Preformed vs flexible liner...

[shw104]

I'm starting my first goldfish pond shortly. Based on the area I have available, it will be in the 250 gallon range. What are the advantages/disadvantages of using a preformed liner vs a flexible liner. A preformed seems to be easier to install but I could be wrong, I'm a rookie.

What does everything think. What does everyone get their liners?

thx
Scott

 

[addy1]

Preformed ponds work well, main thing is you are stuck with the shape it is made in. Also need to make your hole nice and level.

Liner pond, you can make the shape the way you want it.

Both involve a hole, equal in hardness to install i.e. dig the hole

 

[sissy]

yep and it seems preforms get a lot of heaving in the spring from the thaw .I had to sometimes level mine 2 times a year .Plus preforms to ship are expensive ,I bought mine at lowes and they clearanced it out for 50 dollars and would have never started ponding except for that .The liner pond is 10 times easier dig the hole line it with underlayment and throw the liner in ,done

 

[shw104]

Ok, off-topic i know.. but for my first pond @ 250 gallons.. what type of filter/pump should I be looking at or would you recommend? when i started this research.. i thought "how complex can it be".. i'm a bit overwhelmed by the number of pump/filter options out there...

 

[adavisus]

Folk trying to make bucks pushing stuff in boxes does tend to complicate anything, a pleasant pond will be fine without any water squelching going on until waters start going well warmer than 70f. No rush

Regards, andy

 

[sissy]

pump you can go with a 500 gph or up to 940 gph and I used a 940 gph because I had it going to the filter and to the waterfall plus to a fountainhead .Harbor freight and northern tools sell cheaper ones and harbor freight has a great warranty program .I paid 5 dollars for the smaller pumps and covers them for 3 years

 

[koiguy1969]

myself, i wouldnt bother with a preformed. much harder tio install than a flexible liner, a liner will fit the hole you dig as long as its not oversized. a preformed has to be dug to properly fit the shell you bought. air pockets and gaps under the shell can cause buckling, even cracking.. freeze - thaw conditions can lift, unlevel, and cause damage to the shell as well..a liner is far more forgiving and can move with the earth around it. but mostly, you get the pond shape you want not just a small choice of shapes presented. the most common rule of thumb on pumps is a one to a one and a half turnover of ponds volume per hour ....500 gal pond = 500gph - 750gph pump.

 

[sissy]

plus most preformed are only 2 feet deep and you need deeper to keep it cooler in summer and keep it from freezing solid in winter .

 

[JenH]

Just came across your thread, maybe you've already made your mind up by now. My pond is 2 preforms, not connected, but they "appear" to be with a waterfall between them. I used preformed because they were free, given to me! I would not spend a dime on one of them. It has been a big pain. We have hard clay soil, so I cannot drain the pond or it will lift right out of the ground, even at half empty it lifts. We had to re-dig that whole 3 times due to it lifting out. My husband was about ready to divorce me, I swear! They don't look nearly as natural and are harder to keep clean. And I don't know if it is truly even possible to really get that dumb thing perfectly level!!

Oh and my ponds never froze solid all winter. It was a mild winter, but even the one above ground never completely closed and the pump in that one is so weak you barely see it rippling at the top......

 

[addy1]

I have heard the same about preforms, they can be a pain. Honey wanted me to pick up a few, I said nope, if we put in a lily pond it will be a liner.

 

[Sunshine]

My first pond was a preform, just because we didn't know anything about ponding. It seemed the easiest. We have moved past that to a liner. Liners are much easier. Plus you can make it any shape you want. My preform never froze solid, we keep the pumps going all year long. Mine never heaved up either. We did have a few inches of sand under it. That might of helped with that. Now I use that preform for my bog.

 

[JenH]

We have very fine pea gravel under ours. Unfortunately since we have clay though, when it rains really hard (which is a lot in NE Indiana) the rain water gets trapped between the outside of the preform and the clay soil, if there isn't enough water in the pond to weigh it down then it just floats out of the hole. Ugh!