how did the rock bottom trend start?

[callingcolleen1]

I have some rocks that line the shallow area on bottom pond where the small fish are, and that is ok cause the rocks are on shelf. My fish stay outside all winter and I never move them, so rocks on the bottom pond would not work well for me. need to have access to the bottom to net out the leaf litter and stuff. Your pond looks great Lisa, and your water lillys are doing wonderful!!

 

[Troutredds]

Glad my rocky bottom didn't distract you Mucky.

I like your bottom too, Lisa - no matter how rocky!

 

[Lisaebetten]

I grew up ON Lake Michigan, yes there is sand but I've seen plenty of rocks!!!! Lake Superior pictured rock tour is AMAZING!!!! The water is so clear you can see straight down and see rocks as big as your house, underwater (Google it)..... sooooo un-natural? I kayak often down many Michigan rivers and streams.....and guess what is on the bottom of the majority of them? Rock, pea gravel and the real deal, river rock!!!

A lined pond is far from a natural eco system but that is what I want to try to create in my small yard.

 

[Lisaebetten]

Time to make fun of the rock bottom ponders, is it?[/QUOTE
Some people feel the need to step on toes and don't mind doing it. But his issue or opinion can not support all of the rocked ponds that are out their and loved by the owners for decades.

 

[Lisaebetten]

I grew up ON Lake Michigan, yes there is sand but I've seen plenty of rocks!!!! Lake Superior pictured rock tour is AMAZING!!!! The water is so clear you can see straight down and see rocks as big as your house, underwater (Google it)..... sooooo un-natural?

Are you actually wondering why people rock in their ponds? It's quite obviously for aesthetic reasons. I refuse to believe that's a genuine question.

As far as it not being natural, well it looks far more natural than a rubber liner. Furthermore, natural rock bottom ponds DO exist in nature. They're not as common as mud bottom ponds, of course. When I was traveling through Newfoundland a few years back on my motorcycle,I remember being taken aback by the many beautiful rocky ponds there. The Adirondacks are another place I recall seeing several rock bottom ponds. Stream bottoms are commonly rocky. Many northern beaches are rocky, such as the Maine coastline, and there are many natural rock bottomed tidal pools there. So, rocking in a pond is a quite natural thing to want to do if you're trying to replicate nature. Sure is not as natural looking as a mud bottom in most places, but it looks FAR more natural than rubber or cement.

In all of my travels, I don't recall ever seeing a natural rubber bottom pond.

I suspect the whole point of this thread is to trash rock bottomed ponds though...

Ah, my nifty friend is not so thinly veiled and snide now.

 

[pugle1]

Are you actually wondering why people rock in their ponds? It's quite obviously for aesthetic reasons. I refuse to believe that's a genuine question.

As far as it not being natural, well it looks far more natural than a rubber liner. Furthermore, natural rock bottom ponds DO exist in nature. They're not as common as mud bottom ponds, of course. When I was traveling through Newfoundland a few years back on my motorcycle,I remember being taken aback by the many beautiful rocky ponds there. The Adirondacks are another place I recall seeing several rock bottom ponds. Stream bottoms are commonly rocky. Many northern beaches are rocky, such as the Maine coastline, and there are many natural rock bottomed tidal pools there. So, rocking in a pond is a quite natural thing to want to do if you're trying to replicate nature. Sure is not as natural looking as a mud bottom in most places, but it looks FAR more natural than rubber or cement.

In all of my travels, I don't recall ever seeing a natural rubber bottom pond.

I suspect the whole point of this thread is to trash rock bottomed ponds though...

Our main pond has a partially rock covered bottom. The deepest part where my water lilies are is bare. The rocks add way more growing area for beneficial bacteria, and good short varieties of algae to grow. The bog we added is also going to to have a gravel / stone bottom except for near the skimmer. It's a place for plants to anchor naturally. All my mini-cats and mint and iris grow directly in the stone. Larger natural ponds around here have sandy, stony shallows that support all the arrowheads, and bull rushes .... I did my best to make mine based on nature despite the rubber liner underneath everything. As far as I can see, there's nothing wrong with a rock bottom

Edit: P.S. I just cleaned out my waterfall feeder pond for the first time after 3 years of operation. There was some gunk under the stone, but not much at all, but isn't that what happens in natural ponds too? I know most garden ponds are closed systems as is mine, but even with a bare bottom in you're pond cleaning will still be required, right?. So far I've found that anything that settles into the stone, slowly seeps out and into the bare deeper part of my pond. After 3 years, I still consider myself a noob as there is so much to learn, and maybe I'm wrong about what I said above, but in my short time in the hobby, I've found no issues. I have healthy thriving plants and fish.

 

[Lisaebetten]

Another good question. Both of my aquariums are bare bottom. Some people use the gravel to root plants. In my opinion, it traps the poops, which is gross. With a bare bottom, my filters are powerful enough to remove the poop.

