Hello from Maryland

[gau11cho]

Hi everyone,
I'm Ryan from Maryland. Wished i have found this forum before starting my first pond last October. But i am sure i will have a lot to learn from all the expert here.
A bit about our pond. I built pretty much diy pond last Oct and have the pump and waterfall ran through the winter. Our pond is about 2400 gallons, bean shape, deepest is ~5feet. I used the 55gallons barrel to build the filter and waterfall, it seems to work pretty well. I also tried a diy skimmer but look like i have to re build it or may have to build one (still think the cost is a bit too high )
And yet weather seem to be good so we just got some Japanese KOI down yestersay

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Is there a particular reason that the water level is low in all of the photos?

 

[gau11cho]

Is there a particular reason that the water level is low in all of the photos?

Hi! Like i said the skimmer didnt work as well as it supposed to. In fact there is a small leak where i attached the liner, gasket to the barrel. So i turn off the skimmer the whole time while trying to fix/replace it. If the skimmer is up and running then i will raise water level on the right side here upabiut 2" to the bottom of the flat stone there.
The left side under waterfall was my miscalculating that even skimmer work and water level raised, there is still about 2innhes of liner expose. Im thinking about putting some fern on the side or cattail there to cover it. Any suggestion?

 

[gau11cho]

Here is a look at the right side

 

[sissy]

Welcome .I didn't do a skimmer ,no need for one .I like your waterfall but not sure I would leave it running all winter I think your hose is like mine a sump pump hose oh by the way the doggies are cuties

 

[mrsclem]

Welcome Ryan- where are you located in Maryland? We have several members there.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

 

[gau11cho]

Hello evry1, thanks you for welcoming me.
@sissy do you have any foliate? we have a lot of leaf in the fall so thats why i was trying to make one. And i didnt have any fish down last winter, we had a pretty good winter too so i took the risk see if the filter survive my dogs love the new KOI
@mrsclem i live in Rockville Md. I would love to learn from local experts
@addy1 thank you

 

[CometKeith]

Hi and welcome! That's great you joined up. It's a lot more fun when there are more people on GPF. Maybe an idea is to add liner on the low side so you can bring the water up so it is the same everywhere. If you are keeping Koi they won't mind the extra water as they grow. I never have used a skimmer. If I had it would blow my biggest excuse for hanging out by my pond for hours on end skimming the surface wih a net! My wife knows I have to skim my pond every Saturday morning no matter how much stuff there is to do around the house!

 

[Spartamets]

Welcome! I live in Baltimore, but am no expert, having "completed" my own pond only a month or so before you. We did have a great winter this year, which was fortuitous for me, because it gave me a chance to fix all of the things I screwed up when I built my pond/stream/waterfalls. I'm still working on the landscaping and pond plants, and trying hard not to add more fish. Someone here from Maryland who can claim some expertise is @addy1, who lives out in the vicinity of Frederick.

I imagine you have a lot of pond supply shops your way, since you're by DC; our state seems to be rich in options for being so small. If you ever want to go for a long drive, Valley View Farms up in Hunt Valley has an insane selection of everything relating to ponds and landscaping. They have 11 showcase ponds on the premises.

This is a good site for learning about ponding from people who know their stuff, as well as just sharing your interest. I've never had a hobby that so quickly seems to force one into becoming an obsessive.

 

[cas]

I've never had a hobby that so quickly seems to force one into becoming an obsessive.

Well said!

 

[cas]

Welcome @gau11cho ! Nice pond and dogs.

 

[addy1]

i live in Rockville Md. I would love to learn from local experts

lol I was raised in Rockville, lived there until I left for college out west.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum!