What would you do differently.

[granyhuskr]

As I am finally happy and enjoying my pond I am thinking about what i would do differently if I had it to do over again. This of course lead me to wonder what all my fellow ponders would do differently. Here is my list. I look forward to reading all of your lists.
1-Less beaches, make as much of it as deep as possible because the shallow parts have more algae issues
2-Make a 1-2 inch lip all around the edging for the edging rocks. This way they sit in the water and hide the liner better.
3-Filter, filter, filter You can never have too much filtering.
4-Make as big and as deep as your pocket book and land area can afford.
5-There are certain elements you cannot do a little at a time if you do not want to be fighting for water clarity. These are: big pumps, lots of filtering, beneficial bacteria, algae control,
6-Preventative measures save work and money when started immediately in the early spring
7-A little daily maintence saves a lot of work later on

Thanks for all the posts on this forum. I couldn't have done it without them.

 

[dieselplower]

Getting started with a nice big pond can cost a pretty penny. Ideally I would have saved up more money to do everything right the first time, rather than trying to skimp by with too small of pumps and filters. Having to upgrade everything has left me with a lot of spare parts and an even emptier wallet. Not skimping in the beginning will save money in the long run. I like your ideas as well. GO BIG!

 

[granyhuskr]

I just learnt that if you pour hydrogen peroxide on your waterfall rocks it will help keep the algae down for a long time. I have begun doing this about once a month or whenever the algae starts hanging from my falls.

 

[granyhuskr]

Sorry I keep replying to my original post but as I play with the pond I keep thinking of things to add: This year I made up several bricks out of plaster of paris and put them into my filters. This has kept the PH down as we have a natural high PH in our well water. I just add more bricks as they dissolve. I can almost tell when they are working because sometimes they never change size and then all of a sudden they start dissolving into the pond.

 

[Mmathis]

I think there was a post like this once before, and it's a good one to bring up now and then.

After a year, I'm still making discoveries and mental notes....

1. I built "slopes" into all of my surfaces, thinking this would help funnel the gunk to one area where it would be easier to clean -- I have the bottom laid out in steps, each step having a slope. I would NOT do "slopes" again. I can't tell at all that it makes cleaning any easier, but because there are no flat, level surfaces, I can't put plant crates or anything on the bottom or they will slowly slip away.....

2. Instead of an earthen berm, I'm starting to wish that I'd built the edge up using blocks for more stability as my berms are starting to compress and in some places it looks like the sides are caving inward.

 

[sissy]

make it pondless .That would be my perfect water feature

 

[Nepen]

If I have to re-do..
1. I like my pond size right now where it's not so big/deep and I can see all my fish at once. I'm not sure if I'd like it if it's bigger or deeper.. May be a bit more, may be a 1500-2000 gallon.
2. Have a bog!!!! that's really one major thing I REALLY WANT!!!
3. Have the pond partial sun/shade so I can have a bog. Right now it's in full shade - good thing is, no algae problem, but very limited in plants selection.
4. plan better for my filter - I'm ok with what I have now with the size of my pond... just may be for the next pond.
5. have the pond closer to the ground so I have more visitors (frog) or can have turtle

6.... may be actually have some land other than my tiny back yard in the city limit

 

[GreatDanesDad]

Oh I think I could write a novel on the could of and should ofs........

How ever there are a few things that would have saved me some headaches.

1. Go big or go home! If I could do it again, I would have never picked up a shovel, I would have rented a bobcat and dug it 3x bigger.
2. Never buy a ready made filter. DIY filters all the way!!! (I think I have three that were expensive pieces of crap)
3. Liners, I would have doubled my liners, and made a much taller burm around the edges to make sure there were not leakes. Especially on the waterfall!!
4. I would have read these two articles. PLEASE READ THESE HOLY WOW BEST INFORMATION ON THE WEB!!!!! I dont think I can put in enough explaination points.
https://www.azgardens.com/c-155-free-algae-advice.aspx
http://jnfkoifarms.com/thescienceofwater.html

 

[granyhuskr]

Does anyone add salt to their pond like the azgardens.com recommends?

 

[GreatDanesDad]

I am not sure if i follow the AZGardens exactly, but I atleast once a month, I do a 10%-15% water change. When I start filling the water back up, I use a spray bottle full of HydrogenPeroxide around the edge of the pond where the algae is just below the water level. I then sprinkle in a cup to a cup and a half of the pond salt. Where it lands in the bottom of the pond will actually kill the algae completely leaving the flagstone bottom exposed in little pok-a-dots. By doing this regularly, my water has been amazing. My ph seems very stable and my nitrites, nitrates, amonia, and all the other items I check are rarely above zero. My water is very clear. (It is important to note, that my water temperature here in Phx stays around 90 degrees, and the pond gets direct sunlight atleast 6 hours a day. Perfect enviornment for algae blooms) The only other thing I have that I think really helps is plants. I have found that my ornamental sweet potato vine will grow in the water without soil, I have allowed it to grow right out of my bio-filter and I have it in my bog. I tried to place it right in the pond, but it is like crack to the koi who actually jump out of the water to try an nibble on the white hair like roots that will grow. Anyways, what I think is happening as far as algae goes, is the roots in the filter and the bog are depriving the water of nutrients that the algae would need to grow. If you look at the before and after pic of the potato plant you can see how it blew up once it got into the water. That is just one plant. Also is a pic of my bog. I have since transplanted many shooters from the potato into the bog as well.

 

[sissy]

I add a little for fish slime coat about a 1/4 cup when I see the fish slime coat does not look good .it is easy to tell on black fish when that happens .I just buy a bag of solar salt ,blue bag .I also add it to my bird baths and my deer watering troughs ,keeps them from drinking from my pond . :cheerful: I clean everything that goes in my pond with peroxide and water even plant roots and plant it in kitty litter like addy says .Crushed oyster shells stabilize ph as here we have hard water but also have iron in it .

 

[sissy]

try lemon grass and all kinds of grasses for cleaning the water .I just trim the roots often .The suck up stuff like crazy .I don't buy pond salt to expensive and I think most on here use the solar salt .I keep it in the basement in a sealed bucket .lemon grass when it gets mature smells like lemons and just like lemon verbena it keeps mosquito's away .
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[granyhuskr]

I have never heard of solar salt? Where do you buy it. I read where you can use Kosher rock salt. Is that true?

 

[JBtheExplorer]

what i would've done differently..

1. Make plant shelves at more accurate depths, also wider & flatter.
2. Dig all the way to 3 feet and make the 3 foot section bigger.
3. plan out depths of pond better for what I wanted
4. Add on a couple hundred gallons
5. Redo the area where my stream reaches my pond because too much liner shows.


This is also good advice for people who haven't made a pond yet... I learned the hard way that you really have to plan ahead when adding plant shelves, especially when considering the size of pots you plan to use and which kind of plants you want. My shelves arent level or wide enough. I have one nice shelf, one decent shelf, and i used a step as a third shelf because its a better depth. My pond is do-able, but i would definitely have made the shelves better

 

[sissy]

[sharedmedia=core:attachments:58494]hardware stores I pay 4.95 a bag here