Hi from Sacramento

[johnnyi]

Hi,

I've been lurking here and other pond related sites trying to gather everything I can about ponds and their construction.

We plan on a pond that is about 20' x 14' irregular oval shape with some stepping on the sides for plants and about 3 to 4 feet deep. We will have about 16 feet of stream with waterfalls going in with a drop of about 4 feet from top of stream to surface of pond.

This pond will be in-ground with 45 mil epdm liner. The pump will be external 1/4 HP Performance Pro ArtesianPro (or equivalent) with about 5,500 GPH at the head we've estimated. We plan on having bottom drains of some type feeding the pump.

One of the issues is the type of filtration that we will use. I'd originally wanted to do a skippy but after reading about addy1's bog filter we are now leaning in that direction. We won't be getting into koi but may be having some goldfish -- the primary purpose is plants and the sight's and sounds of water.

This is all a long way of saying hi, and explaining why I'm here. We probably won't get to this project until next spring at the earliest depending on the availability of the money to do it. Oh, and we plan to do it ourselves -- homemade so to speak.

I've been thinking about waterworks since I was a little one and it came to me that I needed to start doing something about it.

Thanks,

John

 

[j.w]

John

Sounds like you are doing the right thing and taking your time planning this all out and asking questions. I love addy's bog and if you have the room I think it would work great for you. Goldfish are hardier and much easier on your plants and don't make as big a mess fouling up the water as Koi do. Will enjoy seeing your construction in action w/ pix when you start the project :lol:

 

[taherrmann4]

John welcome to the forum and nice intro! There are plenty of pics of peoples ponds where you can get some ideas and learn. I wish that I would have seen this forum 7 years ago before I decided to build mine, would have less headaches.

 

[johnnyi]

I've already been looking at build threads here and elsewhere and will continue. As my plan comes together I'll be posting diagrams and ultimately pictures.

Thanks for the welcome.

John

 

[fishin4cars]

:regular_waving_emotWelcome aboard John,:lol: I like hearing your reading and researching before building. You'll find that this was one of your smartest moves of building a pond, may not stop you from making a mistake here or there but it sure will help in minimzing the ones you do. One good thing about building a pond, with good research, most mistakes can be fixed pretty easily if the initial steps are followed.
being that your from the Sacramento area, have you talked or checked with Sacramento Koi, I know you said your probably not going with koi but they have a great free pamplet that is really nice about do and don't when building a koi pond, many will apply for any pond no matter what type, and again it's free and they are a very well know pond builder for the area.

 

[johnnyi]

fishin4cars,

We haven't been out to Sacramento Koi yet, it's about 25 miles north and a bit east. We have been to a number of places around the area and will be going out there as well. I have a cousin who lives locally who is into koi and told me I should see them.

I definitely have a need to research everything I get into or think that I'm going to get into and this is one of those situations. I don't want to have to revisit any major issues if I can do a little (or a lot) of study beforehand.

Thanks for the welcome.

John

 

[addy1]

John

Koi are very pretty, but so are goldfish and shubunkins. I avoided koi mainly because I wanted plants without fussing about the fish eating them up and the gf and shubies are a lot hardier. Mine stay out year round. Have some beautiful fry growing now. Love my bog, it is keeping my pond crystal clear and water tests all at zero.

 

[johnnyi]

Addy1,

Thank you. Your thread on bog filters was my direct inspiration for using one for our application. We definitely have the space in our backyard. I'll be posting questions soon enough. ;-)

John

 

[addy1]

Great! bogs are for those that want them, others do well with the skippy, doc, fishin, etc filters. I love mine, but I also love the plants that are growing in it and the lack of algae issues in the pond.

 

[fishin4cars]

fishin4cars,

We haven't been out to Sacramento Koi yet, it's about 25 miles north and a bit east. We have been to a number of places around the area and will be going out there as well. I have a cousin who lives locally who is into koi and told me I should see them.

I definitely have a need to research everything I get into or think that I'm going to get into and this is one of those situations. I don't want to have to revisit any major issues if I can do a little (or a lot) of study beforehand.

Thanks for the welcome.

John

John, If you contact Sacramento Koi and ask for a brochure on their filters they will send that little pamplet for free. It's about a 20 page brochure they put together. I have to say for pre planning a pond I was impressed when I got it. Lot's of good info to think about and it's layed out in a way that it's easy to understand the reasoning and concepts of a sucsessful pond. Well worth the 5 minute email, or 15 minute phone call. LOL, he does like to talk!

 

[johnnyi]

addy1,

My interest in first original skippy and now bog stems from a desire for little to no back flush (with the attendant water usage), no chemical and a fundamentally "natural" process. I want to see water bugs, frogs and other such denizens in a mostly natural environment. The bog plant are a huge attraction as well.

fishin4cars,

A talker, huh? A man after my own heart! Lura and I may try to go out there this weekend and for further exploration.

John

 

[DrDave]

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[johnnyi]

DrDave,

Thank you. I see you're from Escondido. I've spent some time down there and lived in Encinitas for a couple of years in the '80's -- very nice place.

John