New Stock Tank Pond

[Criscar]

I don’t have any wildlife that I know of, but water lettuce and duck weed never last long. Honestly, I believe the goldfish eat the roots off, then the plants shrink and die. Water hyacinths don’t last too long either, but that’s the lack of direct sunlight, I’m sure.. I have an abundance of mint growing around the property, so I’ve placed some in the pond, and I’m sure the goldfish are eating those roots as well.

Duckweed is like candy for goldfish so that is definitely why you can't get duckweed to last. I have to grow mine in a totally separate tub (my heated lotus tub with a betta on mosquito patrol) and then just toss a handful in the fish pond every few days and it's always gone by the next morning.

 

[RichGuess]

The best way to go is to sand down the insides of the galvanized tank (so the liquid liner can actually adhere to the tank) and cover it in a liquid pond liner. Pond armor makes a good one. Yes it may cost a bit (1.5QT of black pond shield is $60 on sale right now) but it'll look much nicer than leaving it without one (plus the issues for fish health) and it'll look better than using a standard liner.

Amazon.com : Pond Armor SKU-BLACK-QT-R Non Toxic Pond Shield Epoxy Paint, 1.5-Quart, Black : Garden & Outdoor

Amazon.com : Pond Armor SKU-BLACK-QT-R Non Toxic Pond Shield Epoxy Paint, 1.5-Quart, Black : Garden & Outdoor

www.amazon.com

Welcome Rich! I have a stock tank pond about half the size of what you are planning. The link to the build photos is in my signature in case that's any help and I have two small bog filters set only about a foot higher than the level of the pond, on cinderblocks, so it's not impossible. I ended up deciding to go with a rubbermaid tank instead of a galvanized metal tank both because I was concerned about inconsistent reports of zinc leaching and killing fish, and about the metal causing temperature stability issues. It looks like you're already pretty well committed to the galvanized plan so you may want to think about some ways that you can insulate your pond to help it with temperature stability both midsummer and midwinter, especially this first year before your plants can really grow in.

GL!

ETA: I have a tetra pond pump that feeds to the two bog filters and the plants in the pond and that's it, nothing else, and so far so good. UV lights kill the good with the bad, so might be something to reconsider.

Thanks for the encouragement… I just didn’t plan for the bog filter, so my image of the final product needs time to reset…. From behind, I left a 2x7 opening in case I needed to lower anything in ground. ( a friend has 3ea 30 gal barrels filled with bio balls, was considering this ) Anyway, nothing says I cant fill it back in, and set a 2x4x2 tank on cinderblocks cross ways in back..

but originally, there was planned, a partially open wall behind the pond, to block the neighbors, and reduce some morning sun, maybe a wisteria on a trellis…. I was also wanting a good amount of waterfall sound, and, I don’t see enough flow coming from a bog output (and rightfully so )

In any case, I want something functional and reliable in place, in case the bog endeavor takes time consuming adjustments initially.. The bog will take some deeper research, in order to determine dimensions, materials, bog plant types, etc. The smallest tank I see is 2ft deep, and that seems too deep, & depending on materials, Heavy…

The temperature hopefully won’t be an issue. Final plan was stacked stone all the way around, or stuco over cinder blocks /w brick cap. And to fill the space between with spray foam. Also, the lattice overhead, could be as much as 70% shade if need be…

The zinc concerns me, but still looking for more info. There are other coatings besides pond armor, but still very spendy.. not sure how that’s going to play out yet…

thanks for the input…

Rich…

 

[RichGuess]

I’m Looking at this coating…. No 2-part mix, or rush before it sets issues.

Still, I figure 4 coats will take ~3 gals.. ouch…

 

[RichGuess]

Making some headway, but it’s slow. Does anyone have a recommended material I can set the stock tank on, to prevent it from directly touching the concrete ? It needs to be 8 ft and can’t be foam. I’m worried foam would be worse than nothing, by absorbing, and holding water, causing pre-mature corrosion. My first thought was a piece of pond liner….

