Bare Bottom Pond Or Not

[addy1]

Bare bottom, had rocks in one of my ponds, never again, a real pita to keep the muck out. (non mortared rocks) Much rather have a bare bottom liner. It looks totally natural after just a little.

 

[waynefrcan]

Rocks look way better with larger ponds. Sure they collect muck, just have to vaccum them out once a year. They also collect benificial bacteria which is needed for a fish pond.

Most local serious pond builders I know all do rocks.

Good:

Looks way better and natural.

Bad:

The cost of the rocks and labour to install them.

 

[multifasited]

I THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE LOTS OF ROCKS ,I'm NOT selling anything ,If it's so good ,why vaccumn it out ?Pond co's love rocks $ they also clean rocks $they also remove rocks for a lot of people ,they sold rocks to,and cleaned rocks for $ rock are good for pond co's $ What is not natural is building a pond in the first place,but thats just my opinion ,and you already know what that is worth ! You should only do what you feel is right for you ,mvb Carl

 

[waynefrcan]

Lol! the last part is correct "You should only do what you feel is right for you". Doesn't hurt to get opinions as to why this forum is great.

It is correct that 50-60% of a pond builders contracts are re-doing existing ponds.

I see koi ponds that are bare and no UV sterilizer and you can't see the bottom, but the fish love it.

In nature a river is almost all rock, natural. A pond is mud and crud and in some cases you can't see the bottom, natural also.

So here we are trying to make a pond. I say if larger pond and you will have fish and will keep the water clear, do rocks.

If smaller and alot of pond plants covering the surface maybe bare.

However I looked at some archive photos here with lights and I don't like the bare bottom at all.

 

[Julia]

Had a huge acquiarium before. Bedded it with small pebbles, then replaced it with large pebbles. I couldnt enjoy my fish because Id be too tired scrubbing the mess. Afterwards, I built my pond, and was smart enough to stay away from stones. Is it too late for me to vote? Anyway, you know what it is!

 

[addy1]

I have a large pond, no uv, no rocks on the bottom and have clear water. Even last year when I had a lot less plants the water was clear, this year I am a little over loaded with lilies and pond is still clear. Have not had algae or green water issues since I built the pond.

So you don't need to have rocks in a large pond to keep the water clear. But that is just my opinion.

 

[multifasited]

I thought the whole thing was correct ,but we already discussed what my opinion was worth,I guess I'm selfish ,I built the pond for my wife and I ,no one would mistaken my attempt at it {NATURAL} ,save the water and the fish and a few materials I used ,water that clean in nature is only present in very fast moving water,or in ideal conditions ,The best pond engineers ,are beavers ,they only build to satisfy thier needs ,the rest is secondary
I think, we need to be that smart ,build what satisfies you ,all the rest of this is options available to that goal ,the only perfect pond is the one you build for yourself ,I 'll take that back there is no truely perfect pond But were all working on it in our own way! mvb Carl

 

[waynefrcan]

Rocks are not needed to keep the water clear I agree.

I was going to mention also if you have a pond skimmer, that helps with collecting floating debris, leafs, grass clippings etc. Also picks up floating algae with a fine mesh filter.

 

[HARO]

LET YOUR BOTTOM SHOW :razz:

No WONDER the neighbours call her 'the crazy pond lady'!!!
John
Relax, Sissy. Have some more wine!

 

[sissy]

OK I'm a little crazy but who isn't these days I may need that wine picked up a truckload of mulch and only half empty ,but grass mowed and trimmed .Had to be at mulch yard before 8 am as guy was not going to be there the rest of the day .Wine soothes all the aches and pains .

 

[MrKielbasa]

I have a large pond, no uv, no rocks on the bottom and have clear water. Even last year when I had a lot less plants the water was clear, this year I am a little over loaded with lilies and pond is still clear. Have not had algae or green water issues since I built the pond.

Show off :razz:

 

[addy1]

lol I am actually surprised at how well this pond is doing. The pond to bog ratio must be "perfect" well at least good enough to keep the pond in great shape with little intervention from me. I quit testing the water last year, just tested it once this year and just for ph and hardness after we had a lot of rain.

The stream ponds keep clear water, but they do get some algae, mainly because I don't have the stream flowing all of the time. But no green water.

 

[waynefrcan]

There is a video from UK about a guy that had to spend $6,000 to redo liner and rockless pond due to Heron attacks.

Doesn't bare liner shorten the lifespan from sun exposure?

I still love my rocks, and they nice to look at underwater.

 

[multifasited]

I have a 1/2" of sand covering the liner ,everything else possible as smooth and clean as possible pond sweep ,works amazingly well ,with w/f,final filters,looks like pure spring water ,IT is like I said before ,YOU SHOULD HAVE WHAT YOU WANT and AFTER , LIKE WHAT YOU HAVE,thats the test ,If you decide you donot really like what you have, then ,changes can be make to achieve that goal .You are in charge of perfect pond for you!m.v.b. Carl

 

[FountainMan]

No rocks in mine. Rock lined bottoms look less natural and more modern. What pond of any type in nature is lined with pebbles besides a river? A light layer of algae on the bottom looks more natural. I made this misteak in my upper pond and there is literally no point. As others mentioned muck and silt covers hiding the pebbles and defeating the purpose.