Pond dug, liner in...now pump/waterfall concerns

[Nepen]

Shrimp wouldn't last winter in the pond Crayfish that I have is too slow to catch fish but they tend to 'wonder' and might escape sometimes. I think they can be in a cold weather, not sure how cold. Bring the snails from your tank to your pond! Your fish will eat them lol. I hardly see one in my pond as my fish ate them. But I have tons in my small nature pond, which is only 10 feet away.

I've been scooping the debris and muck. I did water change, mostly because my pond got emptied by mistake and once because the mulberries made the pond water wine color. I didn't take any steps, not a good person to follow in that aspect lol. I just put the dechlorine in, turn on the hose, and put the water in. I put the hose high (2feet?) so the water fall down hard to the pond, directly over the pump, so at least it got circulate through my bog filter and through the pond quickly. People suggested doing trickle methods but i've never tried it.

 

[sissy]

your landscaping is really different for PA .I grew up in PA for awhile and only ever saw farm gardens and landscaping dmb 21.I like it reminds me of the shore

 

[DMB21]

your landscaping is really different for PA .I grew up in PA for awhile and only ever saw farm gardens and landscaping dmb 21.I like it reminds me of the shore

Thanks, sissy. My goal was to have a coastal feel -- I'm glad I accomplished that! All plants were purchased, believe it or not, at Lowes and Walmart, and the most I spent for a plant was $7 -- some came as cheaply as $1. Can't beat that! I ended up putting more money into the mulch ($175) and stone ($30) than all of my plants combined. As for the pond, it doesn't necessarily have a beachy look to it, but that's okay. The water sound adds to the ambiance!

 

[DMB21]

Shrimp wouldn't last winter in the pond Crayfish that I have is too slow to catch fish but they tend to 'wonder' and might escape sometimes. I think they can be in a cold weather, not sure how cold. Bring the snails from your tank to your pond! Your fish will eat them lol. I hardly see one in my pond as my fish ate them. But I have tons in my small nature pond, which is only 10 feet away.

I've been scooping the debris and muck. I did water change, mostly because my pond got emptied by mistake and once because the mulberries made the pond water wine color. I didn't take any steps, not a good person to follow in that aspect lol. I just put the dechlorine in, turn on the hose, and put the water in. I put the hose high (2feet?) so the water fall down hard to the pond, directly over the pump, so at least it got circulate through my bog filter and through the pond quickly. People suggested doing trickle methods but i've never tried it.

I figured shrimp wouldn't last. Darn! I might have to try bringing a few crayfish home from the river this weekend when we go camping for the holiday. Maybe even a salamander!

 

[Tula]

Lovely pond! I had my gravel removed from my pond last fall, as my lilies had gone haywire. I was surprised how nasty the gravel had become, as I observed it being removed

I took the advise of addy and purchased oil pans at Walmart and used cheap clay kitty litter, also purchased at Walmart and redid my lilies - they are doing wonderfully!!!

 

[DMB21]

Lovely pond! I had my gravel removed from my pond last fall, as my lilies had gone haywire. I was surprised how nasty the gravel had become, as I observed it being removed

I took the advise of addy and purchased oil pans at Walmart and used cheap clay kitty litter, also purchased at Walmart and redid my lilies - they are doing wonderfully!!!

Thank you! I think I've decided not to put any substrate on the bottom, but I may put a few larger rocks just to add something for looks.

 

[DMB21]

Hi all. I'm back. I apologize for disappearing for long stretches, then returning with lots of questions!

Anyway, I "opened" my pond about a month ago after all of the ice had melted to find that all eight fish that were alive last fall made it through the winter! Unfortunately, there is no sign of my last remaining tadpole or one of the two frogs. The second frog never left the pond and, as a result, was belly up on the bottom. I assumed the frogs would leave on their own and find shelter for the winter, but I guess I was wrong?

I also cracked the hose between the pump and waterfall last fall during the winterizing process. I figured this was coming, as it was old and brittle. I'll need to replace it before I get that pump running.

All else looked great. Water was clear after I cleaned out the leaves and other debris. Plants have begun to grow. Fish are very active -- and much less timid, strangely -- than they were last year. Some are even looking bigger.

And then Monday night, when I got home from work, I noticed the water level had dropped by about 3 inches from Sunday. Then by yesterday morning, the water had dropped another few inches -- and as of last night, I had to unplug my fountain pump, which sits at about the half-way point in terms of pond depth. I've lost a good 12 inches of water since Sunday, and I'm at a loss -- frustrated beyond belief.

This will be the third or fourth time I've had a problem with this pond -- which, as I've mentioned before, was inherited from the previous owner of my house. I'm assuming the hole is the same one I've patched in the past, as it's the only hole I've ever had, and the pond retained water for a month or so before the leak. Not sure a new hole would just randomly show up at this point.

I'm not sure what to do right now.

• Go drastic and rip out the entire pre-formed liner, replacing it with a soft liner. I feel like I would have to alter the landscape, though, to slope the sides to get to maximum depth, whereas, right now the side walls are basically vertical with the pre-formed pond.
• Go mid-range and paint the entire interior of the pond with an expensive rubber paint that should seal the pond and reinforce it for the long haul.
• Go basic and try to patch it again, as I have in the past, but with more care and more time

Any help would be appreciated!

 

[sissy]

You may have too ,because preforms can't take much freezing and will crack .Really it is better to do it now before your fish get any bigger .But have you checked your hoses again ,something could have chewed through something .My liner got chewed through by moles and last year and I had to replace it .I don't look back either because I went bigger and better .Plus I lined the whole thing under with 60 lb roofing felt and 15 lb roofing felt and then the pond underlay .

 

[sissy]

The nice thing about a liner is you can go deeper and won't have to worry about your fish as much in both cold and heat

 

[DMB21]

It's definitely any hoses, as the only pump I'm currently running is just a fountain and no water leaves the pond for it. The waterfall hose cracked and is currently out of commission.

I'm thinking just replacing it all is the way to go -- I just hate the big commitment of reshaping the hole. Being that I've finished the planting and landscaping around the pond, this could prove difficult -- but it just might be the best option.

Anyone want to come to Western PA and give a fella a hand?

 

[tbendl]

Why can't you just drop a liner inside the preform?

 

[DMB21]

Why can't you just drop a liner inside the preform?

I had thought about that, but I feel like I will need a larger liner to drop inside a preform than I would need to just start from scratch. Dropping it inside would require a good bit of excess that would have to go over the edges of the preform to give it a relatively clean look, no?

 

[tbendl]

Hmm I wouldn't think so. In fact I would think you'd need less overhand than if you were to dig it out and drop a new liner in. With a preform you already have a solid lip so provided the liner goes over that lip I wouldn't think it would have to extend by very much whereas if you pulled the preform and put in a liner, they recommend a 2' overhang.

 

[DMB21]

Hmm I wouldn't think so. In fact I would think you'd need less overhand than if you were to dig it out and drop a new liner in. With a preform you already have a solid lip so provided the liner goes over that lip I wouldn't think it would have to extend by very much whereas if you pulled the preform and put in a liner, they recommend a 2' overhang.

Interesting....I might go this route. Thanks!

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Hmm I wouldn't think so. In fact I would think you'd need less overhand than if you were to dig it out and drop a new liner in. With a preform you already have a solid lip so provided the liner goes over that lip I wouldn't think it would have to extend by very much whereas if you pulled the preform and put in a liner, they recommend a 2' overhang.

Who in the world recommended 2' of liner for edge overlap? I have always seen 1' regularly recommended for beginning pond builders. Contractors may use even less than that!