Garden Pond Question

[sissy]

Don't forget the ponds that have no fish and are there just for looks and sound ,gosh they have more problems also than you can imagine .My neighbor had 2 goldfish they died and she decided to go fish free and I have been working with her and finally we have the water and rocks to her satisfaction ,but that could be do to the cooler weather .I have koi and really have not had many problems .I guess I have been lucky .Crossing my fingers now and hoping I did not jinx myself .The only fish I have lost is one that jumped out .A combo book and cd would be great with online help also .Pumps are hard to figure out ,ratings and repair and mantinence guides would be great

 

[mikeinpgh]

When I decided to build a pond, I just did a Google search, read a lot and looked at a ton of pics. Then I went to the local garden store and asked A LOT of questions. The biggest help was this forum. I think a with a forum, you get a lot of information from people that have tried different methods and products. You can find out what works and what doesn't. There are people on here that are truely experts and there people like me that are just starting out. Everybody can help and it seems everybody wants to help.
The problem with the garden store was I had one person's help and opinion. Also they were trying to SELL a specific product line. I should of started here on the forum first.LOL

EDIT:
I didn't vote, I thought all would be nice. How about an interactive website or a online community. :lol: That is where I was going with this whole post. LOL

 

[sissy]

I had the same problem voting mike as all of them were something that would interest a ponder new or old , not age ponding time .I have learned more on this sight than anywhere on the internet and your right the stores you visit are there to sell stuff and they may not even know enough about ponds to give suggestions to start with .I got some info on the net when I started but even those pond pro's as they call themselves tell you wrong things .They want to sell there filters there pumps there equipment and there chemicals say it is better .Just like all there sights on you tube say you should put rocks on the bottom of your pond .They may know something but just not sure what it is ..I'm sorry I love my pond but I am cheap and on a budget .I can't afford the expensive pumps that if anything happens I will burn it out and knowing me it would happen .

 

[HARO]

Sissy; I know only too well how you feel about the garden center pond people! After all, I am one of them. But in my defense, let me just say that I never try to sell someone anything that they don't need, and often advise on alternate (and cheaper) ways of doing things. I may not be the best salesman, but my customers are, for the most part, happy with their ponds, and continue to come back for advice and whatever they may need. I have even been told by new customers that salespeople in other stores suggested they come to see me, because I apparently knew my stuff! John

 

[sissy]

Thats the difference haro I am not putting some of them down because they either have ponds or are very knowledgeable about them .The pet store I go to and get my water tested and the printout for it knows as he has 2 ponds one with koi and one with goldfish .When you find someone like you that knows about ponds hang onto them even if they try to get away kicking and screaming

 

[addy1]

We like you haro, even though you are one of those............garden center peeps

 

[Catfishnut]

Hi all. My names Andrew and im new here, so please forgive me if this in the wrong forum. Simply put im a student and i have been assigned a project where i have to build a interactive application that shows people how to build garden ponds. I wont bore you with all the technical jargon but would really appreciate it if you could just tell me a few things. Any help is greatly appreciated!

1. What (if any) forms of help did you get or receive when you started to build your Garden Pond?
2. If you where to use some sort of interactive guide on a computer, what sort of features would you expect it to have?
3. Would you use a interactive pond guide building tutorial if one was available?

Once again, any help even if its a few sentences is extremely helpful in my project.

Andrew,

I am really a "greenhorn" to pond stuff. I keep fish in a tank out at the river in a really crude environment. They are for fishing bait. Not the nice Koi though, I wouldn't ever use them for bait, that would be like using someone's pet and that would be wrong, not to mention expensive.

Regardless, let me give you a hint of something that I would like to see in a "pond guide". That is a total list of acronyms of terninology regarding watr quality. What does TDS, DOC, DO, etc stand for when reffering to our hobby. I went searching for this because someone else asked a question and I couldn't find many good resources out there. There should be one that is all-encompassing. Alphabetically listed with links to further info.

That would be a great advantage to beginners as it is difficult to understand what the experts say when you don't understand the jargon.

Next item on my list would be to outline all the different and unique filtration systems starting from in the pond to the return water to the pond. Many people just do not know all of the options available to them. This will be a huge undertaking as there are many system styles and setups and water chemistry is the key to all of them. This is an extremely in depth subject and would be a lengthy part or your guide. But, it is extremely important.

Oh, and discuss fish types and other aquatic creatures. Turtles, native fish, frogs and salamanders and newts, tropical fish, plants, and even the predators that you must keep out of the pond and how to go about that.

Andrew, you could gather enough information to create a series of novel length books, not just a pamphlet on pond set ups. This is truly a major hobby with all sorts of avenues and discussions. You should not be lacking for information on this subject.

