Hello, Pond Forum! New Member with Pond in Progress

[HayFam2022]

Hi everyone!

I stumbled upon this forum a few days ago while looking for helpful articles/videos to build my first pond.

My 3 young boys, my wife, and myself live in Central Florida. Our pond project began about two months ago with my sons attempting to dig a small pond with shovels for a fish pond. Currently, the general plan is:

• 15 x 40 main pond
• Intake bay
• Built-up wetland filter along the back corner of the pond (L-shaped) for a waterfall(s) with collection ponds(?) moving the water back into the pond.

Although I have been pouring through videos, articles, etc over the past ~month, this is entirely new to me. Therefore, please don't hesitate to offer any constructive feedback

As of this morning, we had ~60 tons of limestone rock and boulders delivered.

The rest of this week, my goal is to complete the footprint for our wetland filter, order plumbing/drainage materials, and decide on which external pump(s) to purchase.

Here are several pictures of the project from the initial dig, up through today's rock delivery. If it appears that I am doing everything completely out of order, I am quite confident that I am

I am looking forward to learning from others here and admiring the work you all have already done.


-Cole


PS - I had some issues attaching the images, however here is a link to the images on my Google Drive:

Pond - 3-15-22 - Google Drive

drive.google.com

 

[addy1]

Welcome to the forum! Glad you joined.

I love my bog = wet land filter. Never need to fuss with the pond.

Nice hole and LOVE THE ROCKS!

Cute helpers!

 

[j.w]

@HayFam2022
Hope we get to continue to watch you build your pond. Ask lots of questions as you go and we will be happy to help you

 

[SarahT]

welcome! It will be nice to have another FL ponder. ( I'm west of Tampa.)

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

 

[Lisak1]

Hi everyone!

I stumbled upon this forum a few days ago while looking for helpful articles/videos to build my first pond.

My 3 young boys, my wife, and myself live in Central Florida. Our pond project began about two months ago with my sons attempting to dig a small pond with shovels for a fish pond. Currently, the general plan is:

• 15 x 40 main pond
• Intake bay
• Built-up wetland filter along the back corner of the pond (L-shaped) for a waterfall(s) with collection ponds(?) moving the water back into the pond.

Although I have been pouring through videos, articles, etc over the past ~month, this is entirely new to me. Therefore, please don't hesitate to offer any constructive feedback

As of this morning, we had ~60 tons of limestone rock and boulders delivered.

The rest of this week, my goal is to complete the footprint for our wetland filter, order plumbing/drainage materials, and decide on which external pump(s) to purchase.

Here are several pictures of the project from the initial dig, up through today's rock delivery. If it appears that I am doing everything completely out of order, I am quite confident that I am

I am looking forward to learning from others here and admiring the work you all have already done.


-Cole


PS - I had some issues attaching the images, however here is a link to the images on my Google Drive:

Pond - 3-15-22 - Google Drive

drive.google.com

Welcome to the GPF! Your boys look like great helpers!

Just a quick tech share - I see your photos are in HEIC format. I find those won't upload here.

Can't wait to see more of your build!

 

[TheFishGuy]

Wow, this is a serious project! Looks like you are doing everything right and I think you will be very happy with the finished project.

 

[rubyduby]

Hi everyone!

I stumbled upon this forum a few days ago while looking for helpful articles/videos to build my first pond.

My 3 young boys, my wife, and myself live in Central Florida. Our pond project began about two months ago with my sons attempting to dig a small pond with shovels for a fish pond. Currently, the general plan is:

• 15 x 40 main pond
• Intake bay
• Built-up wetland filter along the back corner of the pond (L-shaped) for a waterfall(s) with collection ponds(?) moving the water back into the pond.

Although I have been pouring through videos, articles, etc over the past ~month, this is entirely new to me. Therefore, please don't hesitate to offer any constructive feedback

As of this morning, we had ~60 tons of limestone rock and boulders delivered.

The rest of this week, my goal is to complete the footprint for our wetland filter, order plumbing/drainage materials, and decide on which external pump(s) to purchase.

Here are several pictures of the project from the initial dig, up through today's rock delivery. If it appears that I am doing everything completely out of order, I am quite confident that I am

I am looking forward to learning from others here and admiring the work you all have already done.


-Cole


PS - I had some issues attaching the images, however here is a link to the images on my Google Drive:

Pond - 3-15-22 - Google Drive

drive.google.com

What lucky boys!!! My best memories are wading around catching tadpoles and watching all of the bugs, ect...in the pond when I was their age. a long handled net was my best friend back then..Welcome to the forum and I also am happy to have another Floridian ponder in the mix (I am in Sarasota) Looks like you obviously did your homework because everything looks awesome and those rocks!!!! I am green with jealousy Cole

 

[HayFam2022]

Thank you everyone! I am loving this forum.

I will be posting an update and plenty of questions soon enough. However, each time I begin to frame my current issue into a question, I end up changing my plans/design/etc.

So, I am currently using the AMAZING archives to answer my questions and once I am truly stuck on an issue I’ll be sure to post an update and details.

