Hello from Tennessee

[Solar guy]

I'm new to this forum, but have been in wood working and biking forums.
I plan to build a pond next spring. Too much weirdness to start anything new in 2020.
This will be my first, but I've been a project engineer / process engineer for the last 48 years so I'm used to making stuff.
My hope is to have something about 5 to 6 ft wide, 10 to 12ft long and up to 2ft deep, holding about 750 to 1000 gallons.
I want to have a waterfall on one end and would like a lot of plants and big gold fish.
Too ambitious for a newbie ?? Any and all constructive criticism and comments welcome.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our forum!

Where do you live? ie cold or warm

That sounds like a good plan, like most of us have learned make it as big as you can! A lot of us wanted bigger once done.
Read up on bog filtration, I only filter my ponds with a huge bog. No filters that need to be cleaned.

 

[Lisak1]

WHAT? 2020 was the perfect year to build a pond! haha!

Anyway - welcome and heck no... not too ambitious at all! Hang around here, read lots of posts, and by spring you'll be rarin' to go!

Do you have a spot picked out? First thing you want to think about is your viewing area - where will you sit to enjoy the pond? Where are your viewing spots from inside the house? You want to be able to enjoy your pond every single day, year round.

Also - there is TONS of great YouTube content from professional pond builders... way more than many of us had access to. Spend some time watching those to pick up lots of pro tips on waterfall construction, edge finishing, installing plumbing, etc. Look at The Pond Digger, Team Aquascape, Ed The Pond Professor, Greg Wittstock the Pond Guy... those will all lead you to other builders who are also posting great content like Atlantis and Tussey... the list is endless. Watch those videos and start to make note of the things you like about their ponds. You'll start to recognize the formula for building a pond that looks like nature put it there.

If you want a great resource on this forum, check out @GBBUDD - this guy built a FANTASTIC pond a couple of years ago and I swear, the man should do it for a living. It's phenomenal. And he has a great build thread here that takes you through it step by step. He's always willing to answer questions and give tips along the way.

Like @addy1 said - plan for the biggest pond you can build. No one has ever said "gee, I wish I had made my pond SMALLER!"

 

[JRS]

Welcome!

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome! Ditto what everyone else said!

Are you planning to have fish, and where do you live?

 

[TheFishGuy]

Welcome!

Off on the right foot, glad you are not wanting koi, some people love them, but I would honestly rather have me some nice large goldfish, and with 750 to 1k gallons your pond probably wouldn't be able to support koi anyway

 

[JamieB]

When I think Tennessee, I think Appalachia mtns, and if they are like the ozarks, go hiking and start gathering rock. If you’re in an area where there aren’t rocks, you’ll want to source them, and free rock beside a dirt road is great, so long as it’s not greasy, oily, or crumbly. I , unfortunately, live in a largely rock free area, out in Oklahoma, so I’m planning a few trips to rocky areas to get rock for edging. If you do live in a rocky area, take that into account for your pond dig.

 

[GBBUDD]

plan to build a pond next spring. Too much weirdness to start anything new in 2020.
This will be my first, but I've

Weird you say ..THIS iS THE NEW NORMAL IF ONE BUNCH OF FRUIT CAKES Get

I want to have a waterfall on one end and would like a lot of plants and big gold fish

THERE WAY

Too ambitious for a newbie ??

Not what so ever I went bigger then most even dream of as there big bigger biggest pond on my first pond . Just remember the more water volume you have the easier it is maintain. .

You hit the nail on the head then plant plants and more plants look into bog filtration most here have bogs and those who dont usualy want too

 

[j.w]

@Solar guy

 

[GBBUDD]

Anyway - welcome and heck no... not too ambitious at all! Hang around here, read lots of posts, and by spring you'll be rarin' to go

Spring heck it was about this time 3 years ago and I started researching and I was breaking ground the day after x mass. But that was. My dumb azz still had to wait for spring and the ground thawing out. I jumped in with both feet is an understatement.

Also - there is TONS of great YouTube content from professional pond builders

I'd like to add John James and his video negative edge or intake bay as a starting point that and or traditional skimmers are the three main basic designs to start with and build from there.

FANTASTIC pond

Your to kind .

No one has ever said "gee, I wish I had made my pond SMALLER

Almost no one when I got my first two electric bills i questioned the size I built. And its really not all that big. I'm running 12000 gph and a 500 gph an 120 air pump and pond lights. Here in CT that seems to equal $ 200.00 a month.

