New pond construction. The Water Garden Pond

[fishin4cars]

Addy, I wish I had seen that before I got what I did. I would have probably gone with it but now that roof is already on I think I can live with the roof. Right now the waterfall is kicking my derier. I've rearranged it at least five or six times and I can't get the effect I'm after. I've probably got at least 12-14 hours of arranging and rearranging rock and right now it looks exactly like it did on Wed. of last week. I just pulled all the rock out and starting over. We blew the engine up in the tractor and it's been in the shop getting a motor rebuild since Mid June. Of course I have all the rock stacked behind the barn so I have had to wheel barrel all the rock from the back of the barn to the front yard. Doesn't sound to bad until you get behind that thing and have to walk it up hill over 200 yards per load. At least the trip back empty is down hill. Whew! LOL

 

[sissy]

I think when it comes to waterfalls it is one of the things you will fuss over the most .In 8 years i have redone mine countless times and think I an satisfied and then I 'm not .

 

[fishin4cars]

Sissy, I agree. I have really never done a waterfall this large. I have always had streams that were part of the water fall and not just the water fall going straight in the ponds. I want multilayered rapids to get as much oxygen as possible but I don't want a bunch of splashes and ripples on the pond surface. I'm starting to think maybe I should tear it all down one more time and start using waterfall foam to glue them in place. By the time the water reaches the bottom of the falls most of the water seems to be going under the rocks and not over. At the top of the falls the water is flowing at about 9000-9500 gph, By the time it gets to the bottom of the falls there is MAYBE 1500-2000 gph actually going over the rocks. I have been in the pond for the last two hours and the more I work on it the less happy I am with it. It's up to 90 degrees outside now and my shoulders and the back of my neck are starting to burn. I decided it was time to take a break from it for a while, watch some NASCAR racing and just watch it a bit and see if any new ideas come to mind to try. My big bottom rock that was suppose to be the last fall before it reached the pond broke in half. I had saved it just for this project and now it is to jagged and messed up to use. So it's back to using smaller rocks again.

 

[sissy]

You can sort of foam it back together by putting foam all the way across the back of it if it has not broken into to many pieces .I did that with mine .I just rubbed the foam all across the back of it and use a piece of plastic fence as the binder to hold it all together and had to wait 24 hours and then added another layer of foam and plastic mesh .I used bird netting as the mesh on the second layer and found it was just as good and even better because it was thinner but did need two people to put it in place and we held it with a piece of doubled up bird netting that i just left under the rock and just trimmed the excess off .It was a little thicker but since the foam was black it does not even show .Just like they do with those tiny glass or whatever tiles you put on your back splash ,holdsthe rock together real nice .

 

[sissy]

Oh and I have moved it two times since and it has not broken .

 

[fishin4cars]

LOL, Sissy, the big half still probably weighs around 300# the smaller half around 200# plus there are several pieces that broke away from the point that the two big pieces sepertaed from. I would have to seal them in location and that would mean water running through the crack. We already moved the smaller piece over to the back of the water fall for some support. I'm going to get the contractor and his helpers to help move the bigger piece and two other very large rocks tomorrow.

 

[fishin4cars]

Well this pretty much tells the story of the end of the day. 100% happy, no, but maybe 90% at least for now.

 

[addy1]

I like it! (you do have a lot of liner showing everywhere.....................get busy!) ..............jk

I think that looks great.

 

[j.w]

I like it also and man when I think how hard it is to take my little falls apart every time I get the urge to tweak it................I'll think about you and the monster job it would be to tweak yours

 

[fishin4cars]

Hmmm, Updated my showcase thread and didn't update this one. Guess it's time for a few shots from other angles. Got some much needed maintance done today. Vacumned and netted the bottom. YUCK! Geez koi poo ALOT! Spent close to four hours in the pond. Got a good 15% water change done, removed about 70% of what all had built up on the bottom. Back flushed the filter and back flushed the bog. I think I wish I had put some type of bottom drain in this pond!

 

[j.w]

I love how those huge ponds are so close to your house. That poo filled bucket is like gold to your garden plants!.Being that close I guess you can keep a better eye on it to discourage predators and more convenient for the pooch to chase them off too B)

 

[Peggy]

This is absolutely beautiful!!! All I could think of as I looked at that waterfall is I wish I was one of your fish lol! It is so hot here in Georgia, triple digits with rain each afternoon just enough to make it humid as well. I think I am going to have to consider a people pond next. May I ask what you got the fish poo out with? I have been racking my brain to figure out the best way to clean the bottom of mine especially since it has rock in in it. Am about to decide to just wade on in and start moving rock out. Love the entire design and you should be about busting at the seams with pride.

 

[minnowman]

Hi, Larkin. I noticed in one of your pics that a night bloomer had lots of small pads and you said you were waiting for the first bloom. That's an indication of a crowded pot. Some night bloomers tend to make several plants in a pot over the Winter and they become overcrowded. That along with the fact that they are fertilizer hogs inhibits blooming. If you separate one plant in a pot by itself with new dirt and fertilizer, it should bloom in about two or three weeks.
Your ponds are showing the hard work that you and the hired help have beeen putting in. Come on over when you're ready for a break.

 

[taherrmann4]

Well this pretty much tells the story of the end of the day. 100% happy, no, but maybe 90% at least for now.

Great job Larkin. How big of a pump do you have on your newest waterfall?

 

[fishin4cars]

JW, I put the Koi poo and gunk in a mix of leaves and good dark dirt to decompose a bit. Probably will use it when we start doing some planting some flower beds. I like the ponds close to the house as well, but the frogs sure make me wish sometimes i had moved it out a little more.
Peggy, I found that a swimming net has a lip on it that really helps lift and skim the gunk off the bottom. the netting is smallenough it holds the fine gunk very well. the I used a inline pump and hose to finish getting in some of the hard to get places.
Gary, your correct on a couple of the night bloomers. I did repot a couple and the Koi dig them up a day or two after planting. the ones that are crowded they don't dig in as bad so I know they will at least survive until I can get the big guys moved into their new home. have a couple more weeks with the crew then i plan on taking a day or two off. one to come down and visit you and the wife. another to go spend the day at purdin koi farm.
Todd, I'm using a10,000 gph pump to the water fall. and then a 3500 gph to a manifold in the pond to increase circulation. that circuit one which is up and running now. the second circuit will be an additional 7500 gph through the bottom drain and will be pre-filtered through two cetus sieves, then I'm debating on either a tower filter for the bio filtration. But also thinking about possibly using a sand gravel filter for removing fine particles.