Digging a new pond.

[sissy]

I see my fish begging but they can keep begging and when I get the time they might get fed .I can see that it is hard to resist giving them food and it is hard but better for them

 

[Nick83]

They should be as much directly across from each other as humanly possible - that's pretty much standard procedure for pond building.



You are correct that neither is legal for sale in Florida. However, I will tell you that I saw both growing in the wild in Florida waterways, so if you HAPPENED to find some and HAPPENED to bring it home, I'm sure they would appreciate you helping to clear it out of the Florida waterways. JUST KIDDING.

However, not being able to use either of those has no bearing on whether or not you need a bio filter in conjunction with a bog. A bog can contain all kinds of plants, many of which I'm sure you can grow in Florida and will provide plenty of filtration for any pond, as long as it's sized big enough.

Thank you Lisa, i really appreciate the help. I'm always second guessing myself. I really need to look at bog plans more so im not asking questions that have already been answered but not every situation is the same so sometimes I feel the need for some clarification as to my pond in particular.

Next week i am going to work on all the plumbing and lay some pipe after I figure out which bottom drain and skimmer I will be using.
Because I am on a budget for this project I have to spread out where I spend money. So far cost has been zero but I know that absent number will climb quickly. I want to spend as little as possible but also dont want to skimp because of the importance of everything working together to create my perfect backyard oasis.

 

[Nick83]

The past couple of days I've been working hard to move dirt and 4 railroad ties from my front yard which I've been using for my driveway. Those suckers are incredibly difficult to move for one person and i certainly got a good workout.

Here's a couple of pictures of the progress..

Lower left corner of the the above picture is where the skimmer will be located.

Upper left corner is the waterfall and to the right of the waterfall is where I am tentatively planning where I want to put the bog.

Currently the waterline should be around 4' in the deep end.

 

[Nick83]

Is it necessary to go larger for the bog? Currently it is 12 inches deep roughly 5'×5'. My guess is yes, i should go larger haha.

 

[sissy]

I can tell you doing it square or rectangle saves a lot of folds in the liner .All you have are the folds in the corner like a bed .That is why I chose rectangle .I did see that there is one company that takes the epdm liner and makes it the shape you want but not cheap and boy do you have to be spot on with the shape and size of the hole .

 

[Nick83]

Square and rectangle really makes it easier to lay out and fold just the four corners. If i had the money to pay for a pre made liner i probably would have paid someone else to dig out the pond for me, lol.

 

[Gemma]

I don't have a bottom drain or skimmer and never have had either ..It has really been no problem for me .People over feed fish and that is the worst thing they can do to fish and water quality

I don't have a bottom drain in my pond and I don't plan on installing one in the new pond either.
I don't have rocks on the bottom and no muck. I do plan on buying the Oasis 5 vac and vacuum the bottom at water changes (I know, I know, another controversial topic)

 

[Tara]

Your making massive progress. I'm always amazed at the different types of dirt I see in people's gardens on this forum.

 

[Gemma]

Is it necessary to go larger for the bog? Currently it is 12 inches deep roughly 5'×5'. My guess is yes, i should go larger haha.View attachment 114256 View attachment 114257

The bog is a very important part of the pond, if you can afford to go larger, go as large as you can!..there are so many beautiful plants you can put in there, you don't want to run out of room

 

[sissy]

sure is .We have to ponders at my little get together that are selling theirs because they say to much of a hassle.The garden center and the so called pond builder here convinced them they needed it .He is a landscaper not a pond builder in any way .They spent 4 thousand dollars for a pond and nothing but headaches and so far we in the group are trying to help resolve the mistakes made by him ,gemma .I always worried about bottom drains because if not done right and it leaks you are out a liner .I prefer the safer method of just a pool net ..I can scoop and see what is in the net at least .

 

[Nick83]

I don't have a bottom drain or skimmer and never have had either ..It has really been no problem for me .People over feed fish and that is the worst thing they can do to fish and water quality

The main reason why I'm opting to go with the bottom drain is because I have lots of trees that drop leaves and pine needles and I really don't want to vacuum my pond every couple of days even if i put up a shade sail over the pond.