 

[GBBUDD]

@j.w I DO LOVE ALL YOUR LITTLE welcome IMOGEES . I just can't belive with as many welcomes I have seen you post ibdont remember seeing any repeats.

 

[j.w]

@j.w I DO LOVE ALL YOUR LITTLE welcome IMOGEES . I just can't belive with as many welcomes I have seen you post ibdont remember seeing any repeats.

Oh I have a lot but do use them over again. They are all in order so when I get through the list I start all over again.

 

[Solar guy]

Thanks for the welcome.
I live in south central Tennessee, about 1hour south of Nashville, 15 minutes from Alabama. Zone 7a or 7b, minimum 0 to 5 degrees F.
I do have access to rocks around here but mostly limestone. I am under the impression these might not be the best for a pond but I suppose they would work for landscaping if not actually in the water.
I have a covered patio on the back of my house and a nice spot adjacent to the patio and a bedroom addition that is about half shade and half sunlit most of the year. Nearly all shade in the winter.
Biggest problem I see right now is there is only about 12" of dirt in most of my yard before I hit bedrock. I'm thinking I'll have to build a wall and fill the space with dirt to be able to get 2 ft of depth.
Since I make my living as a solar power system designer I intend to power the pump with solar power. Already have the major equipment for that. I just built a solar power system for a fellow in Alabama to keep his lake filled from a well. Working as planned.

 

[GBBUDD]

I do have access to rocks around here but mostly limestone. I am under the impression these might not be the best for a pond but I suppose they would work for landscaping if not actually in the water.

The leading pond builder in this country as far as I am aware of is Aqua Scape and there go to stone that they love to use is weathered lime stone. And yes they use it in the water.
Hell if you can tell us how to setup a solar setup
for a 12000 gph pump. Without it costing $20,000 we / I will help you build a pond firm believer in your scratch my back ill scratch yours. Ok so its 2:30 am and I'm having a hard time finding another analogy. That expression just doesn't seem to work in today's society. But I do believe in shaking a man's hand as a deal.

As far as little to no soils there is cautions with that type of build. One being water getting under the liner. No I don't know how solid your limestone is but here it is almost without fractures and could hold water. If water gets under the liner it can create issues. This is called a hippo where the liner is lifted from below and it looks very much like a hippo. Easy solution is to add a way for the water to get out they have matting thats more like several tunbes put together . This ius the principal of water takes the path of least resistance.
As far as building up the walls this can easily be accomplished. Like you said by berming up soil. But the larger the pond the more you'll need in the design. I wont get into that to much with an engineer as I bet you could teach me. But building cinderblock walls can really create some interesting looks and design. On you tube aqua scapes has a video where a bar has a pond swim up very very cool as your sitting the water is just below your elbows. As your looking across the pond and eye level with your waterfalls. Yeah it can cost a bit more but ask anyone here how much time they now spend outside around the pond . Compared to how much time was at the patio over looking a lawn. Here's the video that sold me on pond building its the first video on the page google is not cooperating. I also put together a group of videos I labeled as Some seriously impressive pond builds. Here in the site. You tube is as powerful a resource for pond building as is this site. Looking forward to watching your build.

world's most beautiful backyard ponds - Google Search

And my two cents is Bog filtration, bog filtration and more bog filtration

 

[Doctor mcboy]

Thanks for the welcome.
I live in south central Tennessee, about 1hour south of Nashville, 15 minutes from Alabama. Zone 7a or 7b, minimum 0 to 5 degrees F.
I do have access to rocks around here but mostly limestone. I am under the impression these might not be the best for a pond but I suppose they would work for landscaping if not actually in the water.
I have a covered patio on the back of my house and a nice spot adjacent to the patio and a bedroom addition that is about half shade and half sunlit most of the year. Nearly all shade in the winter.
Biggest problem I see right now is there is only about 12" of dirt in most of my yard before I hit bedrock. I'm thinking I'll have to build a wall and fill the space with dirt to be able to get 2 ft of depth.
Since I make my living as a solar power system designer I intend to power the pump with solar power. Already have the major equipment for that. I just built a solar power system for a fellow in Alabama to keep his lake filled from a well. Working as planned.

it sounds like you are the guy i need to talk to. i want to power my pump with solar/ batteries also. i live in south carolina the location i have i will get at max a half a day of full sun. is this doable or am i in the weeds? also i can not spend a lot of cash on it. i can run power to the pond it is only 250 foot of wire. but i want to try and go green because it is hard. and welcome!