Filling in a concrete fish pond

[ralphjramirez]

I lost fish due to raccoons so I installed an electric fence and I was happy as could be. A few months later I lost 22 beautiful long tailed shubunkins, they were gorgeous and quite large. The thief was a very large blue heron. I live in a full neighborhood close to downtown and have had my pond for about 15 years with only the raccoon problem. It seems the Heron was still hungry as I saw him out my window a couple days after noticing my loss and I chased him away, that was one very large bird. I could not believe that a bird could eat fish as large as those in my pond. Sorry for the long story. I have given up on having a pond and am in the process of filling it in. I cannot get a tractor in my yard so I had a worker using a jack hammer make a hole for drainage at the deep end of the pond and remove approximately 6" around most of the edge of the pond. The hole is 18" in diameter and my soil is relatively soft, not hard pan or adobe. I live on a hill with good drainage but I have no idea if I fill this hole leaving almost all the concrete intact, see photos, whether that 18" hole is large enough to provide drainage. The hole wasn't made larger as the worker gave up indicating the hole was big enough and because the contractor that built the pond used a lot of concrete, it is 6" thick. If absolutely necessary I can have the hole enlarged. I will have to hire someone to do the job for me as I am 85 years old and not really capable of handling the jackhammer. I am hoping someone in this forum can advise me on how best to proceed; do I need a larger hole or is 18" large enough? I would prep the hole with some gravel and perhaps cloth to avoid clogging. I have asked around and everyone seems to think it is OK as is but I want to make sure before I fill it in. With this forum having so much experience in fish ponds I am confident someone will help me out.

Any comments or suggestions will be great appreciated. Thank you..........Ralph

 

[addy1]

Darn sorry to hear.

That hole should keep it drained.
I net my pond with a wide weave net around 3 feet over the pond, keeps the heron away.

 

[zeuspaul]

If you fill the 18 inch hole with sand or gravel (not clay) you shouldn't have drainage issues.

I haven't had good luck with burying things and am usually sorry. If in the future someone plants a tree or ? it might not do well because the roots would not spread properly.

 

[ralphjramirez]

Darn sorry to hear.

That hole should keep it drained.
I net my pond with a wide weave net around 3 feet over the pond, keeps the heron away.

Thank you, I appreciate your input. I thought of using a net but I have an outside filter with an inside pre-filter that requires cleaning periodically which would be awkward to do with a net. I just decided it wasn't worth the effort at my age............Ralph

 

[ralphjramirez]

If you fill the 18 inch hole with sand or gravel (not clay) you shouldn't have drainage issues.

I haven't had good luck with burying things and am usually sorry. If in the future someone plants a tree or ? it might not do well because the roots would not spread properly.

Thank you for your input. I do plan on adding some gravel/rocks in/around the hole as you suggest. The area where my pond is located is between my raised deck and storage shed which is already thoroughly landscaped. I personally do not plan to plant anything as the affected area is small and the surrounding area is heavily landscaped.............Ralph

 

[ralphjramirez]

Thanks again to those who replied. I will proceed with filling in the pond based on your comments and others I received outside this forum. I am convinced the drainage will be fine.

Best Regards............Ralph