 

[Nick83]

Your making massive progress. I'm always amazed at the different types of dirt I see in people's gardens on this forum.

Thank you, I have been working hard and probably too hard considering my disability. Lots of soft sand here so that makes digging and shaping much easier.

The bog is a very important part of the pond, if you can afford to go larger, go as large as you can!..there are so many beautiful plants you can put in there, you don't want to run out of room

Every day I end up expanding the bog. Right now its 5'×8'×13". 40sqft and the pond is 12'×17' which is 204sqft. I might expand the bog by another foot wide.
Yesterday and today i spent a few hours leveling out the bog.

 

[Jack B. Nimble]

After my experiment pond proves what I should or should not have changed I still may not install a bottom drain. After installing a skimmer which is a must today should solve most of the leaf issue from your trees. I will install two skimmers on the next one and ensure I have properly placed current movers to aim water at the skimmers. I appreciate the bottom drain and what is has to offer but in my climate I worry about the area between water level and a empty pipe in winter. Once the bottom drain would be turned off at the water level in the ground is what I think a dangerous area. I would not be concerned with a leak from the install as once you put in your skimmer you have the skill to caulk a bottom drain properly.

 

[Jack B. Nimble]

After my experiment pond proves what I should or should not have changed I still may not install a bottom drain. After installing a skimmer which is a must today should solve most of the leaf issue from your trees. I will install two skimmers on the next one and ensure I have properly placed current movers to aim water at the skimmers. I appreciate the bottom drain and what is has to offer but in my climate I worry about the area between water level and a empty pipe in winter. Once the bottom drain would be turned off at the water level in the ground is what I think a dangerous area. I would not be concerned with a leak from the install as once you put in your skimmer you have the skill to caulk a bottom drain properly.
I did not make out where your skimmer is going but remember you only need about an inch lower for the lip going into the main pond. I saw what I believe is the opening for the bog into your pond and seems low. The bog typically is low flow so the run off will not be too significant and if that opening is too low you won't get the height of water you really want in the main pond. I suggest the skimmer be laid in so you can see the water height and ensure your happy with where that water height will play with the bogs water height.

 

[Nick83]

After my experiment pond proves what I should or should not have changed I still may not install a bottom drain. After installing a skimmer which is a must today should solve most of the leaf issue from your trees. I will install two skimmers on the next one and ensure I have properly placed current movers to aim water at the skimmers. I appreciate the bottom drain and what is has to offer but in my climate I worry about the area between water level and a empty pipe in winter. Once the bottom drain would be turned off at the water level in the ground is what I think a dangerous area. I would not be concerned with a leak from the install as once you put in your skimmer you have the skill to caulk a bottom drain properly.
I did not make out where your skimmer is going but remember you only need about an inch lower for the lip going into the main pond. I saw what I believe is the opening for the bog into your pond and seems low. The bog typically is low flow so the run off will not be too significant and if that opening is too low you won't get the height of water you really want in the main pond. I suggest the skimmer be laid in so you can see the water height and ensure your happy with where that water height will play with the bogs water height.

Thank you for your input. Im going to try to explain the layout to better understand what is going on.

First of all the bog wier or spillway into the pond is 10" above where the pond water level is going to be. I'm putting the liner under the logs around the edges to hold the liner in place. The bog floor is going be 13" deep all around thus leaving +/- 2" of moving water above the gravel bed. In the picture below it gives a better idea of what is going on with the height of the bog.

There's still a lot more to do and dirt to be moved to get a better idea of what the end result is.
As for the skimmer, I haven't decided on the exact location yet. I think what you are referring to as the cut-out for the skimmer is actually the cut-out for one of the hideout caves in the lower corner.

As far as the piping for the bottom drain we don't get cold enough for any pipes to freeze but i do plan on insulating the exposed pipes just to be safe.

I hope that I covered all of the points you had brought to my attention and if there are any other questions or concerns please feel free to bring them up so that I can address them.