Any thoughts ?
Rich…

 

[brokensword]

Making some headway, but it’s slow. Does anyone have a recommended material I can set the stock tank on, to prevent it from directly touching the concrete ? It needs to be 8 ft and can’t be foam. I’m worried foam would be worse than nothing, by absorbing, and holding water, causing pre-mature corrosion. My first thought was a piece of pond liner….
View attachment 141626
Any thoughts ?
Rich…

liner would surely work; maybe look for some HDRPE as it's sturdier/reinforced than EPDM. You could also put it in a bed of sand but you may have to create a box to help contain it.

 

[GBBUDD]

Trex decking pieces, azek, or any composite decking . epdm will work but i think it will trap moisture more the the other two

 

[GBBUDD]

I would also look at brining your zinc tub to a linex dealer. where they will spray the liner inside your tub it's it incredibly durable stuff and i extremely doubt it is harmful to fish . this will give you a very neat clean coating over all the ribs and detail in the tub. the linex is not smooth it does have texture and should be fantastic for nitrifying bacteria to grow on. they also sell similar products for truck beds at even places like adap or such hook up a air compressor they give you a cheap gun and spray it on but i would caulk the joints before you spray

 

[RichGuess]

liner would surely work; maybe look for some HDRPE as it's sturdier/reinforced than EPDM. You could also put it in a bed of sand but you may have to create a box to help contain it.

Thanks for the tip.. I ordered an HDRPE liner from epay, should be here Wed. I still have to wait for the concrete to cure for 2 more weeks, before I even think about water….

Rich…

 

[GBBUDD]

Your concrete is fine to work on you just don't want to load it for a week what psi did you use

 

[RichGuess]

Your concrete is fine to work on you just don't want to load it for a week what psi did you use

It’s a 3000 psi mix, but it should cure ~28 days before I add 5000 lbs of water to it.
the liner / pad will be here wednesday, so some time thursday, I may add some water to keep it in place while I figure out the wall around it. This is a whole project, not just a pond, so, some trees were delivered today, and I’ll be planting those for a few days.. Still deciding on filter/pump combo…

Thanks, Rich…

 

[GBBUDD]

Yes concrete cures in 28 days but for a slab you don't have anywhere near the weights to jeopardize the concrete. With a 3000 psi mix we stand a 40,000 pound mono pole in 7 days that is 80 feet tall minimum . then at 28 days we are pulling in miles of wire that weighs 9 pounds a foot. your pressures are negligible. As long as you kept it wet for 3 days your good

 

[RichGuess]

Well, it looks like a bog filter is do-able, but I can only comfortably fit a 2W x 3L x 2D tank.
That seems small proportionately. Can it be expected function adequately ? I’m moving forward with it, and should have the bog tank tomorrow. Some bog is better than none.. Right ? The pond is about 700gal, and there will propably only be about 15 goldfish, 10 of which are currently living in a 70-75 gal stock tank. Not sure how big a gold fish can get, they’re holding at about 5 inches now. My point is, the fish load should not be that heavy.

What is the best bog design ? Plants are a must, so I need to know what are my best choice?

Rich…

 

[brokensword]

Well, it looks like a bog filter is do-able, but I can only comfortably fit a 2W x 3L x 2D tank.
That seems small proportionately. Can it be expected function adequately ? I’m moving forward with it, and should have the bog tank tomorrow. Some bog is better than none.. Right ? The pond is about 700gal, and there will propably only be about 15 goldfish, 10 of which are currently living in a 70-75 gal stock tank. Not sure how big a gold fish can get, they’re holding at about 5 inches now. My point is, the fish load should not be that heavy.

What is the best bog design ? Plants are a must, so I need to know what are my best choice?

