Finally starting my pond.....

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I am finally starting my pond this week. I have inherited a pond from a family member. The pond is 6'x13' with a few goldfish and the liner is only about 6-8 yrs old with no issues as of now. I am told the liner is larger than 15'x15', I will know for sure once i get it drained and removed on Thursday/Friday. I have created the pond layout and I plan on making a DIY skimmer. The pond is roughly going to be 13'x6'x 24" and will only have goldfish in it at this time. I know the pond size is not suitable for KOI. So a few things I am thinking about changing with the design....Directly in front of/across from the waterfall i wanted to have a hiding spot for the fish in the square area. Some have suggested to move it so it is not in front of the waterfall because it will collect a lot of debris. Also the bottom right corner is a concern for debris to collect and lack of water flow. I have posted a few pictures please critique my design and give any recommendations/changes. The Red line on the right side of the pond is where I will be running the electrical line for an outlet next to the waterfall which will be hidden. The red line on the left side is where the water return line will be coming off the DIY Skimmer.
 

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Think about the rocks in the curves of your design and what space will be left for water. Rock fill up smaller sharp areas like that pretty quickly. And before you know it it's very small. One way to stay with your idea is to make your outline in that area the inside of the shelf. And the rock goes out from there . And in doing something in that idea leaving space between the rocks or even behind them for some open pockets of water truly speaks volumes of oh natural and not a man made circle.. the other thing to keep in mind is to keep the design so it's simple to cut the grass around a good portion of it . It will save you hours of gardening/ weeding

Now you don't know me at least I don't believe so but I kinda go big. And with your lott for a few extra feet I would push the waterfall back further into the planting with the spruce tree on the little hill have it look like the stream is coming out from the hill trust me you won't be sorry if done right. Now I don't know if that cuts your back yard in half but if it does what about making a bridge going over the stream another big winner as far as details are concerned.
 
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That Spruce tree is my neighbors yard. Our property line is just in front of that spruce tree and just on the other side of that mound in my yard. I plan on pushing the waterfall back as far as possible, toward the back side of that mound. My backyard goes out and back to the left of that picture. I would love to go bigger on the pond but I am using the liner that I’m getting from a family member. I will be willing to go as big as the liner will allow me to. I understand what you are saying now about how the pond will end up much smaller then the design once the rock is all in. Once I know how big the liner is, then I will be able to see what I can change on the design. I also like your idea of the water coming up behind the rocks.
 
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Well ask the neighbor if they want to pitch in some land so you both have a gorgeous stream running through your yards.
 
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My biggest problem is going to be finding all the rock I need. I can find lots of Sandstone but Sandstone breaks down.
 
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Quick question, what is the best type of rock for the bottom of the pond? Would a layer of 2"-3" river rock be good for the bottom? That would still allow me to vacuum clean the bottom without rocks getting sucked up. Pea Gravel I think would be to small.
 
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if it scratches easily with little pressure then it's no good
 
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In parts of Ohio from my experience particularly toward West Virginia the sand stone is very competent. Sand stone is often thought to be very weak and it can be but it can also be very tough stuff.
 

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