Above ground tropical pond

[WetWilly]

Ok, so last night, while excited at the prospect of filling my pond in the near future, I got a worry. Are my walls strong enough? When I started this pond, I’m sure I researched enough to feel confident in my plan but that was over a year ago and those assurances must have been pushed out of my brain hole by other musings. But still, I got this worry.
So let me lay it out. I understand hydrostatic pressure and get that at 3 feet. (Rounding up, max above grade is 31”) is 1.3 psi. Anywho…. I have no frost line and footing is 8” deep 16” wide with 2x rebar in it and vertical every 2’. Heavy stone is mortar To the rough footing and continues up the outside. Within, between the rock wall and removed form lies 6x6 10 ga mesh that runs continually around whole wall and at the top another run of rebar horizontal.
Base is 16” to12” thick and tapers to 6” plus at top.

Am I being paranoid?

 

[GBBUDD]

when you say rebar every 2 feet i am hoping you men one vertical bar in every other bay in the cinderblocks and then the cinder blocks are poured with concrete?

 

[WetWilly]

No blocks. Poured concrete between form and rock
Vert rebar from inside footing every 2 feet

 

[GBBUDD]

how thick is the concrete?

 

[GBBUDD]

so 6 to 8 inches thick vertical rebar with number ? 5 ? you should be fine if the pond is 3 foot is the wire mesh 3 inches from the surface around the pond

 

[WetWilly]

 

[GBBUDD]

you have been busy for sure and it is looking great.

I would use some concrete in those outside rounded edges leaving spaces between the blocks.

What i would think about is some mangrove roots sitting on the shelf and where the stump is making that a higher area you can use that for plants that like wet feet.

While the tropical's can hang in the roots making it look extremely natural.

You are planning on a geotextile fabric under the liner aren't you?

The other option might be where your walls seem to be leaning out at the top you could take a cinder block or even simply some pavers stand them on edge leave them in a little possibly making a 12 inch wide shelf closer up toward the surface. Lilies will love the shelve depth you have now along with a couple others but Most prefer there feet wet. or like 6" deep .
Actually i'm just thinking are you thinking Africans or fish that need some salt?

 

[WetWilly]

I thought about mangrove but worried it would hurt the liner. I actually thought I might grow it out of a submerged 300 gallon stock tank upflow filter. But then I remembered how I can’t clean the other one in the other pond that has plants in it.

 

[WetWilly]

And yes to the mortar between blocks. Will do before liner. Leaving it this way in case I change something before then.

 

[GBBUDD]

i'm thinking dead mangrove You could add multiple layers of fabric under the roots

 

[WetWilly]

Oh. Ok. Good idea.

 

[GBBUDD]

The fight with the mangrove or similar roots and or wood is its wanting to float thus the shlf on top for some rocks and gravel maybe even hollow out the top some more weight can be added.

 

[WetWilly]

I’ve cemented a little base before with good luck. Holds down and is smooth

 

[GBBUDD]

What is your plan for a filter for that set up id probably go with a bead filter. A bog would be quite the task to build like 1/3 as much as what you just did though obviously your not afraid of work

 

[Jhn]

You could do a mangrove joust put it in a large pot. If growing from a propagule they grow so slow, be along time before worrying about the roots especially if you keep pulling it up to get the look of the partially exposed root system