I'm totally trying that! Thanks for the great tip!
My 5,000 Gal Pond Build In Photos
- Thread starter koikeepr
- Start date
yea that sounds awesome
Sure enough the minute we mixed a 5 gallon bucket of $25 thinset the heavens opened up and we had to stop for the day. Well, at least I made my strapping bundles for the filter.
Here's the strapping roll of 9,800 feet that i bought on Ebay for $40:
Here is what it looks like up close. You can see that it has an embossed/textured finish and is not perfectly smooth. You want something like this so the bacteria can get a good grip on it. I decided to get white strapping tape versus the black one as I figured it would be easier to see any crud on it. Of course, black tape works just as well as the white one.
I purchased some bird netting to act as a bag, and just unspooled the 1/2" strapping on it. Make sure you double up the netting so you can have two layers around the strapping to make the bag sturdy.
Finally, I just got some zip ties and just pulled everything together tight. I made two bundles so far. I made one much larger than the other and i think I'll regret having made it so big. The stuff is pretty light once unspooled, but the big one will likely be a pain once it's been in the water. I have enough strapping material for 1 more small bundle. I think that this amount is perfect for a 150 gallon stock tank,
Tomorrow, they're calling for sun and a pleasant day. Hopefully we'll have that capstone laid and the tile.
Here's the strapping roll of 9,800 feet that i bought on Ebay for $40:
Here is what it looks like up close. You can see that it has an embossed/textured finish and is not perfectly smooth. You want something like this so the bacteria can get a good grip on it. I decided to get white strapping tape versus the black one as I figured it would be easier to see any crud on it. Of course, black tape works just as well as the white one.
I purchased some bird netting to act as a bag, and just unspooled the 1/2" strapping on it. Make sure you double up the netting so you can have two layers around the strapping to make the bag sturdy.
Finally, I just got some zip ties and just pulled everything together tight. I made two bundles so far. I made one much larger than the other and i think I'll regret having made it so big. The stuff is pretty light once unspooled, but the big one will likely be a pain once it's been in the water. I have enough strapping material for 1 more small bundle. I think that this amount is perfect for a 150 gallon stock tank,
Tomorrow, they're calling for sun and a pleasant day. Hopefully we'll have that capstone laid and the tile.
A heap of great activity today thanks to great weather!
We sheathed the pond with tile today. Here's Wendell son's jr. setting tile over the block:
Here he is buttering a piece. I just handed him the ones I thought would work best among the assortement. He was doing all the hard work, I was just the apprentice:
Here's his dad, Wendell cutting the 1" thick Greek slate cap stones. I hope I've helped the Greek economy a tad. These were were $10 per 24" piece (but they were selling for $12). The dust in cutting these with a grinder was unreal. In the background by that copper clad birdfeeder is where my old pond is:
Here's a snapshot of the bottom drains. The top domes and aerators are still not in. We've also not fully cut out the liner from the center hole. I know it holds water, as we had 2" of rain in the pond this morning from last night:
We sheathed the pond with tile today. Here's Wendell son's jr. setting tile over the block:
Here he is buttering a piece. I just handed him the ones I thought would work best among the assortement. He was doing all the hard work, I was just the apprentice:
Here's his dad, Wendell cutting the 1" thick Greek slate cap stones. I hope I've helped the Greek economy a tad. These were were $10 per 24" piece (but they were selling for $12). The dust in cutting these with a grinder was unreal. In the background by that copper clad birdfeeder is where my old pond is:
Here's a snapshot of the bottom drains. The top domes and aerators are still not in. We've also not fully cut out the liner from the center hole. I know it holds water, as we had 2" of rain in the pond this morning from last night:
Here is the skimmer that DoDad sent me with rubber liner and faceplate in place. We still have not cut the liner away from the face plate. Wendell built a beautiful bridge with a top stone to cover it. Some ornamental grasses will cover the skimmer from the sides.
