dad has finally said yes :)

[crazyman213]

hi all,
as the title says my dad has finally given me permission to build a pond in the back garden as long as i promise to maintain it blah blah blah, (sure we all been there before)
i have been keeping fish for around five years now
biggest tank i had is 50 gallons.
so now i have a lovely area of land begging for a whole to be placed in it
so i was wondering how to start really?
best design/ size for beginners
stuff required to run a pond
things like that really
i have access to a digger so no bad backs for me
thanks in advance

 

[sissy]

First you need to decide how big you think you can maintain and afford .Pumps can be expensive to buy and run and the bigger the pump the more money it costs to run and to buy .What kind of fish you are planing on having and what kind of filter you want to build .Liners are also not cheap .Keep in mind leaf drop or stuff that may blow into the pond will need to be kept out .Shade or part sun better as it keeps down algae .Deeper better it helps the fish .Then all below ground or half and half .Water run off also has to be considered ,you don't want stuff washing into the pond .Plus you may need to build in an over flow for heavy rains

 

[dieselplower]

Before we can give you advice on size, shape, equipment etc, it would be nice to know if you have a budget in mind? The cost can add up fast unless you take the time to find used items on Craigslist or something. Also, how big of an area do you have to work with? What are your initial thoughts? Maybe we can help you fine tune those.

 

[sissy]

very true my most expensive part was the liner .I wanted to stay under 300 dollars and this way I could afford to change things later and believe me you are always changing things

 

[shakaho]

As others have said:

budget?

space available?

kind of fish?

Another concern is how long you expect to be living with your dad. If you expect to move out in a few years, a large permanent pond is probably not the best idea.

 

[adavisus]

Get a couple of books on water gardening from local library, put feet up, start spring with a clear idea of objectives and priorities...

 

[slakker]

Budget on size and money, then build to a large as possible!

 

[crazyman213]

it'll have to be at least half out of the ground as we have a young niece who visits often.
size and cost isn't much of an issue as i probably should of said at the start, we had a pond at our old house but i never got involved but i found all the old stuff at the backof the shed and have been pestering to build another since then so the only thing i have to worry about costwise is the liner. sizewise without pacing it out i couldnt tell you but will get back to you soon

 

[Dave 54]

Crazyman being once based at RNAS Yeovilton HMS Heron I know just how cold you get there in he winter months, plus know parts of Somerset are prone to flooding .
Comendable of you to buid both up and down because of your young niece , do you happen to know the depth of your water table ?
If putting in a liner and its a high water table you must put in drainage around the pond because if you dont it will push up under the pond draining it leaving you with the liner stuck up like a whale .
I recomend a minimum depth of 3 ft- 4 ft for goldfish , if your going to keep koi between 4ft - 5 ft ou need to do your homework on the filtration and it must be man enough to serve the pond, make sure the pond is well insulated gainst the cold of winter pipes and filter included .
Be warned that this hobby can be addictive my friend weve been keeping for the last 26 years just starting our 27th
However a word of warning a pond isnt like keeping fish in a tank I suggest you seriously read up on your subject prior to you starting this project as it can be quite unforgiving if you dont , some folk who dont bother to do this dont last long in the hobby and thus some cases a total waste of money bacause of the cost of filters etc .
Always be willing to listen and learn I promise you. you wont go wrong .






Dave

 

[crazyman213]

hi dave.
yeah at the minute having loads of fun with flooding around us
we flooded last year becuase of an ill maintaine sluice gate
but me and dad and a couple others sorted that problem so that it wont be happening again,
i dont know the water table but thats why im here lol so i can learn what i need to know.
havent even thought about stocking yet, silly really else i dont know where to go with it
i know this is me upgrading from tanks to ponds as i have run out of space inside

 

[sissy]

Mine is half above and half below ground .I like it that way so I can sit on the retaining wall and look at the fish
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[sissy]

Best way to see what your water table is is to dig down and see if the hole fills with water after a week or 2 .Water under the liner will raise it up and if the water freezes it could be a nightmare

 

[crazyman213]

sissy your pond is beautiful i can see why you love it so much
i'll try the water table test tonight, hopefully be allright

 

[Dave 54]

Crazy man i bought my pond in Ilchester from a former koi dealership it was one of their QT ponds , apart from the bottom drain it sits above ground.
You can alwys buy large holding tanks should your area continue to keep flooding ours cost £600 so that may be an option for you and your Dad to think about , i has a 4" bottom drain and a bank of three vortex style filters and a barrel filter a bottom drain bubbler supplied by an air pump and an airpump to supply all the filters , the pump itself is an inline pump and is an oase 3500
Hope this helps


Dave

 

[crazyman213]

Crazy man i bought my pond in Ilchester from a former koi dealership it was one of their QT ponds , apart from the bottom drain it sits above ground.
You can alwys buy large holding tanks should your area continue to keep flooding ours cost £600 so that may be an option for you and your Dad to think about , i has a 4" bottom drain and a bank of three vortex style filters and a barrel filter a bottom drain bubbler supplied by an air pump and an airpump to supply all the filters , the pump itself is an inline pump and is an oase 3500
Hope this helps


Dave

i did the water table test as recommended (might of dug a bit deep :banghead3: ) shovel needs to be longer lol
checked each morning and the hole is dry.
checked with my dad as well as he's part of environment agency and he says we r fine for a pond up to 2m deep.
which is crazy deep closer to a swimming pool than a pond
sounds good dave i'll have to look into that. do you remember the name of the company?
thanks again for everyones help :afro: