Hello from the UK

[bagsmom]

I always tell people in the planning stage to look up you tube videos by The Pond Digger - Eric Triplett. He does excellent video tutorials and shows how to do things for many different sizes, budgets, and styles of ponds and water features! Welcome!

 

[Mmathis]

@WheelieSue Hello! I see you posted in another topic as well, but we don’t know anything about you. Why not go over to “introductions” and tell us a little about yourself and about your pond plans.

 

[Tara]

Hello. How far north are you? There is a guy on you tube who builds ponds in Scotland. He builds his streams and waterfalls with mortar and rock. Another man in England build a d.I.y skimmer out of a dustbin. These projects were very cost effective, and looked great when finished.I will try to find them again, I watched a lot of videos when building my pond.

 

[GBBUDD]

Along with the pond digger is the aquascape videos and atlantis gardens.

oh and welcome to the hole in the ground you plan on making and dumping all your cash into . but so worth it when its done

 

[Newbieponderuk]

Hello. How far north are you? There is a guy on you tube who builds ponds in Scotland. He builds his streams and waterfalls with mortar and rock. Another man in England build a d.I.y skimmer out of a dustbin. These projects were very cost effective, and looked great when finished.I will try to find them again, I watched a lot of videos when building my pond.

Hello
I'm in Edinburgh!

Thanks very much for the tip. I've been watching a few YouTube videos a week on pond building for the past month or two and some have been pretty helpful I guess, but unfortunately, most of the ones which really catch my eye tend not to come with much detail.

I realise everyone is making this point about allowing for additional cash, which is sensible enough, but I was still hoping someone might be able to give me some kind of ballpark number on a small-ish project like this.
Right now there's $700 in the piggy bank for it.

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum @Newbieponderuk!

 

[Lisak1]

I realise everyone is making this point about allowing for additional cash, which is sensible enough, but I was still hoping someone might be able to give me some kind of ballpark number on a small-ish project like this.
Right now there's $700 in the piggy bank for it.

Your main expenditures up front will be for liner and equipment - pump, skimmer and filter/waterfall box (if you choose to use one) and plumbing parts. You can DIY some of the equipment if you're handy, but for the liner it's vital to get a 45 mil EPDM. Don't skimp out on liner. Your liner will probably eat up half your current budget. So can you get started - sure! But keep saving!

You don't have to install a skimmer, but most people would tell you it makes your pond much easier to care for in the long run. A biofalls or filter box is one way to add filtration. Some people use in the pond filters or external filters - just a preference. But consider your pond size - if you have a filter in the pond, it does take up space.

Hope this helps! Keep asking questions - so much better than coming back later and saying "I MADE A BIG MISTAKE! HOW DO I FIX IT??"

 

[GBBUDD]

I'm not the guy to offer advice in that area. I am a firm believer the bigger the easier it is to maintain. I guess your looking more at an outdoor aquarium. I would take your time look around and you may find a roofing job they throw away pieces of rubber in the size your looking at. or at bare minimum you can always seem a couple pieces together.

 

[Tara]

Hi. One video on YouTube is by the pond guru, but I can't remember the other video. I think with your budget you should be able to get a great start on a pond. I got a 20x30 foot rubber liner for $300 on sale. I have a skimmer I got on amazon warehouse deals for $100, a waterfall filter spillway open box $80. My pump Was $149 during a holiday sale. I have a big bag of old Lego $5 at a thrift store in my water fall filter box for bio media along with scrubbing pads from the dollar store. Keep your eye out for deals and you will find some. Anything else in your garden plus your own free labour and your all set. The rocks were in the hole I dug, and the tree stumps are from a tree knocked down in a storm. Plants are really cheap as Summer moves on. Here is a picture of my pond build on a budget. The hose and fixtures were $20. Start digging and show us some pictures as you go.

 

[Newbieponderuk]

Your main expenditures up front will be for liner and equipment - pump, skimmer and filter/waterfall box (if you choose to use one) and plumbing parts. You can DIY some of the equipment if you're handy, but for the liner it's vital to get a 45 mil EPDM. Don't skimp out on liner. Your liner will probably eat up half your current budget. So can you get started - sure! But keep saving!

You don't have to install a skimmer, but most people would tell you it makes your pond much easier to care for in the long run. A biofalls or filter box is one way to add filtration. Some people use in the pond filters or external filters - just a preference. But consider your pond size - if you have a filter in the pond, it does take up space.

