90 gal starter in south California

[j.w]

Thanks Raf and I'll check H-depot for it here. Maybe even on sale since it's winter now.

 

[koiguy1969]

RAF... 45 mil EPDM is the industry standard, . not just for cold weather. it could last 5Xs longer than a 20 mil PVC . but either one, no matter the size and shape it will give you the pond you want. your design...what you like,. not just the size, and shape of whatever prefab(s) the store sells, its easier to install because it will fit / shape to the whole you dig . and it may even be cheaper.

 

[sissy]

You can get it at lowes and northern tool and on e-bay .20 mil is cheaper in price and if you really don't want to go expensive and it will not get a lot of abuse by anything you can go with it .I took a 20 mil liner pond apart at a foreclosed home and it was about 15 years old and it was in great shape,I used it in my waterfall area . .I guess it would depend on how much money you want to spend as your liner should not be that expensive as it is smaller one .I'm not sure how much sun and heat your pond gets but if it gets shade and not a lot of sun you could go less deep as you won't have to worry about the water getting to hot .I would love lava rock like you have as i use lava rock in my filters and it has been the only filter media that has worked great for me and really keeps my water crystal clear



I just love your pond your pond the way it is and hope you can keep some of that look .

 

[Rafinsp]

sissy. you said that you placed lava rock inside your filter, i was afraid to put some in my pond beacuse i thought the PH level would go up, So is it safe to put it on the borders to hold the liner ? Down here in Tijuana Mexico i have an awesome rock dealer. I might do a Lava rock weatherfall

 

[sissy]

lava rock is not good to put in pond loose as it is to rough and they can injure themselves rubbing against it .The reason i use it in my filters is it has great places to grow bacteria.It has never raised my ph but i clean it real good in peroxide and water for a couple of days before i put it in my filter .I have some real lava rock a friend sent me from Hawaii .and hope I can get more .

 

[Rafinsp]

HI everyone sorry for the delay, after the holidays had some family issues but in between i had a chance to remodel/upgrade my pond, here are some pics i used a liner from total pond, the size is about 8x6' and 18 and 12 " deep, i built it with the help of my cousing in about a day. i spend like 50 dlls of rocks and the liner that was 50 something dlls. i hope you guys like it,my good old lady placing some anthuriums that we bought from a guy on the street. now our babies can stretch themselves pretty good i'm more happy for them than myself for getting almost done the project. thank you :goldfish:

 

[addy1]

That looks very nice! Love the rocks around the pond.

 

[sissy]

your pond looks nice and clear and fish look happy enough .I love those rocks you have.What are the tall looking rocks .Well i guess now you can sit back and enjoy your work .looks good

 

[j.w]

Very nice work and I too love those rocks...........beautiful job, more room for the fish and nice place to sit and watch them now!

 

[HParreiras]

very nice Kois

 

[fishin4cars]

Looks great! Lots better than the little small thing you started with, That's for sure! BUT, I'm afraid all you did was buy yourself some time before the next rebuild. Seriously, Koi need depth in a pond. 3' is really a bare minimum for adults, 5-6 would be far better. 12-18" is going to allow for some pretty serious temp ranges in the winter and the summer. Heat is even more dangerous to Koi then cold is. Deeper the water the more stable. Your on the right track, I suggest now doing a lot of reading and try and come up with a more permanent plan of action for the next rebuild, and your going to be rebuilding as the fish you presently have WILL outgrow that pond. Believe me please when I tell you this. I've been doing the same thing for years! Getting ready to build a bigger pond in the very near future. I didn't go but 32" deep and 2500 US gallons, My fish outgrew this pond in less than 2 years!

 

[Rafinsp]

Thank you for all the feedback and compliments :razz:
They are lava rocks, i got them for about 8 dlls a piece well the tall one, down here in mexico they are pretty cheap. And regarding the next remodeling robably september would be the next make over and i would go for the whole square and to go for the 1000+ gal it is about 12x11" and i can go as deep as i want i'm pretty sure it would be more than 1000 gal, Don't have to much money right now but i only wanted for my koi's to have more space to stretch during this summer,

I have a question regarding population, is there a calculation for gal per fish ? and also do koi's have like a alpha male or a leader ? i really like my white one and i want him to be the alpha so can i integrate smaller koi's or if i put koi same size as my white one would they be in a rivalry or they will respect the older ones and go with the flow? :surfing:

 

[koiguy1969]

If your thinking bigger and deeper next September you should be fine till then...i would try to shade the pond during the hotter months tho. my first pond was 15" deep and i had no problems.but the fish i had were small then.