Right discussion board?

[Querorz]

Hi Guys,

I am Fatih , from Turkey. I want to construct an artificial lake to a 1-2 acre area, mainly for fishing and maybe for swimming. I am seeking information about that and i don't have a single clue.

I was sure that i was at right place but when i checked your galleries i saw that you all have garden ponds and not artificial lakes. So, am i at right discussion board? I mean, can i provide the information i need here or should i go somewhere else?

And another question is , is a pond and artificial lake the same thing ?

Sorry for my poor English guys. Thank you .

 

[sissy]

well a lake is just a big pond and so welcome and I think fish in can give you an idea and so can waterbug .We have lots of large farm ponds around here also .They fish in them and have little foot paddle boats they use in them

 

[Fishylove]

Welcome fatih!! :wave: welcome to our forum!

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
Welcome to the forum.
Yes there are a few here that can help you with such a a big project.

First question I would ask and would think of.
1. What is your water source
Is there a river running close to you that you plan to tap in to fill it and have a flow.
Or do you plan on filling it from your house.city water if this is the case
You will have to think about Filtration and since In Istanbul it gets hot and dry you (At least I think anyway) get a lot of evaporation so it could get expensive.
Another would be since we are talking lake here is what is the soil there do's it hold water well or what is going to be used to hold the water Liner or cement or other.

Man made lakes are done all the time so it can be done
But not easy or cheap.

Ruben

 

[j.w]

Faith

 

[adavisus]

Nope, not much difference between a garden pond that is a few feet wide and a pond that is an acre in size, other than bigger fish and plants can be supported by a larger and more stable habitat.

A lake might be said to be quite different where it is part of a network of freshwater habitats, while a pond within its own water catchment area is a tad easier to control

Regards, andy
http://www.flickr.com/photos/21940871@N06/
http://swglist.wordpress.com/

 

[gardengimp]

Terminology can be a tricky thing, even if English is your first language. Depends on a lot of regional cultural things. Around here in Central Florida, we have triple digit bodies of water called ponds. People who come in from other drier areas call them lakes. When does a puddle grow into a pond and a pond grow into a lake? Guess it depends on your perspective. And in Faith's case, probably doesn't matter.

Based on what we do around these parts in Central Florida, and what we did where I grew up in South Texas; the big difference between our created garden ponds and your 1-2 acre pond will be how you hold water. It won't be practical to line the bottom with rubber or cement. You'll need to find some sort of locally available clay (like bentonite clay). Folks around here call them mud-bottom ponds. Likely somebody will be along and tell you more about it.

 

[Querorz]

I thank you all guys for your great hospitality . I wasn't expecting to get such quick and satisfying answers. Thanks Sissy, Wendy and Tolbert, Miranda, J.W. , Andy and Dianne .


I guess if we are all sure that i am at right place, i want to give you some informations about my city.

First of all its name is Gaziantep, which is the most famous city for Pistachio in the world. So i found this information for the habitat of Pistachio:

Habitat
Pistachio is a desert plant, and is highly tolerant of saline soil. It has been reported to grow well when irrigated with water having 3,000–4,000 ppm of soluble salts.Pistachio trees are fairly hardy in the right conditions, and can survive temperatures ranging between −10 °C (14 °F) in winter and 40 °C (104 °F) in summer. They need a sunny position and well-drained soil. Pistachio trees do poorly in conditions of high humidity, and are susceptible to root rot in winter if they get too much water and the soil is not sufficiently free-draining. Long, hot summers are required for proper ripening of the fruit.

I will add a couple informations about the climate in my city : Summers are hot and droughty. Rains are so inconsistent. There might be 2 times difference of amount of rain falls between some years. While amount of rain in winter is pretty good, in summer, we get no rain for 4 months from June to September.

Statistical data about my city:
http://www.weatherba...p-Turkey&units=

Let's say i will create my pond in 1 acre land and with avarage of 6 feet. According to these informations along with avarage weather datas, can we make an estimation of how much water will elaborate from my lake? This is so important because if i will use some of city water, i should make a price estimation .

Now about the water source;
There is only 1 little stream in my city which is dried in summer. I think i will need water support only in summer and being close to this stream is not gonna help me. Only option i have is to use a well, or use 2 wells. I don't know...

Now about the material:
First think i should ask is , what are the differences and advantages of rubber and cement? And how much will the price difference be? I was thinking of use of rubber(or polyester) but maybe cement might be a better idea

As you see , i have some information but i am a complete newbie.

 

[addy1]

Welcome to our group!

You will have evaporation, my pond in arizona, average temp 115 F in the summer would lose 1-2 inches a day.

