POND "SIZE" -- REALITY CHECK, OR WHAT?

[Mmathis]

OK, y'all, I started out thinking my pond for the boxies would be about 100 gal. Then decided to make it larger: easier to "keep" the larger volume, plus I could have fishies -- maybe 300 gal. or so. Have taken a rough measurement of the area I have to work with, just for ballpark figures. Then started working on designs & shapes (posted a few of those ideas). Was thinking I'd be OK at around 1000 gal or so.
Well, most recent pond volume calculation showed me at 4000-5000 gals! Whoo! How did I get there! :yikesu: I don't know, but that seems like a LOT of water, even though it doesn't look like that much space when I mark it out in the yard. Sort of a mitten-shape, not bad, but that volume.....

So I spent the morning re-measuring and re-drawing. Basically I came up with a potato-shaped pond, about 10' x 12' with a max depth of 3'. That still calculates out to between 2000 - 3000 gal. It's raining, so can't go out to "shape" it with the hose for a while.

Being a card-carrying newbie, I had no idea how shape was going to translate to pond dimensions & volume (I'm a very visual person, so really do have to SEE something to know what it will look like -- I'm keeping my eye out for some good but inexpensive pond-design software). And, of course, just reducing size of the design doesn't help 'cause that throws the proportions off.
Fortunately, I don't think the turtles are going to care :lol: , as long as they have a healthy, safe place to soak. But, boy is the TURTLEMOMMY a little taken aback -- not bad, just have to put "expectaion" bar a little lower. I figure it happens to everyone first time around.

 

[taherrmann4]

Go as big as you can, b/c once you get it finished you will have wished you went bigger.

 

[koiguy1969]

they look bigger and deeper until theyre filled.

 

[fishin4cars]

3000-4000 gallons is a REALLY nice nice pond to work with. It not to big it's not to small. It can handle a very nice school of Goldies, or it can handle a 5-6 full grown koi pretty easily, maybe even a few more depending on filtration. To me that size pond is actually easier to landscape as well, small trees and shaped bushes work better because they are there year round, whenyou deal with small ponds it's almost always that you end up with annuals for the landscaping which have to be replaced yearly. Other benefits of a larger pond, more stable, more areas to enjoy the viewing, larger areas for the turtles to come to the edge, and if something does go wrong, larger ponds are far more forgiving than small ones are. If you have at least one area that is three to four foot deep to keep the pond cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, I can't see why you would want to reduce. for the little more you will spend on liner, pump, and filter during the build you'll gain so much more after the build in enjoyment.

 

[Catfishnut]

I have to agree with the previous replies. Not because I have experience in the matter, but that all the arguments are absolutely logical. Expressly the notion stated by Fishin4cars that the larger pond will be more stable. The water temperature will be better regulated, the water chemistry and quality should be more stable as the sheer volume of water simply adds that benefit and it simply starts to act more natural, like a real natural pond in nature.

Remember my advice, the more closely you can copy nature's own design, the better. Nature knows better how to take care of itself if not interfered with too much. If we wish to bring nature into our backyard, we are interfering, so we must do our best to copy what nature does the best we can to avoid having to supplement and subsidize it too much.

Gordy

 

[Mmathis]

LOL @ myself! :0000000057: Just needed to talk to someone -- hubby is saturated (especially since my ideas change on a regular basis -- he can't keep up...) and son could care less (teenager, what more can I say). Isn't it amazing how quickly our plans can get out of hand -- whew! Actually, I needed that reality check, 'cause, darn if I don't find myself forgetting that the main purpose of my pond is to give my boxies a safe & healthy watering hole.

Probably, where I was getting bogged down (no pun intended) was trying to come up with an elaborate design with satelite areas for the turtles, etc. And that type of design would look really cool, but was spending too much mental energy trying to make that work, figuring out how the water would flow, etc. Way back there somewhere was my original idea of simply dividing the pond into sections using a physical barrier -- 1) to keep the boys & girls separated, and 2) to keep the turts' physical spaces safe for them. Well, I came up with my physical barrier idea (cedar pickets and PVC pipe), so now, back to the drawing board, so to speak.

Will aim for around 3000 gal +/- with a simple design (my "potato" looked nice). And by keeping it simple, adding a bog might work into the plans!

Thanks, all!

 

[sissy]

Now thats a new shape description POTATO SHAPED ,LOL

 

[Mmathis]

LOL -- maybe I'm hurgry! Well, it's not quite an oval, not quite egg-shaped....

 

[sissy]

LMAO we have to now add a new shape when we want to describe the shapes of ponds ,whats next french fry shape 'we do have a couple of ponds long and narrow on here

 

[Mmathis]

LOL, again! It's a habit from my working days as an OB nurse. I trained lots of nursing students and some medical students, and the best way to bridge the gap of understanding was often to describe "anatomical" things using commonly recognized shapes & sizes (it's a lot easier to picture a "grapefruit" than it is to say "it's round, about 6" in diameter, slightly irregular and lumpy....." ) Hope that's not TMI. :razz:

 

[taherrmann4]

In your nursing days did you ever describe something as an ugli fruit :razz:

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKbPj8XM4jIQgQfEdJ70MEX-lv6zHYcUMatpIai5sjC5qnDXR4dg

 

[sissy]

oh gosh now what did we get into here tmann .

 

[DoDad]

My pon calculator may help you http://www.cascade-pond-supply.com/Pond-Volume-Calculator.html

 

[pecan]

I am pretty new to ponding, built my first pond last June so I only have one season behind me. But I also went BIG! I have done the calculations on mine and have come up with anywhere from 4800 - 6400 gallons. I am pretty sure it's around 5000 gallons. A couple things to consider when you go that big is liner... I had the hole dug and started looking for the liner. For one piece that large it was $700!!! The most expensive part of the project and had to have special over sized shipping and weighed 500 lbs! My husband and brother put the liner on a latter and tied the latter to our large rear tine tiller, put it in drive, one handled the tiller and the other helped push the latter to get it to the pond. LOL my husband must love me. Than my husband and I had the great pleasure of installing the 500 lb liner by hand. It was the only point in the project where I was at the end of my rope. Ha! Another thing to consider is the cost of aquatic plants to make a pond that large healthy.

Let me clarify, I don't regret it at all, I love the size and am glad I made it that big. Just letting you know some of my struggles due to the size. Other than that it is perfect! I love it! don't have to worry about water temps in the winter or summer due to the size. I have heard it is much easier to get and keep a natural balance the larger you go and I believe it.

I say go for it!!! But get a crane or something to move that liner LOL.

 

[pecan]

My pon calculator may help you http://www.cascade-p...Calculator.html

How do I find out the radius of an oval pond?