Needing to be schooled -Less than newbie

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We have a large boulder in our front yard with natural steps on it. I always figured it would make a really nice waterfall water feature and as it turns out, it does. My son and I got a wild hair a year ago and decided to drill through it to give it a water source up on the top basin of the steps.

Now I'm at the point I'd like to start making it happen. The things I figure I need but have no idea where to begin.
-A water basin below to collect and recirculate the water- I assume with and area deep enough to form a sump for a pump. Some material I can freeform. Concrete?
-A pump that can deliver a small flow of water four feet high. We want a soothing bubbling trickle down the face of the rock. I have a video where I hooked a hose up to it with the perfect flow but don't know if it can be watched from the link below.
-Power for the pump. Do they make pumps that run off low voltage like the accent lighting for your home?
-Can I have it run down into rocks or gravel without an exposed pool?
-Can you keep it from getting green without fish?
-Is there a way to reduce the mineral deposits forming from evaporation?

I don't even know enough to know the questions I should be asking but my wife and I are fast learners and very handy with home projects. I just need some guidance to get started.

I appreciate any help.



rock.jpg


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Normally when people come here asking about a natural boulder to turn into a waterfall my response is usually that's a nightmare that will never go away and a constant battle. You have a large boulder but not one so big it can't be done right. How ever for the little trickle that your showing maybe the on going nightmare route and constant water replenishment is the easier way to go.
Yes you can do what is called a pondless water fall. That is where using Matrix blocks creating a underground water storage a pump vault that will push the water back up on the rock. As far as your fountain a 4 foot high is going to splash every where and loose a ton of water. can it be done sure.
Now for the fun part You'll need an excavator large enough to be able to roll that monster. But before you do . you'll want to take your liner that is sandwiched between layers of very hd geotextile non woven needle punched fabric . this will help protect the liner from a puncture. i would dig behind the boulder to a depth of maybe 30" place the fabric liner fabric aqaublocks and a 12" layer of 3/4 gravel on top of the fabric liner fabric. now here's the tricky part you'll need to have the liner for the other side of the boulder folded / rolled up and roll the boulder back over what you just made. Then pull the liner out as it becomes exposed and dig the other side of the boulder. place the aquablock if you'd like more water storage. Now all this work could be easily removed if there just happens to be an excavator or a loader around big enough to lift and move the boulder, dig the hole install the liner and blocks. but that's not a small machine. So could it be done ? yes... is it easy ? heck no.. . is it impossible? hardly . Is it worth it only you can answer!

Another way to do it is to not dig at all lay the fabric and liners down rake out any rocks . roll the boulder and pull out the liner roll the rock back and build up the sides around the boulder making a mote around the boulder that is filled with rock so you don't have your pond.

If your willing to do this then we can talk more to your other questions
 
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My current pond adventure started with a rock with a hole in it bubbling out water like yours, that was here when we moved in. It had a pump under it that finally failed and when we took it apart to put a new pump in, I had someone make a pond under it.

As mentioned, the rock with water through it is not sufficient filtration or aeration for your pond if you have plants or fish. But it could work for a "pondless waterfall." There are kits you can buy or you can buy your own. You might as well look at pond videos too so you can decide if you just want a rock and water or if you want more.

I wanted fish to look at. I still have the original rock with water flowing through it. But I have added bog filters for aeration and filtration for my goldfish.

The fish give you something to look at, actually to sit and stare at! Just the sound of running water and watching the flow is soothing. But I am not sure it will be interesting enough to sit and stare at. I only ever walked past my water feature when it was just a rock and water. Now that there are fish I enjoy sitting and visiting my fish.

What a beautiful rock you have. It will make a wonderful water feature or be a feature stone in a larger pond.
 
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+1 to what @GBBUDD said. If the totality of the feature will be that rock with water bubbling out of it, then it's very doable. Like mentioned, though, you're going to need to move the rock in order to get a liner underneath it and that boulder looks like it's going to require an excavator and a couple straps to even think about budging. But since you'll have to dig a basin, will be nice to have an excavator to make easy work of it.

To answer your questions:

-A water basin below to collect and recirculate the water- I assume with and area deep enough to form a sump for a pump. Some material I can freeform. Concrete?

