Algea bug finally got me

[Corgi Mom]

I absolutely agree with needing a balance! I just find it so funny that there are people, such as yourself, who have had such negative experiences with a gravel covered pond bottom. In the 18 years I've had ponds (one pond back in IL, and this one in NC) I've never experienced an excessive build up of 'muck' on my gravel. It's not like I do anything special to it. My fish do really like to root around in the gravel, though, so perhaps they either eat what's there before it can accumulate, or they stir it up enough that the filters take care of it. ???? I dunno. But I was just in there the other day, picking up fists full of gravel & tossing it back up on the shelves where the fish had 'rearranged'. No gunk, just piles of gravel.
Anyway - welcome to the forum! Best thing about ponds & gardens is that they only have to please the person who owns them! Wouldn't it be boring if they were all the same?

Thank you! I should have taken pictures. OMG. My feet were actually sticking to the bottom. I agree. Not boring.

 

[Corgi Mom]

I had literally millions of tadpoles this year and a lot of them disappeared. I believe the fish feasted on them because there were still some hanging around about the same size, but many were gone.

Your comment intrigued me so I did some research. Green frogs will eat tadpoles, too. I'm missing some small fry. Might be those dang green frogs again.

 

[the reptile guy]

Your comment intrigued me so I did some research. Green frogs will eat tadpoles, too. I'm missing some small fry. Might be those dang green frogs again.

that is true by all means. i own two green frogs and they lived with some guppies that theyd lived with as tadpoles.after about 2 week s of them being frogs i saw the number of fish start dropping. i had no clue why. then, one day i came down stairs to feed my frogs and to my suprise the biggest one, one has a tail sticking out of his mouth.i was amazed by that and the fact that he actually caught a fish and was swallowing it. right now im trying to decide on a fish that wont attack my frogs and will not get eaten. i was thinking ciclids but ive also heard that they are kinda agressive. rn they are living with one of the comets from my pond but i dont want him in there forever just because they like the water a tad warmer than goldfish like it. i just need someone to clean up all the bugs that fall in the water. anyone know of fish that would do the job

 

[Killemall]

I put gravel in the bottom of a few of mine. No way never again

 

[Lisak1]

I put gravel in the bottom of a few of mine. No way never again

Why is that? I saw your thread about your various ponds so I'm curious what your experience has been.

 

[Killemall]

I put gravel 3 times and sand once.

Each time they accumulated LOTS of sludge/slime that was a nightmare to clean.

My last 5 ponds have just been black pond plastic or cement and the clean up is much more simple.

Someone here had suggested a very thin line of gravel that barely covered the floor.

If you feel you must go gravel..then I'd go this way...

Personally I just paint my cement with a tinted blue or light brown color of drylock pain and after a week of drying its fish safe...

Or the black liner...well its black so it looks good with nothing on it.


For me the tanned concrete looks great with no gravel. Black liner as well.

 

[Lisak1]

That was me with the shallow gravel advice. You definitely don’t want more than to just cover the liner.

You must live in a warm climate - we could never get away with a cement pond here in 5B.

 

[Killemall]

5B?????

They sell concrete with resin fibers that are crack resistant these days.

I've made them in HAWAII, Nevada and Virginia.

Virginia gets cold and no problems.


I dig the hole..

Then put the black liner...

Then chicken wire and rear over pond liner.

Then resin fiber crack resistant concrete.

Then drylock paint over concrete.

So even if your in a really cold area and the concrete cracked......

The pond liner is still underneath ensuring that your water stays inside pond.

I'm no pro or anything. Just a fun hobby. So I'm sure someone knows better than me about colder than Virginia climates

 

[GBBUDD]

adding a bog next year will help greatly but it won't do a real lotbthe first year but the second or third the algae will have to fight to survive instead of you fighting to rig yourself of the algae

 

[Killemall]

I like pools much more lol. Chlorine tablet and you are good to go....

These ponds are insane with the green stuff.

I loved Hawaii...

Weather averages 78 degrees...So I made many ponds their only 9 inches deep...

The water at that depth looks clear even when it's not because some of the areas only 6 inches or less deep.

So beautiful fish swimming around with very little effort to clean..

I didnt use uv filters or anything..

Plus it rained daily so always nice clean water.

SO EAEASEAEASY!!!!

Here in vegas a 9 inch deep pond would be cooked fish in a few days...

In Virginia it would be frozen fish lol....

Goodluck!!!!!

 

[BKHpondcritters]

I put gravel 3 times and sand once.

Each time they accumulated LOTS of sludge/slime that was a nightmare to clean.

My last 5 ponds have just been black pond plastic or cement and the clean up is much more simple.

Someone here had suggested a very thin line of gravel that barely covered the floor.

If you feel you must go gravel..then I'd go this way...

Personally I just paint my cement with a tinted blue or light brown color of drylock pain and after a week of drying its fish safe...

Or the black liner...well its black so it looks good with nothing on it.


For me the tanned concrete looks great with no gravel. Black liner as well.

Very interesting design ideas. I guess it all depends on the 'look' you're going for. To me, the bare cement bottom looks more 'fountain' than 'pond', but I just prefer a very natural look. Obviously others have their own opinions & ideas of what looks good. I've said it before & I'll say it again - a pond & garden only have to please the one who owns it. Wouldn't it be boring if they were all the same?

 

[Killemall]

I've made 20 somthing ponds...even once found a bathtub on the side of the road...done cement and liner and even those home depot tubs..

One thing I've always felt is theres never an ugly pond...A body of water always looks so beautiful to me!!!

 

[Killemall]

It's all up to us!!!

Me personally I love my newest one..

Cost me 650$ to make it including pump lights cement EVERYTHING

About 40 hours of labor though lol

 

[Killemall]

Here you can see the bear concrete bottom. I made it rough to try and imitate an ocean floor. The plan is a paroon shark and sting ray inside (both fresh water)

Vid shows pond at 1.40 minute mark

 

[BKHpondcritters]

It's all up to us!!!

Me personally I love my newest one..

Cost me 650$ to make it including pump lights cement EVERYTHING

About 40 hours of labor though lol

And this is MY pond in a 'bird's eye view':

Now, granted, it did cost me a bit (cough-cough-cough) more than $650. but, it's what makes me happy. Yup! All different.