If you can supply the water via a well it would save you the cost of city water. Our pond in Maryland is supplied via our well and rain

 

[sissy]

If the stream is dry in the summer how deep is it and how long is it dry for .That may give you some idea and with 1 acre and 104 degrees and if it is in full sun for 8 to 10 hours a day you will get an awful lot of evaporation .Not sure how much you pay for city water but it could get very expensive for that size pond .There also may be water regulations about how much water you can use .Like in some states in the U.S. we get fined if you use over the gallons you are allotted during a drought.Maybe you should check and also there maybe laws on safety on a pond that size .I know here some have to fence them and some are not allowed over a certain size and depth.They cement verse rubber liner not sure of as cement gets hot and water may evaporate faster and epdm liner may last longer .I have epdm and seems to be the normal for here because it is cheaper and not so permanent ,you can go bigger or smaller easier .I have to say interesting facts about pistachio's because I love them and they are very heart healthy .

 

[Querorz]

Sissy , thank you very much for the answer. Firstly i don't get the part you talked about liner, epdm and cement. Which one is better for evaporation and which one will have a longer life?

Another question is after placing my liner will i add the normal soil of my city or add some other soil? And how thich should it be?

The stream i am talking about is not even a stream. Very small and weak , in terms of water. So it is very normal to get dried up in summer for that stream.


I checked all datas about weather and i can give some statistical data:

In my city , winters have pretty nice rain. In months , excluding summer months , we have 30 inches of rain monthly. Is this good ?

But in 4 months of summer , we have rain about 1-2 inches averagely.

So , our summers are like Las Vegas(according to datas) but other months are all right... Can a 2 acre pond survive in Las Vegas in summer with only a well???

Average highest temperature in summer months is 90 F . It can get up to 110 but 90 is our average highest in summer months.


So what do you think guys?

 

[sissy]

With epdm liners which are rubber they need no soil on the bottom and fish will root it up and clog a pump and you have said nothing about filters or pumps so not sure guessing you are going all natural .You may have less evaporation with a liner .It would be cheaper in most cases and I do know over here some go for a true pond with bentonite clay bottoms and no liner as it seals the bottom after awhile .I was looking at your area and seems you should have enough rain except for those couple of months .But do you have local laws on ponds .Not sure a 2 acre pond would make it in Vegas on just a well without the well drying up .But I do know here people do not use there wells to even fill there swimming pools they buy water and it arrives in a big tanker truck .Farm ponds here have what the call rain water collection tanks and they use that on some of the farm ponds to keep them full during long times of no rain and no snow over the winter to get water runoff to refill them .I have an epdm liner and seems a lot of people on here use them .

 

[Querorz]

Sissy, sorry for my bad English but do you mean that fishes will root up the soil that is above the soil? So , adding soil over liner is not gonna work? Doesn't it look ugly , when you don't have anything over liner? Doesn't it look so artificial? Bentonite clay sounds good but i don't think it will hold the water in my pond as efficiently as liner does.

I know i will need a pump to pump the water from the well but i never thought about a filter. Because as far as i know , as the amount of the water increases , you won't need any filtration. Because it is almost as big as a small natural lake. And a natural lake won't require any artificial filtration. Does it ?

I am pretty sure that we don't have any regulations about sizes of ponds. I am sure there is some regulations about well use but there is no inspections here. So , i guess i will be fine.

I know about rain water collection tanks but how expensive are they?

By the way, let's say my budget is 35,000 American Dollars. Does it look possible to bring that project to life? (I don't think prices are much more different than American prices.) Can we make a budget estimation please?

Thank you all guys...

 

[sissy]

If you are going that deep you are not really going to see it and it will get covered in good gunk that the fish love to eat and makes a healthy pond .I have koi and they even root the stuff up from around my potted plants in my pond .You may not need a pump or filter if you are going all natural and I do know big farm ponds here have big air pumps or a floating pump with a fountain head that they hav paddle boats to paddle out to them to clean or repair them They use big floating rings that hold the pump down 2 feet under water and that aerates the pond .I would think that is a great budget but you will need a large pump and that could use lots of electricity .Fish root in the soil to find things .I know here for farm ponds they have no real laws except for runoff and health laws .You will need plants in the pond to eat up all the nasty from fish waste as it can kill fish .

 

[Querorz]

Sissy , thanks for great , great , great answers and attention. If you say that i don't need anything above the liner , OK, i will listen to you and shut up . I will definitely put some plants in the water to clean it. But as an aquarium owner i seriously don't think i will need any filtration.

I was maybe thinking to create a waterfall simulation for aeration. What do you think? Electricity is not gonna be a problem i believe. Even if it will, this is the last thing i should consider right now i guess. The reason i am building this lake is because we don't have any lakes or streams around. We have some , in 50 miles distance but no good fish in them. People are killing all the fish to eat them. Awful country in terms of respect to nature.

Sissy , do you have any idea of the price for rain water collection systems?