Stones in Koi pond keep falling

[DMand]

Hello folks. Help me pls. I have a 1000 gal Koi pond and my big koi keep jumping over the 4-8" pebbles and knocks them down to bottom of the pond. Now I am thinking of putting cement mortar in between the stones to keep them intact otherwise it will expose the liner to sun and other elements.

Can I do that? or is there a better way to hold the stones together?

 

[GBBUDD]

Yes that can be done but the rocks have to be damp not soaking wet for the concrete to stick. Though the concrete can just fill between basicly just locking it in place . Another option is waterfall foam but that needs dry rocks to stick but it to can just lock them in place just not as well.

 

[brokensword]

just give them a good stern talking to. The koi, I mean.

 

[Mmathis]

Hello and welcome!

Please post some pictures so we can get a better idea what you are dealing with.

 

[brokensword]

Hello and welcome!

Please post some pictures so we can get a better idea what you are dealing with.

Nah, don't believe TurtleMommy; she just likes to see pics of other ponds!!! C'mon, @Mmathis , first step is to admit you have a problem!!!

 

[j.w]

@DMand

 

[BKHpondcritters]

Pictures would definitely help. 1000 gallons is on the very smallest end, volume wise, for a 'koi pond'.

 

[DMand]

Hello and welcome!

Please post some pictures so we can get a better idea what you are dealing with.

 

[DMand]

This was 2 months back n if u see closely in the pic the pebbles are fallen n right now they are almost gone. The big koi kerps on knocking them off

 

[JRS]

Welcome to the forum! I think GBBUDD gave you the best options. Hard to keep smooth round rocks in place on a vertical slope. Larger rocks would reduce the volume of your pond unless you could lean some flat stones up to cover the exposed area.

 

[GBBUDD]

I should specify a bit better then just saying concrete. I do use that term a bit to generally. I would use Motar mix that is 3 or 4 scoops Mortar mix with a scoop of portland cement this makes the mortar mix very sticky and easier to work with. The mortar will hold far better in a vertical fill with the portland then mortar alone.

 

[poconojoe]

Nice pond!
That's a lot of stones!
Obviously round stones are harder to stack than flat ones, but that's a moot point as of now.

Round stones will obviously roll out of place very easily, especially on an incline. It probably doesn't take much to get them rolling. A nudge from a foraging koi will most likely get them going.

I wonder how much more water there would be for the fish to live in if those stones were not in there?

A bare liner isn't really that bad once the biofilm covers it.

I get the desire for a natural looking bottom (and sides) and all the nooks and crannies for beneficial bacteria to colonize.

I don't know if there's much you can do at this point other than removing all the stones. I think just deal with what is happening and once in a while go in there and collect the stones that rolled to the bottom.

If you drained it and cemented all the stones, that would be a complete mess. The cement would probably be bad for your water chemistry and by emptying your pond you will lose all that beneficial bacteria.

 

[Mmathis]

Hmmmm, this might be a situation for ROCK ON A ROLL!

 

[poconojoe]

Hmmmm, this might be a situation for ROCK ON A ROLL!

I second that!

 

[brokensword]

I should specify a bit better then just saying concrete. I do use that term a bit to generally. I would use Motar mix that is 3 or 4 scoops Mortar mix with a scoop of portland cement this makes the mortar mix very sticky and easier to work with. The mortar will hold far better in a vertical fill with the portland then mortar alone.

GB; mortar isn't waterproof. Trust me, helped rebuild more than a few chimneys with my dad (mason) once upon a time. Made cement aquariums that were waterproof, too. Cement ( Portland) is the better choice. And, I could make a very sticky mortar -- it's just a closer ratio of course sand to mortar that makes it that way. Plus, there's a reason they used to coat block basements with a cement coat and not mortar.