Rich…

Yes, any bog (filtration) is better than nothing. Make it as deep as you can to maximize what you DO have. Good plants are those that grow aggressively as they'll pull the nitrates out faster but be aware it also means you'll be thinning more often. Still, shallow roots, so easy yanking. Realize, a bog is mainly for bio filtration, not for plants. They do their job, but you can do the same with floaters. A bog is for good bacteria colonization. We're it my pond, I'd put in a thin layer of pea gravel on the pond bottom just to increase surface area for the bacteria. This way, you're augmenting your bog filter.

Plants to use in the bog; water cress, creeping Jenny, parrots feather, water mint, water clover, monkey flower, arrow plant, among others. Iris are pretty good filters but you have to keep an eye on it and it's not as easy to thin (divide).

Floaters to use; water hyacinth and water lettuce as they have great, aggressive roots. Aim for 60% coverage and composite if you exceed that in time.

 

[RichGuess]

Well, things are progressing slowly. Started the lattice patio cover, and that’s sucking up all my time for now. Boy, I didn’t realize how much a 25ft timber weighs ! I’ve done some investigating and I’ve decided to use a liner in the stock tank, just to be sure. The subject is pretty polarized and runs from either “the zinc is completely harmless in low levels“ to “it will kill your fish in weeks”.
Better safe then sorry, I suppose…. As the outside and the top edge will be covered, my plan is the install the liner, fill the pond with water, fold the liner nicely over the edge, and use a 25 ft nylon ratcheting strap to secure it..



I bought a firestone 45 mil rubber liner that should arrive soon (amazon, probably tomorrow). Because it’s only intended to be a barrier from the zinc, I could have gone thinner, but I never want to do this again…. This brings me to more questions. First, the drain will no longer be available, should that concern me ? I had planned to push water though that opening with a submersible pump, forcing the water thru a filter, then return to the pond by means of a waterfall. In that way, I would have no plumbing hanging over the wall. Now, issue two, I’m not sure the best intake method Will be. I’m assuming , a pre filter, followed by the pump, connected via plumbing to a filter (over the wall, behind the pond), plumbed back to pond via the waterfall. You can see in the pic, there will someday be a small bog filter, and that plumbing will puzzle me even more, because, I’d like the ability to switch, or “mix” the filtering methods. What would that plumbing look like ? I get so many hits when I search here, but haven’t seen quite what I think I need, maybe it’s my search terms…. Some guidance is certainly welcome !

Rich…

 

[GBBUDD]

Your best bet in a drain i take it is at the bottom of your galvanized container. Just because yor putting in a liner does not mean you have to eliminate the drain. i assume you were going to use a bulked fitting to make that water proof. well that hasn't changed because you got a liner just the type of bulked will change. Where your set up is so in the open i would lean to interrogating a bog onto your design. It is by FAR the most attractive filter you can use. And is definitely underrated. Ok i see now you already have the bog set up with a second galvanized tub . but from what i can see is you need to have at least 6 inches of side wall from the water height in the bog to the spill way. as you have it now it won't allow for to much of a drop. but no one ever said f=waterfalls need to drop 4 feet . as the higher they get the harder it is to control the splash.
If i was spending the kinda time and design your doing i would have lined the galvanized with fabric sp when condensation starts if the galvy starts to get rough the liner will be protected. i would then learn how to seam and i would make that pond wrinkle free but that is me i have had a lot of experience in doing so. You appear to be in a very hot area rubbers enemy is UV rays underwater is not as bad but exposed rubber can fail in as little as 8 years remove the uv rays and rubber can last indefinitely.
There are other materials where they can make a welded bond with is better then a epdm bond.

The key to a bog is to pump the water to the bottom of the bog but you will need to have something to break the vacuum if the power goes out so that your bog and pond don't level out a vacuum breaker available at depot lowes made of pvc for 20 bucks is all you need or even drilling a hole in the top of the pipe but facing down tot he spray of water doesn't go everywhere of gets clogged.