Overview
So...i started out about 6 yrs ago just wanting a water feature because i love nature and the sound of water trickling.
I bought a plastic pre-fab pond (250gal), dug a hole, sunk it into the ground and went to the local quarry and bought 2 pick-up truck loads of large rocks to hide the ugly plastic liner. I didn't know $h!t about having a pond, but I made that pond look as good as it could look. Then i began to learn that you could not have clean, mosquito larva free water without either putting chemicals in it ...or fish. I don't like the idea of chemicals, so i decided to throw some Goldfish in there. Then i learned that I couldn't have the fish without filtration. So i started to read a lot about it and research the whole process. So i built a small home made bio-filter and ran it to the waterfall. It worked! Water was perfect, I was hooked. So fast forward to the present. I out grew the little tiny pond i had... and decided to upgrade from tiny to small lol. Now let me just say this...i really wanted a koi pond. But with the tree's in my yard, there was not a lot of room for a pond the size i would have wanted it to be. Plus i didn't want the whole yard to be nothing but Pond! I Know myself. It could have ended up that way. So i decided to keep it cheap, stick with goldfish, and do everything myself as usual. When i move from this house to a new house in the future, there will be plans for a koi pond. I know my little goldfish pond doesn't stand up to all these beautiful koi ponds i see here, but i am still proud of what i have accomplished. ( I broke down and added 3 Koi anyway.)
I bought a plastic pre-fab pond (250gal), dug a hole, sunk it into the ground and went to the local quarry and bought 2 pick-up truck loads of large rocks to hide the ugly plastic liner. I didn't know $h!t about having a pond, but I made that pond look as good as it could look. Then i began to learn that you could not have clean, mosquito larva free water without either putting chemicals in it ...or fish. I don't like the idea of chemicals, so i decided to throw some Goldfish in there. Then i learned that I couldn't have the fish without filtration. So i started to read a lot about it and research the whole process. So i built a small home made bio-filter and ran it to the waterfall. It worked! Water was perfect, I was hooked. So fast forward to the present. I out grew the little tiny pond i had... and decided to upgrade from tiny to small lol. Now let me just say this...i really wanted a koi pond. But with the tree's in my yard, there was not a lot of room for a pond the size i would have wanted it to be. Plus i didn't want the whole yard to be nothing but Pond! I Know myself. It could have ended up that way. So i decided to keep it cheap, stick with goldfish, and do everything myself as usual. When i move from this house to a new house in the future, there will be plans for a koi pond. I know my little goldfish pond doesn't stand up to all these beautiful koi ponds i see here, but i am still proud of what i have accomplished. ( I broke down and added 3 Koi anyway.)
Planning and Construction
Pond:
I dug out an 8x8 hole by hand and threw all the dirt up around the perimeter of the hole so i could build it up out of the ground some. I made it 21" deep in the center and it steps down to 34" where i made the fish a Rock tunnel to go when the winter comes. I poured a small concrete footing and layed a cinder block corner wall to give me a base to set up my waterfall.
I used a 15x20 rubber pond liner with a liner protector and some old carpet underneath of it.Once i was satisfied with placement of the Liner, i lay my foundation rocks and built my rock walls and rocked in my waterfall. I used large pond stone to fill in spaces. I pumped all of the old water from the small pond into my son's kiddie pool before i started the project to cycle into the new pond. It's very important to save all of that established water. I filled the Pond with Hose water and let it sit for 2 days to De-chlorinate. Then i cycled in the old pond water with the already established good bacteria in it, and rerouted my filter to the top of the new waterfall. My fish are happy as can be in their new home.
Homemade Bio-filter overflow system:
I used two 20 gal trash cans. I filled the first one with bio balls from the pond store, and a lot of large green scouring pads. I filled the second one 2/3 of the way with rocks, and a layer of large green scouring pads. The Pump (2150 gph) runs into a 1" pvc pipe in the center of the first can, then goes to the bottom and through a tee that branches with 2 elbows that go in opposite directions to create a swirling effect. The water then rises up through the bio-balls, overflows at the top through two outlets: one 1.5" pvc that runs to the bottom of the second can, and one 1.5" pvc that runs into the middle of the second can. The water rises up through the rocks and green pads then overflows through an 1.5" pvc pipe that leads to the waterfall.
9/16/2014
Just took down my waterfall and completely rocked it back in a different way. Used two large, flat slabs of stone for the waterfall this time and foamed behind and under the surrounding rocks to keep the water consolidated. I am very happy with it.
I dug out an 8x8 hole by hand and threw all the dirt up around the perimeter of the hole so i could build it up out of the ground some. I made it 21" deep in the center and it steps down to 34" where i made the fish a Rock tunnel to go when the winter comes. I poured a small concrete footing and layed a cinder block corner wall to give me a base to set up my waterfall.
I used a 15x20 rubber pond liner with a liner protector and some old carpet underneath of it.Once i was satisfied with placement of the Liner, i lay my foundation rocks and built my rock walls and rocked in my waterfall. I used large pond stone to fill in spaces. I pumped all of the old water from the small pond into my son's kiddie pool before i started the project to cycle into the new pond. It's very important to save all of that established water. I filled the Pond with Hose water and let it sit for 2 days to De-chlorinate. Then i cycled in the old pond water with the already established good bacteria in it, and rerouted my filter to the top of the new waterfall. My fish are happy as can be in their new home.
Homemade Bio-filter overflow system:
I used two 20 gal trash cans. I filled the first one with bio balls from the pond store, and a lot of large green scouring pads. I filled the second one 2/3 of the way with rocks, and a layer of large green scouring pads. The Pump (2150 gph) runs into a 1" pvc pipe in the center of the first can, then goes to the bottom and through a tee that branches with 2 elbows that go in opposite directions to create a swirling effect. The water then rises up through the bio-balls, overflows at the top through two outlets: one 1.5" pvc that runs to the bottom of the second can, and one 1.5" pvc that runs into the middle of the second can. The water rises up through the rocks and green pads then overflows through an 1.5" pvc pipe that leads to the waterfall.
9/16/2014
Just took down my waterfall and completely rocked it back in a different way. Used two large, flat slabs of stone for the waterfall this time and foamed behind and under the surrounding rocks to keep the water consolidated. I am very happy with it.
Fish / Plant Stock
I had 21 Goldfish left over from the first pond. I kept them in a holding tank outside near the pond site. I directed a 10 footer of 1.5 pvc from the bio-filter to the holding tank. Three of them jumped out of the tank to their deaths... the first night!
So i put a screen over the top of it til the construction was finished. I now have 18 left. I have 2 plants from the old pond that i moved into this one. I just finished it enough to put the fish in there one week ago and i kinda ran a little short on rocks. I have not added the plants to go around it yet either. I will probably wait on the plants til the spring since we are heading into the fall now.
So i put a screen over the top of it til the construction was finished. I now have 18 left. I have 2 plants from the old pond that i moved into this one. I just finished it enough to put the fish in there one week ago and i kinda ran a little short on rocks. I have not added the plants to go around it yet either. I will probably wait on the plants til the spring since we are heading into the fall now.
