Pondless Waterfall creative basin ideas

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Hi there - first time poster here. I'm getting close to finishing a summer project and am looking for another sturdy way to hold my water besides ecoblox/aqaublocks. Picture attached.

For my basin I had to jackhammer a lot of rock, some of it indestructible with the equipment I rented, and ended up with a decent size basin (holds 140 gallons), but it's rounded at the bottom and has bowled sides. It was the best I could do. The problem I'm having is pump vaults and ecoblox/aqaublocks are all designed to sit on flat surfaces with straight sides. I'm going to lose a lot of empty void space if I try to use aqua blocks with supports, etc. Has anyone cooked up a remedy for this? Something that is just as sturdy as aqua blocks? I've thought about a metal frame cage like layer that could lay across the top with rocks on top. I don't know. Any ideas are welcome. Many thanks.
 

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Mmathis

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Hello and welcome! I’m sorry that I can’t help you, but I‘m sure there are others here who can. Where do you live?
 

TheFishGuy

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Welcome to the forum!

Why not create a little pond out of it :) If you are truly looking for a pond less waterfall type thing, you could consider making a wood frame holding some hogwire, it is very sturdy. and If you are looking to place smaller rocks on top than hog wires 4 inch holes, you could simply add some hardware cloth on top of the hog wire. Although I am sure others may have better ideas than me.
 
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Welcome to the forum!

Why not create a little pond out of it :) If you are truly looking for a pond less waterfall type thing, you could consider making a wood frame holding some hogwire, it is very sturdy. and If you are looking to place smaller rocks on top than hog wires 4 inch holes, you could simply add some hardware cloth on top of the hog wire. Although I am sure others may have better ideas than me.
Thank you! I grew up with a beautiful pond with great fish and I miss it, but this time I need something with a little less maintenance. Hog wire is interesting. I have 2 little girls so it would need to be strong enough to be walked (climbed) on.
 

TheFishGuy

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Thank you! I grew up with a beautiful pond with great fish and I miss it, but this time I need something with a little less maintenance. Hog wire is interesting. I have 2 little girls so it would need to be strong enough to be walked (climbed) on.
I would think it would be heavy duty enough, but you may want to include a middle bar for support just to be safe.
 
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We filled a portion of our pondless waterfall (the oddly shaped part that wouldn't fit an Aquablock!) with a bunch of leftover pieces of PVC. Nice and sturdy, indestructible and you could use just enough of them to create a flat spot for a block or two if you wanted.
 
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We filled a portion of our pondless waterfall (the oddly shaped part that wouldn't fit an Aquablock!) with a bunch of leftover pieces of PVC. Nice and sturdy, indestructible and you could use just enough of them to create a flat spot for a block or two if you wanted.
Ahhh... that's a very good idea! So glad I posted here. Thank you!
 
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Ahhh... that's a very good idea! So glad I posted here. Thank you!

No problem! Our pondless waterfall was our first water feature and is still (secretly!) my favorite! It's the kind of feature anyone could build in any kind of yard - I've seen so many creative applications of the pondless basin with a stream or waterfall or combination of both. You can even add small pools to a pondless set up to create spaces for birds and frogs to hang out. Definitely a great DIY project.
 
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Aqua blocks by aquascape imo are a bit stronger then the easy pro blocks i have turned both into odd shapes and have simply used zip ties to secure them together. And aquascapes now have a top sheet that is made to boost the strength of the topic the blocks .
ANOTHER IDEA is hpde double walled culvert pipe
The fiberglass can be a viable option but i believe you will still need to make vertical supports in the middle if not two or three depends on the class of fiberglass
One observation /question if that is standard concrete /mortar sooner or latter the changes in weather or even quick temperature changes you'll end up with a crack between the ledge and your basin. A epoxy ,paint ,liquid rubber could help keep the areas water tight. By far the most challenging pond waterfall builds that include ledge are the most challenging. IF YOU CAN MAKE IT WORK ITS GOING TO LOOK FANTASTIC
GOOD LUCK
 
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Usually I provide a link but this time, I can't for the life of me recall where I saw this really strong egg crate stuff. It was plastic grating and very strong. It was strong enough for a car to drive over. I might have seen it in Germany or Switzerland but just can't remember. Anyway, you might research industrial grating or something like that.
 

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