basalt , granite or what?

[mofal]

hello guys

whats the best type of stone to chose for my pond..and what color?

am thinking black basalt or light brown granite or grey granite....thoughts ?

also , ill be using mortar to attach stones togather...is it going to affect water ph ? if yes how to solve it? and is there any other effects of cement on water?

 

[addy1]

Yes the mortar will affect the water ph, there are ways to treat it. Do a search on concrete in ponds, I don't recall all the ways to cure it so the concrete is safe.

I will try to find the thread also, think it was in the construction thread.

All those rocks sound great, the color will be more of your choice. I have browns, grays, a deep purple/gray type rock
a mixture rather than one color.

here are two links

http://www.gardenpon...__fromsearch__1

http://www.gardenpon...__fromsearch__1

 

[mofal]

thanks alot addy1

do u think black/dark grey basalt will be awesome , or the brown granite?

 

[HARO]

Use rock that is naturally found in your area; that way the pond will look like it belongs there, rather than being out of place. John

 

[addy1]

thanks alot addy1

do u think black/dark grey basalt will be awesome , or the brown granite?

I like the dark look, post a picture of the rocks..... get a vote from the group here.........lol
I like a mix of colors, to me it looks more natural than one color surrounding the pond.

Use rock that is naturally found in your area; that way the pond will look like it belongs there, rather than being out of place. John

most of my rocks are from penna, the only natural rocks here are shale, that stuff just falls apart.

 

[HARO]

Yes, Addy, I thought of that afterwards. Mofal's pond is in the Persian Gulf: is there actually rock there or is it all sand? And in your case, did you stick with the colour of the shale, or just choose something you like? When I dug out my current pond, there was every kind of stone immaginable in there! Sandstone, granite, slate, you name it we have it. Even something that made great driveway crayons, and in three or four different colours! It turns out that the last glacier pushed all this stuff in here, and then melted, so we're stuck with it. John

 

[addy1]

Yes, Addy, I thought of that afterwards. Mofal's pond is in the Persian Gulf: is there actually rock there or is it all sand? And in your case, did you stick with the colour of the shale, or just choose something you like? When I dug out my current pond, there was every kind of stone immaginable in there! Sandstone, granite, slate, you name it we have it. Even something that made great driveway crayons, and in three or four different colours! It turns out that the last glacier pushed all this stuff in here, and then melted, so we're stuck with it. John

The shale was all different colors, from dark to light. Our pa lot has neat field stone, we brought home around 3 truck loads, a brownish color, two pallets where a purple gray color pa field stone also, two pallets where a grayer color. So a mix lol, but it turned out nice. imho

I did dig up some white quartz type stone, not good for along the stream, could not walk on it. But used it here and there.......lol

 

[mofal]

hello guys ,
sorry to be late..

this is basalt

 

[KennethO]

Are you planning to have the bottom and sides rocked and mortared or just the top outer ring? You could use cheap stone in the water since it will be covered in algae and then more expensive rock on top.

The concrete will raise the ph and can be toxic. You use an acid mix in it for a few days to make it safe. Some just seal it or use paint to prevent leaching.

 

[mofal]

this is my second choice,

brownish granite

and this is my 3rd choice , grey granite

 

[mofal]

Are you planning to have the bottom and sides rocked and mortared or just the top outer ring? You could use cheap stone in the water since it will be covered in algae and then more expensive rock on top.

The concrete will raise the ph and can be toxic. You use an acid mix in it for a few days to make it safe. Some just seal it or use paint to prevent leaching.

hey kenneth,
am planning to use mortar all over, since the pond depth is 4 feet . Regarding Ph ill use acid paint to paint the visible cement, i hope it will help , if not ill just wash with HCL.

what do u think about stone selection , which one do u like?

 

[mofal]

sorry depth is 4.5 feet . Regarding bottom , there will be gravels only no cement.

 

[addy1]

what do u think about stone selection , which one do u like?

Well I love patterns and texture............I would go with the brown or gray granite. That is a neat color, love the look of it. The granite looks round, make sure it will work with laying out your pond, not having flat rocks.

 

[taherrmann4]

Mofal I am not sure how the rest of your area is landscaped, since you are in the persian gulf do you have grass or do you use natural plantings and keep it looking more like a desert? Choose a rock that will match your surroundings and looks like it will fit in or something that you would see in those areas.