My indoor fishies have rocked bottoms and I clean the substrate once a month. Although my pond isn't done yet I won't have rocks on the bottom but on the shelves only. I do know junk builds up whether there is rock or not. Cleaning is part of the responsibility rock or no rock. You should see what my hard wood floors look like when not tended!!!! GROSS!!!

 

[Lisaebetten]

Are you actually wondering why people rock in their ponds? It's quite obviously for aesthetic reasons. I refuse to believe that's a genuine question.

As far as it not being natural, well it looks far more natural than a rubber liner. Furthermore, natural rock bottom ponds DO exist in nature. They're not as common as mud bottom ponds, of course. When I was traveling through Newfoundland a few years back on my motorcycle,I remember being taken aback by the many beautiful rocky ponds there. The Adirondacks are another place I recall seeing several rock bottom ponds. Stream bottoms are commonly rocky. Many northern beaches are rocky, such as the Maine coastline, and there are many natural rock bottomed tidal pools there. So, rocking in a pond is a quite natural thing to want to do if you're trying to replicate nature. Sure is not as natural looking as a mud bottom in most places, but it looks FAR more natural than rubber or cement.

In all of my travels, I don't recall ever seeing a natural rubber bottom pond.

I suspect the whole point of this thread is to trash rock bottomed ponds though...

Amen brother max384. We are gonna get kicked off this forum!!! Ah well once a rebel always a rebel.

 

[pugle1]

ops, lots of errors back there on my last post, I think I fixed them all, must rest now..... or get extra coffee, heat getting to me too...

Bindar dundat! ....lol

 

[Lisaebetten]

yes Tula, same here, I keep the top two upper ponds pretty much free of rocks as I have lots of trees and leave litter and stuff can collect over time between the rocks, then the really big koi would stir up the bottom if I was not able to net out the bottom good. Now that my koi are so very large, they could really make one big mess if I left the guck under the rocks. When the koi were small, they did not stir up pond bottom like they can now. The two biggest koi are about 8 to 10 pounds each I would have to say, and they throw lots of water over the edge of ponds too now.

Just wondering if the stirring up by the fish would help get some stuff to the skimmer? Kind of like a swimming pool that needs swimmers in it to help keep it clean? I know the chemical kill bad stuff in pools but just wondering?

 

[Lisaebetten]

Rocks in streams to me looks very nice and the rushing water sends the debris downstream where the filter can pick up the crud. In the pond if not kept well maintained you can't really see how nice they look. I think this all started in caveman days when men stored up their weapon rocks in big holes. Holes filled w/ water and fish were added on prehistoric bird legs................VOILA!............the 1st ponderers

You sure do know how to make a person laugh!!!

 

[pugle1]

Just wondering if the stirring up by the fish would help get some stuff to the skimmer? Kind of like a swimming pool that needs swimmers in it to help keep it clean? I know the chemical kill bad stuff in pools but just wondering?

Unless I disturb something in the pond myself, I find so far at least that nothing gets stirred up. The fishies swimming doesn't seem to cause any problems even when in a spawning or feeding frenzy.

 

[Lisaebetten]

I think its an American thing you dont see them over here

Dave

That's interesting to think American are the only people on the face of the earth to put a rock in a pond. I kinda think of the pools of water that the ancient Egyptians made. Was it hardend clay/tile?

 

[Lisak1]

My indoor fishies have rocked bottoms and I clean the substrate once a month. Although my pond isn't done yet I won't have rocks on the bottom but on the shelves only. I do know junk builds up whether there is rock or not. Cleaning is part of the responsibility rock or no rock. You should see what my hard wood floors look like when not tended!!!! GROSS!!!

I think of the bottom of the pond as being similar to a compost pile. A pile of leaves, twigs, grass clippings, etc. eventually will break down. How fast depends on many factors - the composition of the pile, moisture, temperature, and so on. And the end result is a product which is full of life-giving properties.

The same is true of the bottom of the pond. The stuff that gathers WILL break down - it's just a matter of how long. I can tell you from experience that oak leaves, for example, take forever to deteriorate. Anyway, that process isn't necessarily appealing, and it can be overwhelming to a small backyard pond (and the liner probably slows the process down as there is little of the interaction from the underside that you would get in a natural pond), so we do our best to keep the majority of the detritus from collecting. The matter that remains, along with the waste produced by the fish is the job of the bacteria. That's also an environment that lots of tiny microorganisms enjoy residing in - ponds are teeming with life forms that we will probably never even see. I find that fascinating. In fact, I find the whole eco-system of the pond fascinating - it's a big part of the appeal of a having a pond for me.

 

[Lisaebetten]

I was watching a video of a koi pond that was rectangular and bare nothing in it. I watched the fish swim/pace back and forth in a pattern. I wondered what their true before human habitat was like? No plants, rocks, no life except minor alge? Now I am not a fish expert but do have indoor tanks and give them plenty of tunnels, hiding places and the like. Prolly spend more money then I need to on them. These koi reminded me of some of the bears at zoo's I have seen pacing back and forth looking board. No offense just an observation, maybe the fish could care less if they have tunnels, rocks or plants to swim thru?