Above Ground Pond

[ireland]

Hi,

As of 3 months ago i decided that i wanted to build a pond for my koi and goldfish and move them out of my 75 Gallon fish tank it be much better for them, but the only problem was where i live Im not permitted to dig the land so i decided to build an Above Ground Pond.

The pond is going to be 8ft Long 6ft Wide and 3ft Tall and constructed out of 4x4's. Due to the Design i measured the inside to be a bit smaller 88in L 64in W and 36in T so the total volume of the tank is actually a little bit less than 1000 Gallon.

Its hard to explain this but i want to build a upper pond on the left side of the pond placing it on top of the actual pond and run the pump and filter to it trying to create a water fall effect.

In the upper pond there is a opening use as an overflow so the water can get out thus causing a waterfall to the actual pond. The upper pond is also going to be made out of 4x4's with a length of 72in 24in width and 12in tall. The inside measurements are 64in L 16in W and 12in T its around 66gallons.

The pond is going to have a Laguna ClearFlo 3200 Pond Pump & Filter Combo it comes with a Laguna Max-Flo 2000 Pump capable of 2000 GPH and a Laguna Pressure-Flo 3200 Filter & UV Clarifier with a backwash system. And another Laguna Max-Flo 2000 pump with a DIY 55gallon barrel as a mechanical filter. Both the out filters' output will go to the upper pond to create the waterfall.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Laguna-ClearFlo...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2558c92236

http://cgi.ebay.com/Laguna-Max-Flo-...tem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2558ce5753

The reason why i post this thread is bc i want to know is "will this work?" and my biggest issue that i wanted answered is.. its going to be about 4ft off the ground and its actually going to be on my porch will that be possible?

all replies and suggestions will be taken to consideration, you have my utmost and deepest gratitude for your input and ideas

thank you

PS. for some reason it wouldnt let me post up the pctures of the designs

 

[koikeepr]

Hi Ireland. I'm in North Carolina, too. Just outside of Charlotte.

The biggest dilemma you will face with a fully above ground pond in our very hot weather is the pond getting extremely hot during summers. And also getting cold in winters (depending on where you are). Lots of temp fluctuations to deal with when it comes to ponds outta the ground.

My pond is semi raised and is half under ground, and is 2/3 under ground and 1/3 above ground to compensate for this a little bit. If you are set on a pond of this style, at least use insulation all around the inside to try to control temp swings. You can use that pink foam board stuff they sell in the home improvement stores to insulate homes. The thicker the better.

Also, in terms of having on your porch, do you plan to reinforce the porch with footings or something like that so it can account for the weight of this thing?

You can make a pond out of 4x4's. But take note that 1000g of water has a lot of push capacity. So, make sure to really build a very, very strong frame and cross your timbers and use big lag bolts.

 

[ireland]

hi kokeepr, im from Newton its about 30 mins away.

thank you for the fast reply and thank you for the insulation idea i haven't thought much about that but i think i'll put that into the design.

yeah i forgot to mention about reinforcing the porch and yes im planning on using three 3/8" x 8" nails per 4x4 to connect it to the one below it. Do you think that will be enough?

other question i have are:
1. what should i put in the bottom plywood only comes in 8x4 n i need something of 8x6?

2. how much liner would i need for both the upper pond and main pond?

3. how do i post up pictures on here for some reason it wont let me?

 

[koiguy1969]

10 posts before pics are allowed

 

[ireland]

 

[bsr8129]

I have done an above ground pond, I built mine with 2x6, its 12X6X3. There is a post about the build. The only issue i see you having with your upper pond is the weight of it. Not sure how you will be able to support the wieght of the water. You will need some thick base.

I like your idea about the upper pond, and i am working on something for mine to have a simular effect.

 

[ireland]

[ame="[MEDIA=youtube]AsC4lpvXlkM[/MEDIA]"]

i want to do something like that but bigger.

and for bsr8129 do you think putting two pieces of plywood together to make a 2" base will be good enough to support the weight of the water for the upper pond?

 

[koikeepr]

What is the patio you will be setting the pond on made of?

There are pond liner calculators online that are pretty handy. Google one, and punch in your figures and it will spit out a size you need. Donot buy anything thinner than 45 mil liner.

 

[bsr8129]

I like that vid. I think you are better off doing what they did use a 2x4 or 2x6 depending on how wide you want it. It looks as though there's is about 8x1 feet and filled with rocks it should hold the weight

 

[koikeepr]

I would stick with 4x4's or better bet yet 6x6's. I don't like 2x's. I don't think they'll be strong enough to support and could bow.

 

[bsr8129]

2x's are pretty strong, looking at the vid they used 2x for the bottom layer and doesnt look to be bowing at all, for the frame you can go with 4x4 or you can go with 2x whatever, i used 2x6's and have had no issues with bowing.

 

[ireland]

Thank you bsr8129 for the suggestion but i think ima stick with the 4x4 as bc i have already have some to start with.

As for the upper pond i figured that since due to the design, every other 4x4 will be cut 8inchs off to make them fit

i'll use that to make the sides of the upper pond. There's 9 4"x4"s on each side. On the long side four 4"x4"s will be cut 8inches off so that makes a total of Eight 4'x4'x8" bc theres long sides. On the shorter side Five 4"x4"s that will be cut so thats Ten 4'x4'x8".

so that makes a totally of 18 4"x4"x8". i planning on stacking three together and nailed them to another stack to make on short side do another one like that to make the other short side. Then use Six 4"x4"x6' to make both the long side.

but yeah so for the base of the upper pond i should use Four 2x6 instead?

what about the base of the main pond?

 

[koikeepr]

You gotta make sure that no water that is going into the pond touches pressure treated wood, as it has many chemicals in it that can kill fish, too. When it rains, for example, you don't want that water falling back into the pond. I've seen lots of people use a piece of trex decking for the top board all around the pond, for example, instead.

 

[ireland]

What is the patio you will be setting the pond on made of?

The patio is made of 2x4s laid on top of 2x6s every 12 inch apart that runs perpendicularly to the 2x4. Do you think that will be enough or do i still have to reinforce it some more.

and thank you for the advice on trex decking i was planing on using treated 2x4s to do the top trim of both the pond but yeah think ima go with the trex decking now.

 

[bsr8129]

I was thinking about that last night too, about what type of wood to use for the upper pond. If it rains the rain will also run-off the main structure of the upper pond, i.e. the sides of it, how would you prevent this run-off from going in the pond below it.