Typical install would be dig a basin, set a liner, install one or more water matrix blocks like aquablox + a pump vault, plumb & set boulder, add decorative gravel. You may only need one or two aquablocks to accomplish what you're going for, but make sure the basin is dug wide enough so that the liner can capture any water splashing off of the rock.

-A pump that can deliver a small flow of water four feet high. We want a soothing bubbling trickle down the face of the rock.

Yep. You'll most likely want a submersible pump, therefore the need for a pump vault.

-Power for the pump. Do they make pumps that run off low voltage like the accent lighting for your home?

They make low voltage pumps, but I'm not aware of any that you can just splice into an existing 12v landscape lighting circuit. That would be handy, though! Will have to look into it.

-Can I have it run down into rocks or gravel without an exposed pool?

Absolutely. That's how must people do it.

c.1282.1-mountain_spring_rock539x360.jpg


-Can you keep it from getting green without fish?

There are treatments people use. I think hydrogen peroxide is popular.

-Is there a way to reduce the mineral deposits forming from evaporation?

I think that's mostly going to depend on the composition of the rock and your water source. Someone here probably has some good advice.

One other thought regarding aesthetics: You have a gorgeous boulder. Gonna make a great fountain. As long as you're having to move it and do some digging, I suggest burying it a little more—maybe 1/4 the height that is exposed now could be buried to make it settle into the landscape a bit better.
 

Jhn

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Agree with everyone, depending on how you want it to look and the amount of money you want to spend…simplest option to get a really nice water feature is renting an excavator and strapping and moving the rock, creating your pond or pondless water feature then the putting the rock back. Excavator in the 15-20,000 lb. range should do the trick, (bigger is obviously better)the lower end of the range, you would need to know if the excavator has the ”ass” to pick up that rock, not all excavators are equal especially used ones. Who ever you rent it from should be able to tell you if it can handle it.
 
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Thank you everybody for you quick responses. This boulder was just sitting there out by itself with nothing around it when we bought the property. No clue how or why it was placed there but we love it.

The only area that gets wet on the boulder is where I drew. I should have written it clearer that we don't want a four foot fountain spraying up into the air and splashing down on the rock. It's four feet from the hole down to the ground and then whatever else down to the vault. There's much more boulder on the far side. I can get way way up underneath this side without disturbing the stability of it. Is it not possible to undercut this side of it and get the liner up underneath it a ways? I'd prefer not to have to bring an excavator in. I have the equipment to chisel and form a sizable lip up underneath to push the liner up into. Like I drew, only a very small surface on this side actually has water running down it and it has an edge at the bottom that the water falls off of. The ground all around the boulder is just wet from our drilling.

We have a paver patio behind the camera that overlooks the boulder. we spend most evenings out there catching up on our day and eating dinner. That's why we weren't planning fish. As nice as that would be, were more interested in the sound and the view of the water running down with the area around it nicely planted. We also live out rural with no fencing and raccoons in abundance. We're in the process of re-landscaping the entire behind and to the right.



rock wet area.jpg


I just looked up the matrix blocks. Those are super cool. I wouldn't have known they existed. Thank you. I had seen where somebody made a plastic screen over the top supported by rebar cross bars and it seemed kind of clunky but the blocks look great.

Is this the type of material you're all talking about to use as a liner? I know everyone has there own preferences but are there particular brands to stay away from?

pond liner.jpg


Right now we're in the research stages and making lists and notes before we move ahead. I like to have everything planned out and in the bag before beginning anything.
 
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Yep, that’s the preferred liner material. As for installing the basin without moving the boulder… you can try it! Sounds like you have a plan. Give it a shot. Maybe buy a liner that will still work if your first plan doesn’t.
 

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and welcome @RobOMJ
I will be watching this and hoping your plan turns out great! Hoping you will post photo's as you take this project on.
 
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Unless your extremely lucky and the boulder has a natural lip that the water is forced to drop off from the boulder instead of running on the boulder and run to the ground then yes i would say you need to roll the boulder if your out there every night then you could do more maintenance and fill it or top it off nightly. But if it is that much of a desired dream then roll the rock do it right get the liner and fabrics under the boulder
 

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