Hi all! My name is Char and I have been a wannabe pond addict for many years. My fixes started with an abandoned turtle sand box that my kids had outgrown. It was lined with black plastic, had water run to an old hand pump and was surrounded by chunks of broken concrete. This sat on a concrete slab that covered a dug well behind our house. A couple of years later, I upgraded to a 4ft. kiddie pool covered the same and with the same pump. I was able to keep this clear with a prefilter on the pump, a few bunches of elodea, and a potted marginal. I kept a couple feeder goldfish to control the mosquito larvae. This was nice, but I continued to dream of a waterfall and waterlilies! This spring I took the plunge and after a lot of research and lurking on forums such as this, I designed a "bigger and better" pond. It has an upper pond (over the dug well slab) with a small waterfall (about 2 1/2 ft. tall). The upper pond will empty into the lower pond which is 6ft. diameter and 3ft. deep. My question now is where to put the bog. I have brick walls laid in the sides of the upper pool for this or I could dig one next to the side of the lower pool. (there should be enough of the corner of the liner there to cover the hole) The advantage of the upper pool would be the water flow from the waterfall. The advantage of the side bog would be better insulation in winter for the plants. (I live in zone 5, Northwest Ohio, USA) I will have a 26 gal skippy type bio filter with a bottom drain and an 1800 gal/hr submersible pump. The hole is dug and the liner is in place with a little water in it from a heavy rainfall the other day. I'm waiting for delivery of a water transfer pump to bring water up from the dug well to finish filling it. I plan on sticking with goldfish. Any ideas, opinions or suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks.
Introduction
- Thread starter poodles-ponds and gardens
- Start date
I was thinking in the lines of it acting as a vegetable filter. Would it make much difference between the two choices. Who knows. Maybe I'll do both!
gardenplanters
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Hi,
I was able to keep this clear with a prefilter on the pump, a few bunches of elodea, and a potted marginal. I kept a couple feeder goldfish to control the mosquito larvae. This was nice, but I continued to dream of a waterfall and waterlilies! This spring I took the plunge and after a lot of research and lurking on forums such as this, I designed a "bigger and better" pond. It has an upper pond (over the dug well slab) with a small waterfall (about 2 1/2 ft. tall). The upper pond will empty into the lower pond which is 6ft. diameter and 3ft. deep. My question now is where to put the bog. I have brick walls laid in the sides of the upper pool for this or I could dig one next to the side of the lower pool. (there should be enough of the corner of the liner there to cover the hole) The advantage of the upper pool would be the water flow from the waterfall.
I was able to keep this clear with a prefilter on the pump, a few bunches of elodea, and a potted marginal. I kept a couple feeder goldfish to control the mosquito larvae. This was nice, but I continued to dream of a waterfall and waterlilies! This spring I took the plunge and after a lot of research and lurking on forums such as this, I designed a "bigger and better" pond. It has an upper pond (over the dug well slab) with a small waterfall (about 2 1/2 ft. tall). The upper pond will empty into the lower pond which is 6ft. diameter and 3ft. deep. My question now is where to put the bog. I have brick walls laid in the sides of the upper pool for this or I could dig one next to the side of the lower pool. (there should be enough of the corner of the liner there to cover the hole) The advantage of the upper pool would be the water flow from the waterfall.
Update
Well it's coming along. After 5+ weeks of getting my dugwell/pump problems figured out, I finally have a water supply and have mostly filled my new pond.(I'll finish filling it after I get the waterfall and edging done) I spent the last two mornings hauling rocks. At least they were free!
My FIL has some property that belonged to his great uncles. It has a big pile of rocks that were culled over many years from the fields and orchard. My FIL was gracious enough to let me have them! I have taken the afternoons off yesterday and today due to 90+ degrees and as much humidity yesterday and thunderstorms and torrential downpour this afternoon. Took a couple pix of the progress so far. As always any comments or constructive criticism is welcomed.
Well it's coming along. After 5+ weeks of getting my dugwell/pump problems figured out, I finally have a water supply and have mostly filled my new pond.(I'll finish filling it after I get the waterfall and edging done) I spent the last two mornings hauling rocks. At least they were free!
