from Nebraska

[corius]

Hi everyone. I'm upgrading from a 50 gal pond to one that will be 6x6x6. I live in Nebraska ( zone 5 ) I'm I'm hoping with my pond being that deep it should withstand winter freezing solid. Also it will be 2 feet above ground and 4 below, reasons for that is 1 my daughters love pushing each other into the small pond when no one is looking and 2 the water table where i live is only 7 feet deep. I'm planning on stocking it mainly with koi

 

[sissy]

welcome and I have koi and they get big very big .Mine have grown to over 2 ft long after 9 years and are fussy about there water .Don't want to kill your dream but wish someone would have told me .I think you are the first person from Nebraska on here I have seen .My pond is 25x10 and just over 4 ft. deep 13 fish

 

[j.w]

corius
Hmmmm,I just have goldfish but 6 x 6 sounds a bit small for koi as they like to swim in large areas and can make the water pretty dirty. Anyway that you can make it much bigger? Otherwise you could just get some of the really pretty varieties of goldfish like Shubinkins, oj/white patterned and those w/ the really pretty long flowing tails.

 

[corius]

Thanks for the input on koi. It helps allot

 

[corius]

Thanks to everyone you have given me ideas. Now another question how can I make the pond more child friendly without putting up a fence and keep out signs

 

[corius]

Thanks to everyone you have given me ideas. Now another question how can I make the pond more child friendly without putting up a fence and keep out signs. Thank you for your patience with me this project was so much easier a month ago when a pond ment a home in the ground and some water

 

[sissy]

how small is the child or children i know several on here have fenced the area and others just watch closely when there children are out there .Maybe someone here that has children that would know a better solution .I know if it is raised out of the ground it should be easier but there are still risks .Just like a pool

 

[Catfishnut]

Corius,

I am from Nebraska, too (and there is one other new member that I know of from Nebraska as well). So... WELCOME! to the forum from the Cornhuskers (AKA Bug Eaters)!

If you are under any local or county ordinance zoning, you had better check into them before constructing a pond of 6 feet depth. They may require you to put a fence around it if you are within the zones of a village or city. In Fremont the max depth is 18". If you are out in the boonies, you can probably ignore this, but be aware just in case.

You might be over-doing it on the depth, but it makes sense to get that far into the ground to take advantage of the ground temperature and the insulating quality of the earth during cold winter / hot summer to level out the extremes. I might opt for 3 feet below grade and one foot above. That would be less construction and still plenty of depth with less exposed above grade. That is, unless you are planning on installing pond windows just above grade to see the fish from a seated position on your patio or the like.

As for the width and length dimensions, I agree with the previous responses that 6' x 6' may be too confining for Koi. That sounds a bit cramped for large, adult Koi to me and I am not a Koi keeper. I suppose it depends upon how many Koi you expect to keep in there. Two or three might be OK??? But you could keep many of other smaller varieties just fine.

My Mom lives in Fremont, NE and her neighboor has a small (5'x10') kidney shaped pond, 18" depth with 15 goldies or comets in it. All about 6" length. They kept all this winter just fine. He had to break the surface ice twice during the really cold snaps to allow the pond water to gas out, but he kept the recirc pump running all the time and so the pond never froze solid. That is key, keeping the water moving and free from harmful gases and plenty of O2.

As for child-proofing, the best options are simply supervision, education, discipline and respect. If you can't get those, an electric fencer works pretty darn well! Hee Hee (sorry, redneck humor there).

Catfishnut

 

[sissy]

oh geeze forget where some are from if I don't look at there pic sorry .chalk it up as a senior moment . :razz: shock collar for kids what next catfish .

 

[Catfishnut]

oh geeze forget where some are from if I don't look at there pic sorry .chalk it up as a senior moment . :razz: shock collar for kids what next catfish .

Sissy,

You are stealing my ideas! I thought up the electric fencer application - just the right height for kids - but I hadn't yet perfected the "shock collar for kids" and now you have "let the fish out of the net"!
Doggone! Now the idea is public information and we will all have to share it. There goes my royalties! Que sera sera.

Ha Ha, what a hoot!

Catfishnut

 

[sissy]

poor kids I can just seem them now .doggone means shock collar did not work .How about a strong magnet in the ground and pieces of metal in the kids shoes ,they get stuck then and can't go any farther :razz:

 

[sissy]

hey you know those ideas might be good also for people with teenagers and seniors then you have a triple market for them .Zap scream hey I found them :ideacyclops: :lamp5:

 

[Catfishnut]

LOL! You are breaking me up, Sissy!

I now have this vision of a teenager with his legs just running like wheels and kicking up dust, but he isn't going anywhere..... The parent is sitting in a lazy boy with a BIG electro-magnet and holding the kid back while liesurely reading the newspaper! I suppose I watched too many Wile E. Coyote / Road Runner cartoons in the 60's! The ACME Magnet company, the parent's friend!

 

[j.w]

You guys are too funny and I'm cracking up here! I can envision it all in my head..............................

 

[sissy]

I think we all lost it .We have all gone totally nuts .