pond shopping list

[Nova]

I am starting to plan my next pond. The size will be about 12'x15' and 4' deep. The waterfall will be wide about 6' and not sure how tall or how long. I like to split the waterfall into two falls. I don't judge pumps and skimmers size well. What size pump and skimmer would I need to have a good flow on the waterfall that is neither a raging river or a trickle? I also want a bio filter that would not be seen at the top of the waterfall. I am going to try and make this completely natural looking. We plan on using ferns, mosses and other plants already growing on the lot. We are building a house in the woods on a hill and want the pond to blend right in with everything.

Start of shopping list:
pond liner 20x25
waterfall liner 10x15
pump ?
skimmer?
foam sealant and gun
flexible piping
LOTS of rocks (hopefully get enough from land clearing)

 

[sissy]

I got my liner from dr foster and smith it was the cheapest place .Don't forget once you get it done you will need bacteria to get the filter started .

 

[j.w]

You might want to get a bit bigger liner or go w/not as deep cuz if you add 4ft to each side for depth on that 12ft width you won't have enough to lap over the sides on top where you put your rocks. You will be sort of ok on the length but I might even make that a bit longer also to be safe. I'd go 25 x 30 so you have some room to adjust. Are you gonna have shelves cuz if so you will have to add that too the size also. Got my liners from a roofing company and one from an irrigation company.

 

[Nova]

No shelves. The menagerie of wildlife that may be visiting the pond I don't want to give them a vantage point for fishing. My koi pretty much destroy any plants I put into the pond anyway. Webb's Water Garden has a 20x25 for $283.00

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Yes, as j.w. said, you need a 25 x 30 liner for the pond basin. Pump size should be determined by the capacity of the pond as, ideally, you want a total water turn-over every 30 minutes.

 

[JBtheExplorer]

As jw said, you'll need a bigger liner for that size. The problem comes in at the 12' width. In order to have a depth of 4', you need 8' of liner.(4' down one side, 4' up the other). You add that 8' to the 12' width and you've got 20', but you'll still need at least another 2' extra to wrap under the rocks along the edge, 1' on every side at least. Here's a graphic that better shows what I mean. Its unlikely that you'll have it perfectly squared off like the graphic, but I do my graphics in squares, to ensure there is enough in the end.

As for plant shelves, I know you said you weren't adding any, but I just thought I'd point out that adding shelves has no effect on length of liner needed. Whether you just have a wall that goes straight up, or you make a shelf of any depth or width, the same amount of liner is used. I made another graphic (because it's winter and I'm bored) to show that whether it was a just wall (green) or a shelf (yellow) it still uses 4' of liner.

I had nightmares of miscalculating my liner when I installed my pond. I went through this stuff dozens of times before I ordered to make sure I had it all right. In the end it all worked out! Hope it all works out for you, too, and I hope you share the process here with us!

 

[Nova]

JB, I love your graphics. I was out at the lot trying to visualize the pond and can't decide if 12' would be to big and maybe scale down to 10 or 9 feet. I guess one way to see how much liner you would use is to start with the liner you think you might need and subtract. Liner width minus 4' for each side minus 1.5' over hang each side = the width of the pond. 20-8-3=9' width. Also, 25-8-3=14' length. I don't want to pay for more liner than I need but also don't want to be short on the liner.

Maybe narrow it down and bit and go with a 25x25 liner

 

[sissy]

They say you should dig the hole first and then order the liner .

 

[Margo]

This was good to read today - I just realized that I never took my bog or my water fall into my liner calculations. Duh. I have already purchased my 20 x 25 liner and I need to go buy a 10 x 15 for my bog and a 5 x 15 for my waterfall.

Good luck with your new pond Nova!

Margo

 

[sissy]

Most of those size pond liners are cheaper .I just got a small one from pet solutions with my 10 % off off for march .I was going to get it on dr foster and smith but figure it out and it was cheaper from pets

 

[sissy]

Uv you can get on ebay from topdog seller or cll pets .I paid less than 30 dollars for an 18 watt one and just ordered bulbs 2 for 8.74 cents from topdog seller

 

[bettasngoldfish]

No shelves. The menagerie of wildlife that may be visiting the pond I don't want to give them a vantage point for fishing. My koi pretty much destroy any plants I put into the pond anyway. Webb's Water Garden has a 20x25 for $283.00

I didn't have shelves in the first pond I put in and I was sorry I didn't. If any critters get in the pond they will have a hard time getting out and many times will end up dying in the pond I fished out several critters including frogs that could not get back out of the pond once they jumped in.

Just something to consider.....

 

[sissy]

That is why I made my window screen plant pockets the frogs sit on there and it is funny because aggie will see them and try as hard as she can to get them .I had shelves but they were useless because aggie and bert do not know how to be good fish .They would knock everything over

 

[bettasngoldfish]

That's an awesome idea sissy

 

[sissy]

cheap to make and you can make them any shape or size .Window screen fishing line and a needle and scissors .A rock to hold the tail down.Sme of mine are 6 years old .I had to come up with something that is aggie and bert safe from destruction