Bottom: Gravel, Stones, Rocks, Liner Only?

[addy1]

For those who put rocks on the bottom/sides, do you put them directly on top of the liner, or use some sort of "overlayment" to protect the liner from the rocks?

I have placed large rocks in the stream and stream ponds, under any really large rocks I put a extra piece of liner.

 

[Lisak1]

For those who put rocks on the bottom/sides, do you put them directly on top of the liner, or use some sort of "overlayment" to protect the liner from the rocks?

For really large rocks, we did use a scrap piece of liner to give them a little extra padding. Sometimes we did it because we were using scrap liner as a sling to carry the big rock and it was easier to just leave it under there!

Remember, on the bottom you want gravel, not rocks. I mean, some people do use a few rocks in the pond itself to add interest, but for the most part, the bottom should be gravel that you can easily swish around if you need or want to. Anything too large in the bottom could trap debris and become a problem.

 

[Waterbug]

You can have your cake and eat it too...rocks and easy to clean. Rocks in the pond.

I do have to update that web page...you shouldn't acid wash. The lime leaching into the water is a myth I apparently somewhat believed back in 2000. Rocks are a personal preference but the "easy to clean" and "muck between rocks" is a bit strange to me since there are other options. Bare line is easy to clean...but folds aren't always. For me, I enjoy vacuuming a mortar rocked pond more than bare liner because each time it revealed the color of the rocks. When I vacuum bare liner I see rubber and can't wait for some muck to come back to hide it. But that's just me.

 

[Lisak1]

@Waterbug ! Long time no see! I always enjoy that photo of the rocks and tree stump - so pretty!

 

[Gemma]

I can't answer for @Gemma but I THINK she meant she rocked the sides of her pond - boulders are dry stacked from the bottom up. Some people mortar between the rocks, but if you stack properly, you don't need to mortar.

I've seen people try to mortar or glue rocks to liner - I wouldn't recommend it as you run the risk of tearing the liner or pulling it down into the pond over time.

That's exactly what we did in both our ponds!

 

[bagsmom]

For really large rocks, we did use a scrap piece of liner to give them a little extra padding. Sometimes we did it because we were using scrap liner as a sling to carry the big rock and it was easier to just leave it under there!


I've been watching the guy in the UK - The Pond Advisor. He does an interesting technique of laying down underlay, liner, and another layer of underlay - then rocks. I thought that was interesting!

 

[Wammy]

Wow some great suggestions here!

You can kind of see both sides of the opinion. I like the idea of being able to scoop the bottom without having to fight with stones, but scooping the bottom for me only happens may be twice per season. The gravel does really make the bottom "pop" in my opinion.

Also, even without gravel, when I'm scooping leaves, I still have to sift through what I get because I find some of the larger snails easily get scooped up as well. So if I do get some gravel in the scoop, I can always just toss it back in.

Wammy

 

[Big Red Comet]

My understanding is that an "aquascape" pond is a specific method using various types of products - sludge-busters etc. - to maintain water quality . To just have a bunch of gravel or rocks piled up risks becoming a breeding ground for anaerobic bacteria and disease - water /oxygenation not circulating down into there.

I actually cant say much more about it than that, since I chose to have a bare pond which now is nicely carpeted in beautiful dark emerald green algae. To my eye that dark rich green is prettier than boring beige rocks. Cant see much of the bottom anyway - at 3 ft deep. Easy to just run a vacuum over it.

Im going to have to downsize my pond and think I will have rocks on the upper shelves/pond sides to hide the folds but then just leave the bottom & lower walls bare for ease of cleaning. And then seal around the rocks like Waterguy's & Bagsmom (beautiful!!!)

One more thought - if I had lots of plants and fewer fish I might take a different approach - but my goldies are eating and pooping machines, and with lots of debris falling from a pine tree - being able to vacuum the bottom & the shelves easily every now and then is part of my strategy for maintaining water quality.

It is interesting to read of all the various different strategies.

 

[Lisak1]

My understanding is that an "aquascape" pond is a specific method using various types of products - sludge-busters etc. - to maintain water quality . To just have a bunch of gravel or rocks piled up risks becoming a breeding ground for anaerobic bacteria and disease - water /oxygenation not circulating down into there.

Nope. An "Aquascape" style pond is an eco-system, complete unto itself. Does Aquascape sell a bunch of products and additives? Yes they do. Are they required for maintaining an eco-system pond? No they are not.

And no one is advocating "a bunch of gravel or rocks piled up". A gravel bottom means a shallow layer of gravel - there is no place for anything to collect. It's just enough gravel to cover the liner. When I get in and swish the gravel around with my feet, there's just a small amount of silt that gets stirred up. Nothing to write home about. The gravel does provide surface area for good bacteria to colonize, though, so there is that benefit.

You may not like the look of a gravel bottom, which is fine, but if you've never maintained a pond with a gravel bottom then your opinion is based on something other than experience. I'm fine with whatever others want to do in their own pond. I just happen to like my gravel bottom!

 

[Big Red Comet]

Sorry Lisa I obviously gave the wrong impression. Whatever you are doing, its clearly working.... so, no argument there.

The experience I am drawing from was being advised early on to put gravel on the bottom, which I did ... a kinda thick layer actually..... and it turned into a cesspool. It actually smelled bad (anaerobic bacteria). This woman had told me that you want a lot of rocks so that beneficial bacteria would live and that I wouldn't have to clean it just use the aquascape sludge cleaner product
Other factors contributing (and no, it wasn't only the prescence of gravel that was the problem) was inadequate filtration/water circulation down at the bottom.

I mention it only in the spirit of "comparing notes," not as criticism. More like... something to look out for. It makes sense that a thin layer would not have same problems. There are so many variables. Maybe had I had better filtration, less gravel, and/or used the sludge buster... I would've been successful. I instead just went a different route, for the reasons already mentioned.

 

[Lisak1]

No problem! I just always feel the need to counter the "rock bottom ponds are disgusting/dirty/dangerous" comments with the facts about the benefits of gravel in your pond. There's so much repetition of the one side that it often becomes perceived as fact. Purely personal choice as far as I'm concerned.

And you're right - lots of gravel wouldn't be a plus. Although, even then, I think we sometimes perceive something as "bad" just because it's smelly. My lily pots stink to the high heavens when I re-pot them, but they sure love it in there!

 

[MajorDan]

Thanks for the deep dive in this topic. I think both ways can work and both can look great based on your preferences. I am setting up my first pond and am trying something in between. Some rocks some gravel some bare spots. The rocks include a large piece of concrete-rock I am making to create a nice cave for the shunbunkins to hide in. The gravel will be in concrete-rock “bowls” so I can plant some Vallisneria. Two more concrete-rocks bowls will hold my two Lillie plants. My water is hard so the concrete will provide a nice buffer for the crazy heavy rains we get. Wish me luck