Here's the slate coming around the back of the skimmer:
Wendell is cutting another Greek slate cap stones here. No joke as they are 1" thick:
Here's the slate on the front apron of the pond. Later we'll seal it so that the color really comes out and doesn't look hazy:
Thanks to the rain yesterday we lost a day of work. Tomorrow we hope to finish the back wall with the waterfall and the plumbing. We have to move the waterfall tray 4" to the left and the left spitter as well. We just realized today everything was just a tad over too far. It will be noticeable when the slate tile goes up, so we have tos straighten that out. Easy fix tomorow. Gorgeous temps tomorrow!
Stay tuned! We should start filling the pond with water on Friday, I hope!
WOW! It already looks awesome.
Looks great.
Which Atlantic Color Falls were you looking at for $200?
koikeepr said:
I can't remember if it was the biggest one or the second to biggest. It certainly wasn't going to cost what you got me mine for. LOL! But I'm going to try that light trick in the tray. I totally think that will work to light up the water flowing from it.
amazing
koidaddy
karps house of koi
Koikeepr your build is awesome! I am thinking about doing a raised wall pond next. I love your use of the stone tiles. I have worked quite a bit with stone tiles in my bathroom remodels and floor installations and you have given me some great ideas here. I really like the formal look over natural for the koi pond.
Koidaddy, all I can say is that the tiles were $1.79 at Lowes. Would I have wanted a cultured stack stone look? Sure! But that was just not going to be affordable on a pond this size. So, I had to find places to scrimp, and this was one. That being said, I am no less thrilled by the results. Can't wait to seal the slate with a wet look product that will help bring out the deep colors in each slate tile. The cheap price on the slate made my Utra Sieve doable. It was all about balancing the costs and being reasonable about it all.
If I've inspired you or anyone else, it makes me even happier.
If I've inspired you or anyone else, it makes me even happier.
This morning I laid out the pattern of the slate tiles on the floor that I'd like to see go up on the back wall of the pond. I think I've got a nice mix of tone and color. We'll see how that goes. Went to Lowes to pick up a bunch of stuff. I'm there literally every morning and avert my eyes from the sales folks, as they give me that look like "What the hell is she doing here AGAIN!?" The guy in the PVC aisle must think I'm an absolute wingnut since I've bought about 100 fittings and pipe. He keeps asking me if I need help, and I kindly let him know I'm perfectly fine.
Today, I needed to remove the leaf trap/primer pot on my Sequence pump that I am retiring to a back up pump in case of an emergency. I plan on using that trap on my new pump so I don't have to fork over money for another one. Hopefully, it will fit successfully. Haven't tried it yet.
This morning I also did what I think will be the final water change on my old pond. I took the barrel apart and there was plenty of gook on the bottom of it that I flushed out into my sump pit. Can't wait to capture all that poop and stuff in my new sieve instead of having it remain in the water column. I put everything back together, and I've got the hose in the pond doing a top up.
It's noon eastern and the guys that are helping me have not yet arrived. Time to make a phone call. I want to be sure we're done with this project tomorrow, as we have rain coming on Saturday.
More pics later tonight on the progress. We are 80% done from what I can tell.
Today, I needed to remove the leaf trap/primer pot on my Sequence pump that I am retiring to a back up pump in case of an emergency. I plan on using that trap on my new pump so I don't have to fork over money for another one. Hopefully, it will fit successfully. Haven't tried it yet.
This morning I also did what I think will be the final water change on my old pond. I took the barrel apart and there was plenty of gook on the bottom of it that I flushed out into my sump pit. Can't wait to capture all that poop and stuff in my new sieve instead of having it remain in the water column. I put everything back together, and I've got the hose in the pond doing a top up.
It's noon eastern and the guys that are helping me have not yet arrived. Time to make a phone call. I want to be sure we're done with this project tomorrow, as we have rain coming on Saturday.
More pics later tonight on the progress. We are 80% done from what I can tell.
Great photos! Where is a picture of the owner of this build?