Hope this helps! Keep asking questions - so much better than coming back later and saying "I MADE A BIG MISTAKE! HOW DO I FIX IT??"

Hi again,

Thanks you've been very helpful already.
With regards to a waterfall and filter, below are the kind of things that I'm looking at:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Pond-S...1531869785&sr=8-2&keywords=pond+uv+clarifiers

https://www.primrose.co.uk/-p-5829....BjPGU_36by-11NtQLurC-O46ISdZDGyBoCC6AQAvD_BwE

Yeah, I'd been reading up on skimmers and you're right that they seem to be highly recommended by those who have installed them but with it being a fairly small project, with a waterfall for aeration and a UV filter as well... I wasn't sure if it really is necessary. Am I right in saying those things can be installed later with fairly minimal ease?

 

[Tara]

I went with a skimmer as I have plenty of trees around. If you have fish a waterfall with a filter would be worth it, I think. I have seen pumps that sit in the pond and pump to the waterfall if you don't want a skimmer. I'm sure people here with a lot of experience having fish will have great advice on filtration. I have five small fish in my pond, and can tell that a filter is needed. The threads here have given me great advice as I read through them. I'm sure someone here will have even more advice on pumps and filters without a skimmer. There is a learning curve to building g a pond, but it can be done, and is well worth it when done. I can't remember who on this forum uses quilt batting as a filter around her pump. As I said there is a lot of useful information on the threads here.

 

[Lisak1]

Am I right in saying those things can be installed later with fairly minimal ease?

Hmmm... having never installed a skimmer, I can't say how easy it is. We built our pond without one. (We have a negative edge on our pond that acts as a skimmer though.) But to me, nothing is ever as easy to do after the fact as it is from the beginning, if that makes sense.

I'm not much of an equipment expert - perhaps someone else will chime in with some answers there!

 

[GBBUDD]

Skimmers, main drains, seaming, and return jets all require what some call TABOO
"CUTTING THE LINER"
THIS scares the hell out of everyone.
IF you are careful
Think things through before you act
Keep the rubber as smooth as possible if you have wrinkles work them out pull them to other areas away from where you will be puncturing the rubber get it smooth without stretching the rubber. Then it is very simple to do more advanced designs. Ones that will make the upkeep and enjoyment of your pond a lifestyle not just a hobby. TRY IT ON SCRAP PIECES OF STOCK BEFORE YOU CUT YOUR LINER.become familiar with your tools and materials practice makes perfect

 

[carolinaguy]

Hello and welcome! But why do you need it to be 5’ deep, especially since you’re not going to have koi? More important than depth is total surface area, which is where gas exchange takes place.

Excellent observation. The smallest surface areas of a 3 dimensional shapes are a cube or sphere. If the pond were 12 by 4 by 2.5, the surface area doubles. More surface, more exchange. If you stick with your original dimensions, add a lot of aeration. Aeration forces oxygen depleted water at the bottom to rise to the top and be reoxygenated. Make sure you have a bottom drain because with this depth, the bottom will become a septic tank without the necessary digestive material to convert the waste. I’ve seen ponds at this depth without a bottom drain start killing fish in a matter of months.

 

[carolinaguy]

Skimmers, main drains, seaming, and return jets all require what some call TABOO
"CUTTING THE LINER"
THIS scares the hell out of everyone.
IF you are careful
Think things through before you act
Keep the rubber as smooth as possible if you have wrinkles work them out pull them to other areas away from where you will be puncturing the rubber get it smooth without stretching the rubber. Then it is very simple to do more advanced designs. Ones that will make the upkeep and enjoyment of your pond a lifestyle not just a hobby. TRY IT ON SCRAP PIECES OF STOCK BEFORE YOU CUT YOUR LINER.become familiar with your tools and materials practice makes perfect

Cutting the liner is easy and straight forward with the proper method. The cutting edge must be a new utility blade. The EPDM must be marked with the cut line. The cut must be continuous with no rat tail edges. It takes patience and concentration. Our pond has nine ports with bulwark fittings and none leak. (our waterfalls leak but that is almost by design) There is a terrific tape you can use if you make a mistake and it will never loosen. There is also lexcel that will glue two pieces of liner together and will hold under pressure. Cutting the liner is nothing to fear.