Incorporating tubs into a stream

[johan]

Hello,

I have 2 ponds, one 3500l and the other 250l. I'm looking at re-landscaping the area to create a different way in, which should release approx. 4mx1m for me to then build a stream in. I'd like to incorporate reeds into this stream, so I was thinking about using 3-4 tubs like below to have reeds in baskets, and then somehow connecting these up with butyl (or something else) to make an interconnecting stream out of the whole lot, all flowing back into the main pond. These sort of tubs have rounded lips and come in various sizes and would seem ideal for housing reeds, but I'm not sure what the best way is to make a nice looking stream with them, so I was hoping for some thoughts based on people's experience doing anything similar? Or is there a cheap solid tub that'd be better?

Would it be more sensible to drill a hole and use pvc pipes as the outlet, then letting that water pass onto butyl, which overlaps over and into the next one, and hide the tub edges with flat rocks? Would this give me a cast iron connection, and what sort of pipe size and join is recommended? The total fall over this length is only about 50cm.
This is a little plan than might explain where I'm going with this:

Many thanks for your time,

-Johan

 

[addy1]

I did something similar on a different scale, large stock tank in my pond loop. Small stock tank. My stream has ponds built into it.

Have each section flow into the pot, then have the water from the pot flow out via some pvc pipes placed in drilled holes. Make sure you seal the pipes in well. I also made sure my liner was tight below the piping.
Works great.

 

[addy1]

Have your out holes large, mine our 2 two inch pvc. One pot is 3 1 inch pvc, slow flow pond.

 

[addy1]

I sealed all in with the pl roofing and flashing sealant.

 

[johan]

That's great Addy, thanks for the tips! Any observations about the Winter aspect, ie I guess I'll need quite deep tubs otherwise they might freeze completely - or is it more sensible to switch the stream off in the depth of winter to prevent ice expansion problems?

Many thanks again - and I have to say it looks like a fun summer project for me. Plenty of time to spend ages fiddling with the stream moving a rock here, planting a plant there and so on

 

[Big Lou]

Great think out of the tub! Seriously, a very good concept. Please provide photos during and after your project. Welcome Johan.

 

[addy1]

I turn all of for the winter, esp the stream. My small tubs and ponds froze up solid and did just fine.

 

[CometKeith]

Johan welcome to GPF, Addy is our tub master! Also I have learned from her tubs are a great place to raise frogs!

 

[johan]

I turn all of for the winter, esp the stream. My small tubs and ponds froze up solid and did just fine.

Thanks!

Addy1, I managed to read more than half your 52 page pond thread before our corporate firewall decided it was pr0n, but think you've got some really good things in there that I can either plagiarise or learn from! Your recipe for streams seems to be build 'em wide, deep and well, and use plenty of rocks to hide the ugly bits whilst foaming to control the course... good advice .

Am I right that you doubleskin the liner with some soft lining underneath? Having used butyl before for a large pond I did find that the liner cracked after about 10 years, where it was bent back severely. I do have 2 kids and they're bound to want to jump between and onto rocks, which I'm concerned would break liner material.... but I don't know of an alternative...

Your bog area, it is with pea gravel and unrampant shallow rooted stuff on top? My pond is doing fine re filtration but I was tempted to put some rushes and reeds on a couple of tubs in some sort of gravel media for this same reason - more sucking up of bad stuff can't do any harm. But I think I'm only going to have space for 4 tubs, so rather than making 2 of them for filtration I might dedicate all of them to more extravagant showboating things like a carnivorous tub, a tropical waterlilly tub etc.

Love the discovery of waterfall foam which I never knew existed. This is going to come in real handy!

Saw the giant hostas, mine have leaves about 1/2 m long - beautiful but the slugs love them! I'm very very tempted to try my hand at a lotus but I gather they require a lot of fertilisation which may be too much for my overall balance. Not sure if there's a way round this. So many things to try though .

I'm sure I'll end up using something similar to triple sealed flange sealant roofing goop. The way I was envisaging my setup would be one 1" flexible tube out from my main pond which splits into 4 1" tubes, each of which go into a different tub. Having said that I've just had to replace 20m of flexible tubing because the inside gets clogged up or the pipe becomes brittle, so maybe rigid proper piping would be more sensible.

Then each tub should get a 1 or 2" pipe out the side, well sealed etc, that the water comes out of, into a stream with bare outline 3 ftx1ft, but disguised with tons of rocks, upside down roots, plants and other stuff. The stream then all flows back into the main pond at the bottom that the water was initially pumped out of. But this stream will need some attention because I'd like it to be possible to not have the stream flowing all the time if I don't want it too. I do have a spare 6000l/hr pump sitting around unused that I can use for all this. Stream design observations very welcome - I already saw that you like to make little bridges too across streams, very aesthetically effective.

Do you ever stress about mixing different rock types? I have in the past and wonder if I'm being ridiculous. Mixing round and straight has always seemed a bit off to me and at the moment I have an excess of round and not enough straight. The local stone is sandstone which I don't think lends itself too well to water because it crumbles - thought that does seem to vary. I'll look around for a nice pallet delivery. Then foam them, such a great tip.

The main purpose for this project is some show plants and flowers but more especially amphibians for my daughter because she loves newts and frogs and the non-fish pond I have is basically her pet project. Any tips of encouraging those appreciated. Hideyholes I assume, and shallow pools with lots of weed for them to sit in.

 

[addy1]

Do you ever stress about mixing different rock types?

answer nope!
here are my rocks, flat, round, pea gravel (That is 38000 lbs of pea gravel), dug up white quartz, it all looks great together.
I also had two pallets of flatish purple toned stones, boulders

 

[addy1]

m I right that you doubleskin the liner with some soft lining underneath?

I used carpet padding under the stream liner, than lined the stream with the first layer of liner, the second layer of liner was mainly in the bed of the stream where the deer like to walk. So far the only stream leaks I get are from the deer pushing the edge down while munching on my plants in the winter. With our slope the downhill side of the stream is built up on the slope, a little easier to push down. The spots I have had a lot of issues with now have rock under the liner to firm it up. Every spring I have to remove deer poo, knocked over rocks, partly eaten bushes out of the stream before turning it on. Than I walk the stream once it is running to check for low spots. Spring maintenance. Darn stream is hard to walk the slope is so steep.

I don't use epdm, bought my liner from bend tarp and liner in oregon, ppl36 some really tough stuff and it does not get slick like epdm.

 

[addy1]

Your bog area, it is with pea gravel and unrampant shallow rooted stuff on top?

The bog is pea gravel with upflow water from the pond. It is full of plants, as of now you can't see the gravel except where I keep my bee watering station free and bird bath areas free of plants. I sort of control them, every now and then yank a few, but usually just let it grow and do its thing which is filtering my ponds. The water stays crystal clear.

This is looking across a nine foot stock tank via my underwater cam

 

[addy1]

But I think I'm only going to have space for 4 tubs, so rather than making 2 of them for filtration I might dedicate all of them to more extravagant showboating things like a carnivorous tub, a tropical waterlilly tub etc.

Stick some aracharnis in the tub with the lilies, plants whatever you put in, they grow great. Help with the filtering system. One of my stream ponds is full of it and parrots feather. The critters love it.

 

[sissy]

Those type tubs do crack ,I know I have 3 of them and only 1 has not cracked .

 

[addy1]

This is part of my stream , mixed rocks, wandering down the slope switchback style. There are three small ponds in the stream bed as it makes switch backs.