Construction of a larger pond

[j.w]

I think it would also view better if it was wider and longer rather than deeper. Although I am going to build a new upper level pond that will connect to other ponds and will build it 4 feet deep. Sometimes deeper not always better. Depends on how you set it up. Sometimes bigger just means it takes more energy to heat and much longer to defrost in spring.

I like that idea of wider and longer and less deep for viewing. I will do that next time if there ever is a next time.

 

[ShawnLimy]

Hello!! Sorry I had to work yesterday on my day off and then fell asleep after work.

Well my ponds are no deeper than three feet. I have no skimmer as I don't think they would run very good in minis 40 below. I have no fancy bottom drains cause there is no need to drain my beautifully sparkling ponds ever, plus they might freeze if really cold and that would suck having to take pond apart and redo everything. I use only submersible underwater pumps with big round filters that can run all winter. All hoses are easy to reach should anything go wrong when it is minus 40 below.

There is not any point of going 7 feet down, too much would collect down there and it would be difficult to net out the bottom. This big pond guy that has a really really deep 10 foot deep pond has not had much luck wintering his fish cause his air stone bubbler thingy condensated and the line froze, and he lost lots of big koi that he had for years. He should have listened to me and left a good pump with underwater filter running WITH heater close by.

Then my ponds are about 3500 Imperial Gallons of water. My ponds are set up in three levels, and the water is pumped to top ponds and free flow down to bottom ponds. It is easy to keep tidy and very little pond waste collects in upper ponds as it gets washed down to bottom pond, but not before passing under this massive yellow flag marsh that natually floats. The long feathery roots of the massive yellow Flag water Iris naturally licks the pond bottom and eats the waste and lots of the fish winter under that plant in the middle pond.

Never rely on just one big pump, they don't seem to last long and I prefer to run several pumps and then I can create a underwater vortex where the Horn wort can then spin and outgrow what the fish can eat. Plus too if one pump dies and it is minus 40 below, at least I have two other pumps going all winter long keeping the water moving and that helps keep ice down and gases that build up under the ice away.

Hi Colleen, the reason i want to go deep is because i have 21 Koi ranging in sizes 10 to 20 inches, and from what i have read koi like deep water, 3 feet minimum, I don't have to go 7 feet, i could probably go 6 or 5, but the surface area isn't all that big, i have had ponds for several years, with good success, just not this size, so i want to build it as best as i can.
I have a couple of internal pumps, 1 external filter, 1 internal filter, all Laguna, wich i would keep for back up.

The reason for the external pump is because of the PVC, jets, Bottom drains.
The drains are not for draining the pond, they are used to collect bottom waste, pump it to the filter for recirculation.
The skimmer is to collect the leaves that blow of the neighbor's tree.

 

[j.w]

My friend up the road has a koi pond 8ft deep but she has a really large surface area. She has bottom drains and some kind of a canal filter system w/brushes and all the bells and whistles.
That slider door goes right out to the pond and yes she has jumped right into the pond from there for a swim in the past. She can feed them right from there also.

 

[sissy]

My new pond is an even 4 ft deep and a pool net is all I use .My koi are around 2 ft long .I think the like more room to swim around than going down deep .I know when I put them back in the longer pond they kept swimming back and forth and loving it .King Arthur is spoiled rotten he is sitting here eating cauliflower with dip on it

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Any depth over 4 feet is:
1) A waste of material and construction time.
2) Provides no real benefits
3) May actually cause problems if stratification occurs.
4) Would require continuous bottom aeration
5) Encourage the growth of anaerobic bacteria if item #4 is not in place.
6) Increases energy demand for maintaining pond.

Can't think of one beneficial reason.

 

[CountryEscape]

I think I would have to agree with Meyer above. Going deeper also means you will have harder time seeing to the bottom, as less light gets that deep. I'd say go 4' deep, and spread out your pond. More surface area is what you need for oxygen, too, right? If it's deep, you will have to have oxygen being pushed in year round. A shallower pond will do fine with fountains, waterfalls, and so forth moving the water surface. Also, you mentioned 5,000 gallons, but the dimensions you gave would be much larger if it was 7' deep, wouldn't it? I just did 21'x8'x7' deep and came up with almost 9,000 gallons! And, that's not considering 11' wide on the other end, so it would be likely over 11,000 gallons total. Maybe once you figure how many gallons you really want/need, you will feel better about not going so deep.

 

[sissy]

The main thing would for me be safety concerns with a pond that deep .Children could get hurt and the occasional tipsy visitor may be at risk .I even had my own debate about going 4 ft deep .But part of it was 4 ft deep already and with our summer heat and sun on my pond most of the day the fish health concerned me more .

 

[callingcolleen1]

Yes, that is wht I never went any deeper as well, cause of all the young kids that live around here. The kids right next door used to hang around and used to use chair to open gate and sneak into my back yard when they were smaller.

I don't have bottom drain and would worry about it freezing and busting. A lot of those so called Koi experts live way down south and they don't have to worry about things freezing that deep. Plus too way down south the longer season and warmer waters breed more bacteria problems and having a deeper pool means that the water would stay cooler over the long hot days of summer down south.

 

[sissy]

Yeh even ponddigger lives in Cali. and can't really understand colder weather ponds .I always worry that the deeper the water the less oxygen there may be down deeper .I have an aerator running but I worry about that

 

[Lisak1]

@ShawnLimy - do take a look at the video @callingcolleen1 posted. There are construction concerns involved with digging too deep. You probably know what the soil make up is like in your area, but it is an issue to take into consideration. As are the points @Meyer Jordan makes.

I like my pond at just around 3.5 feet deep. I can still get in and wander around in the waist-high (for me, anyway) water. We can clearly see the bottom and my nets can easily reach to remove debris. I think there are lots of reasons professional pond builders recommend manmade ponds in the 2 - 3 foot depth rather than deeper ones.

 

[sissy]

I never get in my pond but I don't have plants in there to groom .I have straight sides also because I have no clue what critters we have around here and figure if they have nothing to stand on they have no reason to get in the pond .I do know colleen runs pond heaters so may want to look at buying one off season when they are cheaper .My home owners insurance even said if I had gone deeper I would have needed a clause in my policy that would cost me extra because it would have been considered a farm pond Really how stupid .Insurance companies in the states are now sending out people to see what is being insured because of fraud .They sent a guy from mine 2 years ago and he had to take pics to document everything .No problem for me as everything here is legal and i checked building codes first ,even on my pond .Here if a pond is cement they tax you for a pool .

 

[CountryEscape]

I have a feeling if my insurance agent knew I had a 3.5' deep pond I would have a higher rate of insurance, due to possible danger to people falling in. Doesn't matter if they can walk out or not (a small child would be underwater ...), if they fall in and can't swim or panic or hit their head, they could die. But, I have rare visitors, and no close neighbors with little kids, so no worries for me.

 

[sissy]

The only thing my insurance company care about was that it was not concrete and it is in my front yard and that did not matter .There are so many farm ponds around here that are deep and not fenced that there is not much they can say .In the county the building department does not have many rules but in the city limits it is different .It can be in the front yard but cannot be deeper than 2 ft and then they have a size and also set back from property lines

 

[CountryEscape]

Yep, same here. No guidelines for in the country. I can do whatever I want here, don't have to get any permits, etc.
Oops, sorry, ShawnLimy, we kinda took over your thread.
Now, back to constructing your larger pond .... ;-)

 

[sissy]

It least he can make an informed decision on what he wants to do and know that he should check things like insurance and stuff .A surprise insurance inspection can cause real problems .