My FIL has some property that belonged to his great uncles. It has a big pile of rocks that were culled over many years from the fields and orchard. My FIL was gracious enough to let me have them! I have taken the afternoons off yesterday and today due to 90+ degrees and as much humidity yesterday and thunderstorms and torrential downpour this afternoon. Took a couple pix of the progress so far. As always any comments or constructive criticism is welcomed.Attachments
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
its comin' along............hurry up!!!
I'm tryin'! Aside from physics (dugwell/pump issue) and the forces of nature against me, whenever I work on it, my miniature poodle Emma has to be right there under my feet all the time. This morning as I was working on the waterfall, she actually was climbing up and laying on the top of the falls. Guess she's the structural engineering inspector! I went to get my camera, but as she has to always be right beside me, she jumped down and followedf.
I went to get my camera, but as she has to always be right beside me, she jumped down and followedf.
That looks great!
I was wondering if you installed a bottom drain?
I was wondering if you installed a bottom drain?
No bottom drain. I have a submersible pump that I have rigged a prefilter for. My pond is only 6ft. diameter by 3ft. deep. I know a lot of people swear by bottom drains but I'm afraid it would be one more place for a leak. Here's a couple pix of my pump and prefilter...
Attachments
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
what media are you gonna fill that with...Lowes and HomeDepot sell a plastic cut to fit furnace filter they are like 20" x25"x1" one of those and some dollar store scrubbies should be o.k. or are you going to have an external filter? if not get one more of those baskets and create a full cage full of media.
This is just a prefilter to keep the heavy stuff out. The openings are 1/8 X 11/4 inches. I don't plan on putting any media in it. The water will then be piped to a 26 gal. skippy type filter behind the falls. The skippy will be filled with the ball shaped pot scrubbers, cubes of Nu Foam and scotch brite type scrubbies. The media are put in mesh bags for easy removal if need be for cleaning. The media are graduated in layers from coarse to fine so it will act as a bio and mechanical filter. The prefilter baskets, mesh bags, and scrubbies came from the dollar store. I have been researching and planning this project for over 6 months now and have learned a lot from this forum, so thanks everyone!
koiguy1969
GIGGETY-GIGGETY!!
sounds like you have a good handle on things..good luck and enjoy!!
Update
It's starting to come together! I have the falls completed and I put the second spillway in, laid the first row of edging and trimmed the excess liner today. I was basically playing in mud after 4-5 inches of rain last evening and during the night. The good news is the pond is almost completely topped off.:biggrin: Weather permitting, I'll connect the filter and sink the pump tomorrow. I'm anxious to get the filter going so I can get some fish in as the pond is turning into a mosquito factory. Pix below.
It's starting to come together! I have the falls completed and I put the second spillway in, laid the first row of edging and trimmed the excess liner today. I was basically playing in mud after 4-5 inches of rain last evening and during the night. The good news is the pond is almost completely topped off.:biggrin: Weather permitting, I'll connect the filter and sink the pump tomorrow. I'm anxious to get the filter going so I can get some fish in as the pond is turning into a mosquito factory. Pix below.
Attachments
I have fishies!:biggrin: I picked them up Friday morning. I was going to go with feeder comets but after checking the suppliers in the area and finding obvious disease in all of them I decided to go with some bigger fish. Our local pond supplier just received a new shipment of comets last week. I went with two 3-4 inch common comets that they had for $2.50 each, and a 4 inch Sarassa for $3.99. The Sarassa's tail is almost as long as it is! After releasing them into the pond (after breaking them in properly) They proceeded to swim slowly around and back and forth the pond in a group. Didn't seem too concerned about anything, just checking out the new digs. They didn't even hide when I had to go into the pond yesterday to complete the lower spillway! Today they kept coming to the surface to eat the duckweed while I was working on the rocks. I took a couple of pieces of food (Koi Vibrance), broke them up into tiny pieces and tossed them in but they weren't too interested. I was able to get a couple pix of them.(see below) Also a pix of the project so far. (I'm going to lose the big rock in the lower left as it's too thick.)
