Dustboy's small pond build

[dustboy]

A friend offered me a free pond kit, with a 30" x 48" preformed liner and a couple of pumps. I've been wanting a water feature in our new yard for some time, so I got to digging. I found the slate in the photo buried in the hole, so I used it to cover the mud until I find something better. The simple sound of water flowing changed the atmosphere of the yard instantly, and covers up a lot of the neighborhood noises.

Believe me, this picture is just the start. If I had my 'druthers, I'd build a huge pond with a flowing stream to rival the Sierra Nevadas, but my wife vetoed that idea, so I'm starting small. We have a big (for the SF Bay Area) flat yard, I would love to add a waterfall or stream, but I don't want it to look like I just piled up a bunch of rocks.

The liner is only about 24" deep so we probably can't keep fish, as I hear you need 3' minimum depth to deter raccoons. It needs some simple filtration to clear up the water, and of course I got some dirt in there when I was backfilling, so let me know if you have ideas for sucking that stuff out.

 

[sissy]

does the pump have a prefilter in it as that should suck up some of it but dirt is good to a point and will make good muck grow on the sides of the pond and look more natural .

 

[dustboy]

Good point, I didn't get a whole lot of dirt in there so I might just leave it. I need to check the pump, it looks like it might have an internal prefilter. The second smaller pump that I'm not using is a Beckett that can take the cylinder type prefilter, just need to order one.

 

[sissy]

The foam filters are good to a point .Since you have no fish they should work .

 

[dustboy]

Would it be a bad idea to throw a few goldfish in there? The little ones seem like they would be hard to catch. Or would they just be coon bait?

 

[sissy]

If you have coons they may destroy the pond to get to the fish

 

[j.w]

Coon bait for sure! If you are gonna put fish in there you will have to lay a wire screen over it. One that a coon can't rip off or squeeze under. They are very determined just like the heron! They will rip plants and tear everything up trying to get at them. Oh yes I know, been there done that!

 

[dustboy]

I see. Definitely Ixnay on the Ishfay then. Yes, the coons are here but we haven't seen them much since the neighbor trapped and relocated one out of a big family. Heard it pleading from the live trap all night, I think the others got the message.

 

[Jezmund]

My pond is 24 inches I live in Ohio and my goldfishes lived through the winter. Jus make sure to keep aeration going.

 

[addy1]

Nice little pond! You have been bitten by the pond bug

If you want to try fish, put in some fan tails, they breed slow or not at all and stay small. To test for raccoons, put in a few trap door snails, the coons love them! Watch to see if they stick around.

 

[dustboy]

Well, I think I'll avoid putting any raccoon bait in there for now. Last thing I want is to have the dog going crazy at 3am and waking up the kids.

Plants though, got any suggestions for those? I'd love to do a little bog too. Looks like we are Zone 10a.

 

[dustboy]

Here are a few pics to show what I'm working with.

Here's an aerial (no drone, did it the old fashioned way and climbed up on the roof.):

Northeast, with doggo:

South. Thinking of taking out that oleander and running a stream from the fence?

West. The sliding door goes to our bedroom, which is why I put the pond here, so I can listen to the water trickling as I go to sleep. Yes, our house needs paint and what am I doing digging ponds...you sound like my mother in law.

I'm not crazy about the concrete slab that runs up to the pond, it is incorrectly graded and I hate concrete so it will eventually meet the jackhammer or I'll put a stone veneer over it. I'll run an electrical outlet for the pump under the slab soon.

 

[addy1]

It is the beginning! We have lots of house work to do, it will get done...............some day!

 

[sissy]

With the concrete slab you could stain it and make it look like patio stone .I have seen a lot of that on pinterest and diy network .

 

[dustboy]

Kitteh likes the pond..

And built a filter using a little tote box I stole from my wife. Drilled a bunch of holes in the sides and lid, rocks on the bottom to hold it down, and wrapped the pump in poly batting I pilfered from the dog's bed. Nobody is any the wiser...but the water is clear now!