Raised pond / Rill / trough

[Markyd]

I am looking for a bit of construction help! I need to build an ornament pond (call it a water feature?!) it is 2.4m x 2.4m x 400mm tall (main pond) that spills into a narrow rill which is 200mm tall, that then spills into a ground level trough (500 mm deep) which then recirculates back up to the main pond. Before I start the build I was just wondering how people would run pipework, would you feed it back into the base of the main pond? Should I be thinking of this at the footings stage? I am thinking of constructing everything out of block work and fibreglassing

Any help / step by step help would be much appreciated

 

[j.w]

@Markyd
Never made one of those so can't help.

 

[GBBUDD]

Obveously best solution is to run your pipe inside containment so if there is a problem it can be fixed without a nightmare.
Raised ponds arent my cup of tea but this is how id build mine.
First of all and many long term keepers wpuld agree having a back up plan is golden. So i would lean toward any pipe toward the bottom have a back up. One that is plugged in the pond but is easily opened if something else starts to leak. The bottom of the pond should be like a funnel so all the waste has no where else to go but toward the bottom drain OR TWO. Run all the pipes out and away from the sides of the pond so if anything starts leaking you wont jepordise the pond its self.
Imo a footing is first for the walls size and depth depends where you are.
Now fllor first or wall first is a debate ive never seen one side win. But i have seen more floors poured on the footing then build the wall onto the slab. Either way od look into expansion materials made specificly for this. I would drill rebar into the floor under the walls. So every other bay of cinderblocks has a bar. A bar that runs up to the surface. Then the blocks get filled with mortar to keep them from ever moving. Where ever you break through for return jets id build thicker in the finish to prevent failure. Maybe even a plate of stainless for support as the pipe runs through.the fiberglas