  I'm a well-researched amateur at this point.

    The bench was already there.  We used white marble chips in the bed with sand under and weed barrier under that.  The stone is good ole PA fieldstone.  Most of it was from around the previous pond, we just rearranged it.  The edging is Ecoborder from the orange roof--only place selling it locally--it's a bit high at $10/4ft, but it worked the best for this application which used 24ft. 
     
    Intelligence is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

    I like Oliva and Quesada (including Regius) a lot.  I will smoke anything, though.
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    Lots of great info there! Several things I hand thought of yet. :) I'll do some research on the different types of liner and also look into the underlay material. I may also rethink my design.... I hadn't thought about critters getting trapped and drowning.
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • jd50aejd50ae Posts: 7,900 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2017
    We have a good sized pond that was here when we moved. Stocked with catfish, bass and sunfish, and turtles and cottonmouths. We have shot many a snake, Marlin Camp Gun in 9mm and Israeli black tipped ammunition very accurate. We can't fish it anymore because the grandkids gave all the fish names. Came about from feeding them.
  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,004 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Call before you dig. 
    https://youtu.be/m4zA4dQitTQ

  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Bob_Luken said:
    Call before you dig. 
    https://youtu.be/m4zA4dQitTQ

    only flat eathers dig without calling 811

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • Bob_LukenBob_Luken Posts: 10,004 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2017
    jgibv said:
    Bob_Luken said:
    Call before you dig. 
    https://youtu.be/m4zA4dQitTQ

    only flat eathers dig without calling 811
    Nope. Flatey's need to know about gas lines and buried electrical stuff too. But, we also inquire as to how far we can dig down. For obvious reasons. 
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    jgibv said:
    Bob_Luken said:
    Call before you dig. 
    https://youtu.be/m4zA4dQitTQ

    only flat eathers dig without calling 811

    thanks for turning this into YET ANOTHER Flat Eath thread.
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭

    I was thinking about doing something similar to this...

    Image result for cinder block pond

    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • jgibvjgibv Posts: 9,244 ✭✭✭✭✭
    jgibv said:
    Bob_Luken said:
    Call before you dig. 
    https://youtu.be/m4zA4dQitTQ

    only flat eathers dig without calling 811

    thanks for turning this into YET ANOTHER Flat Eath thread.
    welcome.  no prob.

    * I have a new address as of 3/24/18 *

  • jlmartajlmarta Posts: 7,881 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I just looked at the title of this thread....  Ya don't see too many indoor ponds, do ya? :#
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 2017
    jlmarta said:
    I just looked at the title of this thread....  Ya don't see too many indoor ponds, do ya? :#


    Im actually working on a couple indoor pond ideas too.... I want to turn my garage into a seasonal Koi holding area. :)


    *EDIT* My wife doesn't know this plan yet.... LOL

    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • danielzreyesdanielzreyes Posts: 8,769 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I paid hella Mexicans to dig a big ass hole in my backyard. 
    "It's plume, bro. Nothing to worry about. Got any Opus?" The suppose to be DZR
  • LiquidChaos66LiquidChaos66 Posts: 3,767 ✭✭✭✭
    jd50ae said:
    We have a good sized pond that was here when we moved. Stocked with catfish, bass and sunfish, and turtles and cottonmouths. We have shot many a snake, Marlin Camp Gun in 9mm and Israeli black tipped ammunition very accurate. We can't fish it anymore because the grandkids gave all the fish names. Came about from feeding them.
    what are the dimensions the pond and how big were the fish?
    Life is like a blind fiver. You never know what you're gonna get.
  • First_WarriorFirst_Warrior Posts: 3,140 ✭✭✭✭✭
    We have a small pond liner that i got from Lowes. I think its about 40=50 gallons.
    we don't have a filtration system but i brought back some water lillys i picked up kayaking and the lillys like our pond. Our goldfish are from Wally World. We really like seeing loads of frog eggs in the spring. 
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