Above ground tropical pond

[GBBUDD]

i was thinking of building your shelves with cinder blocks inside the pond. using the cinderblocks will give the fish multiple places to hide from larger fish. Bingo why not make a groto sorta speak underwater . pile the rocks up and cement them together and make the actual shelf again with boulders and concrete allowing for larger caves below . now that won't be easy but it will be wild snorkeling watching the fish play darting in and out You could even use wood stumps and limbs to create nurseries and shelves.

AS FAR AS THE LINER on the top you could drape the liner up onto the top and secure with a termination strip. Make sure to leave slack so the rubber never stretches due to weight. Then cap it with what ever you think would look best a TERACOTTA TILE might be interesting with the lava rock . different color but has holes of it's own so similar texture but different color.

I'd make like I suggested above that way your not filling in the pond and get the most bang for your buck

 

[WetWilly]

Right also no sharp corners. Just inside ones. I’m going to Pour a monolithic cap over the liner edges.

But just to be clear, it would be easier to fold liner into a shape that’s simpler, agreed?

And no snorkeling silly, that’s what the ocean is for

 

[GBBUDD]

And no snorkeling silly, that’s what the ocean is for

Now theres a punch in the gut snorkeling in HAWAII I use to snorkel everywhere but never made it there.

it would be easier to fold liner into a shape that’s simpler, agreed?

The best way to get the liner to the shape you want is to add water and smooth it out using the water to push the liner into place working it with your hands and feet.

 

[addy1]

Now theres a punch in the gut snorkeling in HAWAII I use to snorkel everywhere but never made it there.

I was there once, it is a beautiful place to snokel. Most of my diving has been in the Caribbean, Mexico.

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined.

 

[WetWilly]

Can’t complain much. I guess it’s kinda silly keeping fish here but I always enjoy creating a little world and seeing what happens.

 

[WetWilly]

What about using this foam board from my forms? I was thinking laying it down under underlay to protect from emerging rocks. It tends to happen here as the organics go away, rocks emerge. I have really high perk rate so no floating should happen

 

[GBBUDD]

Can’t complain much. I guess it’s kinda silly keeping fish here but I always enjoy creating a little world and seeing what happens.

I fully understand though i'm not in Hawaii I had a tropical reef aquarium and a planted thank. The planted tank was definitely outside the box as it was built a foot off the wall and the top of the aquarium was open where a 2 foot waterfall fell into the aquarium. AND TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE UNIQUE I THREW some shaft tail finches up above the tank making it a mini Avery.

 

[GBBUDD]

View attachment 156418
What about using this foam board from my forms? I was thinking laying it down under underlay to protect from emerging rocks. It tends to happen here as the organics go away, rocks emerge. I have really high perk rate so no floating should happen

fOAM BOARD IS FINE BUT YOU HAVE TO MAKE TRIPPLE SURE IT WILL NOT SEE A BUILD UP OF WATER OR IT WILL WANT TO FLOAT UNLESS YOU PLACE ENOUGH WEIGHT ON IT . sorry for caps

 

[WetWilly]

Very cool tank/bird land!!

The caps made it sink in more, I’ll Triple check

 

[WetWilly]

 

[GBBUDD]

tHOSE ARE SOME PRETTY DEEP shelves lilies will love it . maybe pickerel rush/weed and a couple others but not many others that i know of. But being out in the tropic i could be wrong.
Watch out for cinderblock edges they can be sharp and couple cut the fabric and liner.

Can't wait to see some topicals swimming around in there.

 

[WetWilly]

Yeah, they are but all they are really doing is covering my dug out dirt and boulders that I didn’t feel like throwing over the wall. I’m going to build up from there with blocks on the inside like you suggested. I got a plan for the sharp edges and outside curve gaps. It will be silky smooth.

I have a “test pond” I’ve been messing with for years that has a ton of fish that will all move into this one. Basically a red neck pool pond that I test airlifts and filters in. Can’t wait to move fish.

 

[GBBUDD]

I made a couplle air lift tubes amazing how much water they move . But for me they just don't work on my pond

 

[WetWilly]

Yeah. But good for current and saves fish when a pump dies. Mine are 1-1/2 and two foot long no head.

 

[GBBUDD]

I used 3 inch maybe 4 and 5 feet tall THEY MOVE SOME WATER