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berny1 berny1
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  • Posted on: 2/11/2005 14:45
buildinng a solid base pond? #1
im planning a smallish pond(7'x5'x2.5'?) which is goiing where an old shed used to stand!
it has a thck concrete base so i am going to build up with concrete block at the back and use a double skin of bricks for the front, then ill ramp the bottom using more concrete? it has been suggested that i should line it with fibre glass then use pond sealent? is this right?
also im planning to build a filter(see pics) but how much media would be needed for around 656ltrs of water?
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a basic idea of the layout!:








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any suggestions or comments would be very welcome!!

thanks berny
Goldy Goldy
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  • Posted on: 2/11/2005 16:29
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #2
Hello berny love the way you have done the layout I can't really help with your pond dimensions etc but hopefully some one will be along soon that can say if it is viable or not
icthytitch icthytitch
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  • Posted on: 2/11/2005 18:25
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #3
your pond dimensions as you quoted will give a pond volume of 2500 litres. usually the pump and filter need to be capable of moving the complete volume of the pond every 2 hours. i would include a U.V light in your filter, will help to combat green algae and pathogens.
seanmckinney seanmckinney
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  • Posted on: 3/11/2005 9:56
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #4
You dont need a sealant over GF, it is water tight if done correctly and it gets a gel coat which is also water tight.
Personally I would be inclined to slope the ramp the other way, so that the pipe work is as short as possible. That may also permit you to fit a bottom drain and an external pump rather than a submersible pump. Externals are generally more efficient than submersibles. The suggested layout would also avoid over the side cabling which is a personal hate of mine.
Re construction techniques, browse this site http://www.koicymru.co.uk/construct.htm ]
Re GF see http://www.yorkshirekoi.co.uk/ there are two supposedly good glassers on there.
BTW when browsing those or other sites dont get sucked into the latest super doper filtration rat race
Are you sure the base is solid and how thick is the concrete, if 4" or under I would be inclined to not use it and break up the slab and dig for depth as well as build up.
What fish are you thinking of, I think that's a bit on the small side for more than 1 or 2 koi and personally I would stick with goldfish and or comets etc.
2.5ft isnt a bad depth but I assume that's at the deep end, what will the shall end be? Anything under 2ft is probably heron wadeable.
Are you thinking of plants?
In your situation if you are thinking of plants I would either put them in baskets hung from the side or supported of plastic pipe frame works, such an approach keeps your volume up, gives the fish cover and gives your a variety of planting depths.
Somethings to think about,
how you will cap the wall,
provision for an overflow,
how will you return the filtered water to the pond,
power supply to the site,
how you will clean the filter and where will you dump the sludge, its excellent fertiliser,
how will you deal with surface debris, eg leaves
Animal access and more importantly escape for those that fall in, drowned birds and mice are not nice finds. With regard to the latter especially if you are using gf you have the opportunity to include a shallow shelf in the actual wall or a semi submerged sloping shore line over the top of the wall. I did the latter in my pond but in my case the shoreline is cement cast on top of the sheet liner, cement was used because its rough surface gives grip. With GF you could embed sand etc in the gel coat

The following are photos showing the shoreline of my pond and the waterlevel etc
This is the shore line being cast over the proper liner which is black, the blue is a temporary plastic liner being used to hold the white hardbaord shuttering in place http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/s ... age/images/4-picture2.jpg
This is the pond full and frozen, note that the water extends partially over the top of the wall
http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/s ... age/images/1-picture1.jpg

After a while I found the barren shoreline unattractive and I cast porous walls for plant bays on top of the shore line, this shows the first which was a trial after the walls had been cast http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/s ... age/images/6-picture1.jpg

This shows some more being cast http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/s ... ge3/images/2-picture3.jpg

This shows the bays planted and the electric heron fence http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/s ... ge3/images/5-picture3.jpg
boroughmal boroughmal
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  • Posted on: 19/11/2005 21:46
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #5
Rein fibres in the rendering & 3 coats of g 4 pondseal should do the job of waterproofing & lime proofing, just make sure you cover all areas & dont leave any Any exposed to the water
regards
www.Fishkeepingsupplies.com
Aquarium & fish supplies tropical
Goldy Goldy
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  • Posted on: 21/11/2005 14:32
berny1 berny1
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  • Posted on: 21/11/2005 14:32
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #7
thanks for all the addvice but the british weather beat me so will be doing alot of planning over the next few months!
berny1 berny1
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  • Posted on: 21/11/2005 14:37
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #8
cross posted there goldy
the misses has pinched a lot of the bricks that i had ready for her tropical tank (guess who had to lay them?)
been offered a fibreglass pre moulded pond and am considering using this? any advice?
Goldy Goldy
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  • Posted on: 21/11/2005 14:41
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #9
My brother inlaw started out with a pre-formed pond but later wanted a larger pond so ended up redoing it and using a liner 'which I hear is easier to use' but depending on how big the preformed pond is then it should be fine pity you didn't already have your pond set up as we have a member who is looking for a home for 8 good sized goldfish up your way
berny1 berny1
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  • Posted on: 21/11/2005 14:57
Re: buildinng a solid base pond? #10
Quote:

Goldy wrote:
pity you didn't already have your pond set up as we have a member who is looking for a home for 8 good sized goldfish up your way

typical!!
ive got three kids (2 are under five) so ill be keeping a "small" pond for at least another 5-10 years so a preformed is prob' the best way to go for now!
i was thinking about building my own filter set-up but after a couple of chats with my lfs hes recomends using a brought item (hes not trying to sell me anything! their very honest!) as these are proven to be reliable and easy to maintain?
any thoughts/recomendations on this?
berny

btw thats 1 very nice tank you've got there!!