caught up

[fantaildaz]

Reading some posts i have come to this cojclusion.
my ponds to small!!
started a 30 gal sunken pond laast year, the 9 goldfish i put in there have grown ffrom 0 inches to 2 inches (body lengh) not tail, recntly removed floatlng plantts and realizzed theres really not tthat much room in there anymore. It looked so spacious when i first put them iin.
im thinkin of buying w preformed pond of 100 gal. Would this sufiice? Only half submerging as there are now grandkids around

 

[addy1]

You will outgrow the 100 gallon pretty fast also. You may want to go bigger if you can. Give the goldfish some room to grow and room for your plants etc.

 

[fishin4cars]

Bigger! I have a 300 gallon that I use for a quarantine pond and hospital tank, I restarted it this spring as it sprung a leak and had to have a new liner installed. 300 gallons and I have 7 small fish and some starter plants in it and I've already out grown this pond. 100 gallons sounds big but for a pond, that's still a really small pond and in most cases probably won't survive through a cold winter. A depth of 2-3' is needed for most ponds to make it through the winter. Most Water lily's need a surface area of about 6' in order to spread it's leaves out to mature size. 6' x 6' x 2' deep = 540, gallons 6' x6' x3' = 810 gallons which would be about the minimal size I would recommend just to get a decent start at a pond that might be able to come back year after year. Not sure how to convert to Liters or what your temp zone is but these are just a few things that need to be considered for a properly running eco-system. keep in mind these aren't aquariums, these are actually small eco-systems that will attract all kinds of life other than what you introduce.

 

[fantaildaz]

Thanks, the gardens only 5 by 15 meters, i have vto conserve space, looked on ebay and 100 is best they got.
can i get a larger one anywhere? Uk based, depth more than anything. Can go 2 by 3 metrs or even 2 by4 overall but anything wwider will cut the garden in half

 

[fantaildaz]

Bigger! I have a 300 gallon that I use for a quarantine pond and hospital tank, I restarted it this spring as it sprung a leak and had to have a new liner installed. 300 gallons and I have 7 small fish and some starter plants in it and I've already out grown this pond. 100 gallons sounds big but for a pond, that's still a really small pond and in most cases probably won't survive through a cold winter. A depth of 2-3' is needed for most ponds to make it through the winter. Most Water lily's need a surface area of about 6' in order to spread it's leaves out to mature size. 6' x 6' x 2' deep = 540, gallons 6' x6' x3' = 810 gallons which would be about the minimal size I would recommend just to get a decent start at a pond that might be able to come back year after year. Not sure how to convert to Liters or what your temp zone is but these are just a few things that need to be considered for a properly running eco-system. keep in mind these aren't aquariums, these are actually small eco-systems that will attract all kinds of life other than what you introduce.

fishing, when i step into the garden id like to keep my feet dry if poss :regular_waving_emot

 

[fishin4cars]

OK, I understand a little more now, this is why we need as much detail as possible when you ask a question. yard size, temps max high and max lows, pics of the yard, anything you can think of that will help us understand what your working with. I'm not saying 100 gallons won't work but it's still a very small pond for goldfish. keep in mind the deeper you go the more stable the water and the more volume you will have, that doesn't mean your pond has to be large, but it will make it far more stable. I've seen table top water gardens with no fish, and then there is always other small fish that stay small that may do a lot better in a small pond the size your considering.

 

[fantaildaz]

I am always gratefull for all input. From uk, wwinter dropped to minus 20 at timees last year, all survived including a vgolden tench, they were freak temp drops tho andd didnt last. Will try get pics of garden for you, unfortunatly i caannot nor willnot change my fish. They have become the children i never had. Sad!!! Buttrue. Never any probs with water condition paart from aafter winter when1 or2 had burnswhichare sortd. I would like a preformed as i reeallydont havethetime to dig that deep or build up. Do they even produce preformed more than 4 feet deep orwill i have to manufacture my own.l?

Sorry bout my typos. Im ona epad,, i type 111 and it types 3 times,touchscreen keyboard

 

[fishin4cars]

NP, on the typo's. LOL looks like my typing without spell check! LOL I don't know of any 4' deep preformed here in the states, may have some there but I'm betting to get a preformed 4' deep the pond it self is going to be far bigger than your looking for. Liner is by far cheaper, and will hold up longer, and it molds to whatever hole you dig so you can make it fit your yard more easily. I tried pre-formed ponds when I started, Honestly, I hated them. they were harder to hide the edges, they were trickier to install, they didn't last as long and if they don't have the right support under them, they tend to bend and warp badly. I wish I could find a pic, I had a customer that bought a large bowl looking pond that was really cool, looked like a black kettle pot. They placed part in the ground and part above, then added a nice decrotive pot the spilled the water over into the kettle, They had a small in pond filter, that pumped water into the pot that flowed water in the pond, filled that pot with pea gravel and put a few plants in the top, worked like a bog filter. Didn't take up much space, was about 300-400 gallons and when they landscaped the plants around it it really looked nice. I've been looking but I can't find the pics to show you.

 

[fishin4cars]

http://waterfallforge.com/KettlePage.htm

here is what I was talking about as far as the kettle, even some decorated that are similar to the one I set up for my customer, none show the pot over flowing but this was one idea I was wondering if it might work in your situation.

 

[fantaildaz]

ive taken a few pics of my garden and the space i have to work with, the bowls look very appealing but round is not so good i dont think, to save space i would prefer a long flat edge to go along the wall in the pics, i want to dig out the dwarf wall to the size of the preform, as long as i have 1 and half feet out the ground then i would be happy with the grandchildren, (they are very small). and 1 and half in the ground as frost protection, every thing else i can work with with all you guys help, have a look at the pics and see what you think, space is paramount, but so are my fish, flat square,ish is preferable. if i had a bigger garden then those bowls would have been ideal if 400 gal, thank you for your help fishin.
keep it comming :regular_waving_emot

 

[fishin4cars]

You have more room than I thought, with small children I think partially raised and partially in the ground is a great idea. You could make a nice looking Formal pond along the walls or fencing that would blend in well and not take up that much space. Another idea is using a corner and making a pond that would sit directly in the corner. Wouldn't have to be a triangle but using a corner will save your yard space and still make a pretty decent size pond. You have plenty of potential there. Just need a idea that suits your taste and yard.
May want to look at mouseams pond, It's a lot larger than what your wanting but something similar on a smaller scale may work nice in your yard.

 

[fantaildaz]

The garden vitself is avworkin progress, the conncrete areaa will be covered in deckin, the grravel ivhope wont be touched. Only the vgrasssarea i have to workwith. Plans for french doors mean the pond needs moving, aaway from the wall it sitss on now.
It willl b u guys that give me ideas and inspiraation

 

[stroppy]

i dont think you will find a pre formed pond deep enough as you say last year temps dropped really low as they did here in the south east .. how about a semi raised pond ?but that will mean digging and a pond liner

 

[fantaildaz]

Its an idea stroppy and a welcome one, im sure i seen a wooden one somewhere like the one you mention. I,m a composite laminator so will look into making one myself aalthough i could do without the extra work.
I think im going to have to startt from scratch with a new build and a wsooden sedmi raised in a corner next to the decking that isnt therex yet and the wall, i wonder if i could build using the same ddecking boards

 

[addy1]

With a dug down and built up using a liner, you will be able to make it to the size you want and what fits your area. Might be more work in the beginning but it will be great in the end.
Keep asking here and all will help you