The Hole is Too Big!

[mmorris]

View attachment 122579@mmorris

Thanks, j.w - love the bug!

 

[BarbO]

Hi Martha, welcome to the forum! Good to see you here, still have discus? I do. But I enjoy my goldfish pond just as much! Yours will be great.
Barb

 

[mmorris]

OMG Barb, small world! Yes, I still have discus, but I downsized a lot. The last two batches of juvies sold sooooo slowly I could no longer justify the electricity bill and the time spent doing water changes. I have probably 17 or 18 adults still. I also have a group of six zebra plecos (L46) and albino cauliflower swords. I hope for fry! I'm a bit concerned about when my friend will finish digging out this pond. He spent two or three hours pulling out stones - enough time to make an awful mess of the property - and now he says he may be too busy over the next two or three weeks. He was so keen to do it, but not so keen to DO it, if you know what I mean. We'll see if my "motivational speech" helped.

 

[GBBUDD]

I would not fill in the bottom for two very good reasons.
1. depending on your soil type which you said your self you did not know , many people mistake silt for a clay base and if that is the case you may never reach a 97% compaction and if you get less then such you are guaranteed to have settling and if you are placing those boulders back in the pond that's the last thing you want is settling. The disadvantage to a deeper pond is in the cleaning. but your fish will absolutely love it.
I built a similar project last year https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/going-for-it-phase-one-12-000-gallon-pond.22563/

 

[Jhn]

@GBBUDD, agree if it is the bottom of the pond. I took it like the pond was dug wider than was wanted not deeper.

 

[GBBUDD]

ah . when i saw in lifts that to me says only bottom up . so sorry

 

[Jhn]

not sure how it was meant, now that you mention it could possibly be the bottom.

 

[mmorris]

Both wrong. It was dug longer. We actually need to dig it deeper, since it is three feet deep on one end and about two on the other. I'm aiming for four feet deep.

 

[GBBUDD]

Both wrong. It was dug longer. We actually need to dig it deeper, since it is three feet deep on one end and about two on the other. I'm aiming for four feet deep.

going to 4 feet deep is great in my book but beeeeeeeee careful as depending on your soil it can become very challenging to hold the wall back and keep them from collapsing . Sloping the walls back like a boat ramp is the easiest way but that then becomes a rather large pond . it looks like you could fit such in your area. but you also have some good sized boulders to help with holding back the walls

 

[mmorris]

I built a similar project last year https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/going-for-it-phase-one-12-000-gallon-pond.22563/

I found your thread and started reading it yesterday but then cut to the last couple of pages. The pics are inspirational! Is that a bobcat in one of them? I hope to read the rest of it tomorrow.

 

[GBBUDD]

I found your thread and started reading it yesterday but then cut to the last couple of pages. The pics are inspirational! Is that a bobcat in one of them? I hope to read the rest of it tomorrow.

YES

 

[mmorris]

going to 4 feet deep is great in my book but beeeeeeeee careful as depending on your soil it can become very challenging to hold the wall back and keep them from collapsing . Sloping the walls back like a boat ramp is the easiest way but that then becomes a rather large pond . it looks like you could fit such in your area. but you also have some good sized boulders to help with holding back the walls

I hope it doesn't collapse. I hope the digging doesn't drag on too long so I can get the liner and rocks in. The walls are quite sloped now and they seem to be holding up well. We had a lot of rain the other day - torrents - and nothing seems the worse for wear. I'm using carpet under the liner. Should I put a layer of carpet on top of the liner under the rocks to protect the liner from the rocks?

 

[GBBUDD]

I hope it doesn't collapse. I hope the digging doesn't drag on too long so I can get the liner and rocks in. The walls are quite sloped now and they seem to be holding up well. We had a lot of rain the other day - torrents - and nothing seems the worse for wear. I'm using carpet under the liner. Should I put a layer of carpet on top of the liner under the rocks to protect the liner from the rocks?

I am all for recycling but when it comes to all this work and using old carpet under my liner the product that is going to keep my liner safe i just have a problem with risking. though i know many do . i think it cost me 200 bucks a for an 8 oz role of non woven fabric that has thus far protected the liner from the multitude of rocks "sharp " rocks i have here in my soils. and yes most definitely you need to place "MY CHOICE" IS non woven underlayment under the boulders before they are set on the rubber

 

[mmorris]

Thanks!

 

[mmorris]

I spent the weekend touring ponds on the annual Pioneer Valley Water Garden and Koi Club pond tour to hopefully learn the error of my ways before I go any further on this project. I thought ledges were just for plants but I spoke with (badgered?) a professional pond builder I met on the tour who told me if I stack rocks four feet up on a slope they will all end up on the bottom of the pond. He says I shouldn't stack more than one or two and then put a ledge. I asked about cementing with waterfall foam but he didn't think that idea was cost effective. I can find very little information on lining the walls of a pond with stone. What do you folks suggest? I planned on going up the four feet on one side, and then the other sides going up 2 1/2 feet to a 1 1/2 foot shelf.