If you really want to know what to put in your thesis or report (your guide), try doing it yourself, I mean setting up a pond for your own and making it work. That is the best way to discover all the intricacies that are important first hand. Then, you will know exactly how to create your guide.

You might just get "hooked" on this hobby yourself!

Gordy

 

[HSJami]

Hello Andrew,
This sounds like a splendid idea. When I built my first pond, I dug a hole, lined it, built up a waterfall with a lining behind it and threw in a pump and was on my way. Needless to say I learned a lot--the hard way. I think that an interactive program where you could draw the area where your pond would be including elevation/slope would be the starting point. Then have the choices for construction--concrete, flexible liners of all kinds, rigid preformed. Be able to click and drag those into the picture. Of course, you'd need filtration systems and their placement, pumps and their placements, waterfalls and other features (fountains, etc.), plant choices, bog placement, choices of bog plants, stream channels and other feaures such as springs. YOu'd also want to have a way to show the adjacent buildings and plantings of trees and the shade they will cast. Having all of these things organized into categories which one could click and drag into the picture, along with suppliers and power requirements would be a wonderful tool for backyard watergardeners. Oh, yes, a volume calculator, a formula for figuring the cost of operation of the pump and lighting. I love the idea, but it sounds like a massive project, researching all those sources of equipment,

Once you have the features placed, you could have warnings that would indicate that certain features would either not be safe or would be more costly than necessary. There is a plethora of programs that deal with landscaping and home remodeling, but I've never seen one that deals specificially with water features. You might get some ideas from some of those home improvement programs.

 

[CountryEscape]

Gosh, Andrew, you opened up a forum of your own here, and I learned lots of things just reading everyone's suggestions!
I dug my first ever pond this past spring, and THIS forum is what I used and where I asked questions, and got information, and did my pond. I'm still learning as I go, but having a good forum to jump on and ask questions when things go wrong (green water, for instance) and people there to help you know it's ok, no harm done, just unsightly, and able to move on, was great.
HSJami's ideas of the interactive system sound like a dream! That site would get so many hits if it worked as explained, everyone would be redoing their ponds, refiguring how to make them larger, etc. I love when I can use an interactive site.
Good luck with your research! Keep us posted when you get to the nitty gritty. I'm a reader, not much on offering anything at this point. But, sure love the info I received on this site.

 

[sissy]

www.pond.com has a great pond calculator for water depth size and any pump you are considering you can put in you in your rate and what the pump you are thinking of watts and it will give you the cost to run it .It also has a liner calculator

 

[Catfishnut]

[sub]Andrew,[/sub]

[sub]How is your project progressing? I am interested to hear more about what you are thinking and doing in your research. I think what you are doing sounds like a great deal of fun. I understand that you are doing this for a thesis, and it has been said that I have a "funny idea of fun" . Yep, work is fun to me. LOL[/sub]

[sub]Gordy[/sub]

 

[Andrew_1990]

Thanks again everyone for all your feedback, the information that iv gathered here so far has helped me in leaps and bounds . Im still very busy designing the whole application. Storyboards, flowcharts navigation charts etc. Im hoping to actually start the coding before the end of the year. Il try and keep you updated when ever possible.

Thanks again

Regards
Andy

 

[Mmathis]

Hi, Andrew! I voted way back, but forgot about your poll until it popped up again with your latest post. So glad you got the information you needed!

Hope it's not too late for ONE MORE COMMENT

I'm a TRUE pond-newbie. One thing I've encountered is that I don't always comprehend what I'm reading, or don't comprehend a concept -- especially something that involves physics or engineering knowledge. So I have trouble when directions/instructions get too complicated, technical, or use terms I'm not familiar with. I can usually follow if things are "dumbed down" just a little -- the guys on this forum kinda know me by now and are great about acomodating my "needs." I really DO have ADD, which makes it hard for me to follow long, complicated, or multi-step directions.

So thought I would bring up that it's important to SPEAK TO YOUR AUDIENCE when designing an informational ANYTHING. Decide WHO your target is going to be [newbies, experienced ponders who just need a little more insight, etc,] and go from there. I have picked up books that were WAY to simplified and didn't address questions I had (all the "what-ifs"), as well as books that had so many equations I thought they were written in a foreign language!

Good luck with you project! Let us know how it goes!

 

[Catfishnut]

Andrew,

When you get it all finished, don't forget to allow us to grade your work. You know that we are certainly interested and anxious to see what you come up with. I am sure that you have found a large mass of material to work with from this forum alone and you have probably researched much more. Your finished project should be really swell!

Gordy