New pond, now we want it bigger..

[KatnRandy]

Has anybody put in a pond, only to be disappointed by the end result?

We built our 1000g, two tiered pond in the spring, and while it is beautiful, and we are happy with the way it looks, we are kind of wishing we had made it bigger.

So, while i don't mind doing a redesign, and making it bigger, i do have a few concerns.

We have 16 fish, a few frogs, established plants, and the water is in good condition. I don't want to lose any fish, and worry that starting a project when were coming up on autumn will set us back, and we'll have to reestablish what we've already accomplished.

The biggest issue as well, is that we intended to start laying a patio around the pond, and until we decide what we are going to do we cant start that project either. Also, we are getting married next summer, in the yard, so anything we start now, we must have done, and ready by then. haha. Not too much pressure.

How can we ensure our fish survive the transition? I don't want the frogs to leave either! I've grown quite attached to them.

 

[KatnRandy]

This is what it looks like right now. We'd like to extend it out about 3 feet, take out the preformed pond, and lay pond liner so that the whole shape is pond, instead of having garden inside the wall.

 

[gardengimp]

Lovely pond. And lots of activity going on your way. We expect pictures!

Your pond looks like a great candidate for a surround-a-pond bog. Go look up Addy's posts on how to bog and on her pond thread.

Here is my pond-away-from-pond. It is in the butterfly garden teaching garden at our county extension office. This project is the in service portion of my Master Gardener training.

I am leaving the preform in place, and adding pond liner around the three sides to make a bog garden. The liner will run from the top of the concrete blocks, across the bottom of the wrap-around then over the side of the preform. My plan is once the liner is in place, to pump some of the water from the pond into the wrap-around. This will let me test for water tightness, as well as to get the level down in the pond several inches so that I can run a bead of Loctite PL Roofing & Flashing sealant around the inner upper edge of the preform. When it is all said and done, the edge of the preform should be softened with aquatic grasses. Or, the edge of the preform could be topped with natural rock pavers. The fish in the pond (one goldfish and a gazillion gambusia) and the lilies won't be disturbed.

 

[sissy]

preformed in Canada it may freeze solid over winter and even crack it and kill the fish .I know colleen is in Canada and can tell you better

 

[KatnRandy]

^I didn't know that!

Originally i wanted a more formal pond, and the preformed is not doing it for me. I want a square or rectangle brick edged pond. We chose the preformed because we thought it would be easier, but i'd prefer the pond and the bricks meet, without the garden in between. And quite frankly, i want it bigger!

Is it worth it to tackle a new pond this late in the season? Could the fish survive up top, in about 150 gallons of water for a few weeks?

Also, our pond is only 2 feet deep and i worry that it will completely freeze over and the fish will die. If we expand and use the liner we can go deeper, so that's a bonus.

Would it be worthwhile to buy a kiddy pool to store the water and plants in until we are finished? I don't want to start with all new water and risk having an algae bloom all over again.

And to top it all off, i don't want to be scrambling next summer to get everything done in time for the wedding.

 

[taherrmann4]

At only 2' deep in canada I would be concerned about it freezing solid so I would take the chance and start it. Getting a pool to put the water and fish in is a good idea. I would try to do it as quickly as possible then pump the water back into the new pond.

good luck.

 

[j.w]

KatnRandy

 

[sissy]

yep like tman says start now and work fast and use the pond water to keep the fish in .Just make sure you put a net tight over the top so they do not jump out .They may do it because they are freaked out by whats going on .I know I powered on lights and dug mine out from morning to the next morning .The liners are heavy and you will need to spread it out in the sun for awhile to loosen it up and I know i put my liner in by myself so try to have help they are heavy and hard to work with and make sure before filling you get as many wrinkles out that you can and try to do the folds as neat and tight as possible .Make sure you have an under liner and try to take out any rocks you see in the soil .They can give you problems later .

 

[Mmathis]

Do you have a basement or someplace with enough space to hold the fish in something like a kiddie pool for a few weeks [or months, if the timing wasn't right]? At least you could keep them safe while the other work goes on. Planning a wedding is stressful enough.

 

[addy1]

Get a kiddie pool and go for it. Most likely you could at least get it dug, lined and fish back in pretty quickly. Before winter smacks us all.

Your set up is nice looking.

and welcome to our group!

 

[KatnRandy]

Thanks for the responses, and the welcome.

We sit outside and stare at the yard, and the pond, and all the work we still have to do, but i know if we lay the brick patio around the pond there's no going back. Luckily we're both on the same page about this, and we both want a bigger pond, so i dont have to convince him, haha.

One of the biggest motivators are the lovely pics everyone on here has. Every time we see a bigger pond we get a little more jealous that ours is so tiny! We never knew when we started this we'd become such enthusiasts!

 

[brandonsdad02]

I think everyone makes there first pond bigger. I know when I first built mine last year, I was happy with it, but was thinking of reasons to tell the wifey that I had to make it bigger. After bringing the fish inside for the winter, she let me make it bigger this year. Like others have said, 2' deep...I would be afraid of it freezing solid. Looks great tho.

 

[sissy]

Well you need to stop looking and get to work ,just think how great you both will look in your wedding attire after all this work .

 

[shanezam203]

Can you frame out the Top and make it trickle down or a water fall to the bottom? Can you use a liner and not the pre defined Plastic and fill in the entire area inside the Bricks?

 

[KatnRandy]

Well you need to stop looking and get to work ,just think how great you both will look in your wedding attire after all this work .

OMG, dont get me started!

Can you frame out the Top and make it trickle down or a water fall to the bottom? Can you use a liner and not the pre defined Plastic and fill in the entire area inside the Bricks?

What i think we are going to do is get rid of the top part altogether, take out the preformed, expand the bottom by about 3 feet, and lay liner. So yes, that's exactly what were thinking.

At the moment we are in the middle of building a new room, and laying new flooring, so the pond work will have to wait for a week or so. Lots to do..