Btw, I’d be embarrassed to say how many hours of the last several days I’ve spent staring at these new rocks and boulders sitting in my yard and in other ponds online …I’m enjoying this new hobby

 

[combatwombat]

Nice! Off to a great start. I understand boulders are an expensive delicacy in Florida?

each time I begin to frame my current issue into a question, I end up changing my plans/design/etc.

I know what that’s like. I’ve been changing my plans as I go for over a year. All for the best in the end, though. Sometimes you start out with modest plans and don’t realize how much better it can be until you’re in the thick of it.

Look forward to following the progress.

 

[GBBUDD]

Welcome to the forum you'll fit right in you've been bit .........

i put all the ideas and issues i ran into in a showcase as they call it here or at least thats where i put it and is at the bottom of this post.

But where you have sand you have a reverse engineering to play with. instead of building the shelves and fighting to get them to stay a easier and more effective way would be to set your bottom row of rock fold the liner in and back fill up against the boulder compacting as you go. fold the liner back out and begin your shelf whether that's to have some gravel on it or if your next vertical wall is to start is up to you but if gravel have your lower rock be higher than the shelf by a few inches so it will hold the rock from sliding. set your next row where you would like it and fold the liner back in again and back fill as needed. i think that's enough to give you the idea.

awesome your rental has a thumb or are you that lucky to own that excavator.... either way be careful those boulders are easily big enough to tip you over as you reach out with a boulder. Do you know about endless slings? another very hand gadget i found for setting rocks was a log tongs." it's in the build or showcase.

It's going to look amazing with those nice big boulders..... i'd also be on the look out for drift wood stumps and limbs

looking forward to watching this build TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES AND VIDEOS

One other tip is to not fight your boulders to fit your idea but build to the boulders it a heck of a lot easier to build to the rock than to cut or stretch rocks to fit your plan. setting rock is an art . An other trick is to have a depression in the sand for the liner to set down into then place the boulder into that small depression as will locking the boulder in and not allowing it to slide, Especially with two energetic kids climbing and hanging onto the boulders. last thing anyone wants is a boulder shifting and holding someone underwater.

 

[cas]

tw, I’d be embarrassed to say how many hours of the last several days I’ve spent staring at these new rocks and boulders

I have found that those of with ponds also have a love of rocks.

 

[HayFam2022]

welcome! It will be nice to have another FL ponder. ( I'm west of Tampa.)

Thank you! I’m in Hillsborough…East Side lol

 

[HayFam2022]

Welcome to the GPF! Your boys look like great helpers!

Just a quick tech share - I see your photos are in HEIC format. I find those won't upload here.

Can't wait to see more of your build!

Thank you for mentioning the file format. I figured out how to change the setting on my phone to jpg

 

[HayFam2022]

Welcome to the forum you'll fit right in you've been bit .........

i put all the ideas and issues i ran into in a showcase as they call it here or at least thats where i put it and is at the bottom of this post.

But where you have sand you have a reverse engineering to play with. instead of building the shelves and fighting to get them to stay a easier and more effective way would be to set your bottom row of rock fold the liner in and back fill up against the boulder compacting as you go. fold the liner back out and begin your shelf whether that's to have some gravel on it or if your next vertical wall is to start is up to you but if gravel have your lower rock be higher than the shelf by a few inches so it will hold the rock from sliding. set your next row where you would like it and fold the liner back in again and back fill as needed. i think that's enough to give you the idea.

awesome your rental has a thumb or are you that lucky to own that excavator.... either way be careful those boulders are easily big enough to tip you over as you reach out with a boulder. Do you know about endless slings? another very hand gadget i found for setting rocks was a log tongs." it's in the build or showcase.

It's going to look amazing with those nice big boulders..... i'd also be on the look out for drift wood stumps and limbs

looking forward to watching this build TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES AND VIDEOS

One other tip is to not fight your boulders to fit your idea but build to the boulders it a heck of a lot easier to build to the rock than to cut or stretch rocks to fit your plan. setting rock is an art . An other trick is to have a depression in the sand for the liner to set down into then place the boulder into that small depression as will locking the boulder in and not allowing it to slide, Especially with two energetic kids climbing and hanging onto the boulders. last thing anyone wants is a boulder shifting and holding someone underwater.

Thank you! I’ve read your showcase a few times, I think I’m about half way through your original thread, and I’m learning a LOT from all of it, thank you for providing so much information!

Also, thank you for the advice on working with sandy soil. Your advice about backfilling levels will be helpful.

I wish I owned that excavator! I pretty much lived on that machine for the week I was renting it. I recently purchased my neighbor’s mini tractor but after my boulders were delivered I noticed about a half dozen or more are bigger than the tractor

So, unfortunately I’m going to end up renting an excavator or something at some point to move these boulders into place.

I especially appreciate your last point about creating a depression for the boulders to rest in. The scenario you describe has been my biggest concern from the outset of this project.

The wetland/bog filter and intake bay layout is at version 10 or so (see my attached doodles) I’d love to hear what others think about it. However I will post that in another section of the forum.

Thank you everyone!

We’re enjoying ourselves over here! And all of the neighbors think I’ve gone crazy