Pond expansion

[marcelmouse]

Howdy pond-forum folks,

I've lurked your forum for a bit, seems like exactly the resource I was looking for. My partner has a koi pond in the backyard, and wants us to enlarge it. I know nothing about ponds - closest I've come is doing desktop aquaponics with goldfish and lettuce. If she wants me to expand her koi pond, I'm ready to wield a shovel but I really want to ask some knowledgeable-seeming Internet people before we go and rent any earth-moving equipment.

She has cooked up more than one plan to expand the pond that does not start with "Drain the pond." It's small and shallow - it can't be more than two feet deep, and it's not more than ten feet by five feet, so we're not dealing with more than seven hundred gallons all told, probably less than that. I was rooting for

"Drain the pond, expand the pond, lay new barrier, refill the pond"

whereas she advocates the quick and dirty

"Dig more pond area, leave a foot-wide berm, lay new barrier, break the berm"

Can any of you suggest a good reason why we oughtn't do it the quick and dirty way?

 

[don't ask]

Welcome mm, while I too am new to the ponding hobby I would think glueing together to lengths of liner and building a berm will certainly work. If her visions of how to pond is to look will incorporate doing it that way. While emptying and starting with a fresh slate sounds easier I would think you two would need to put it down on paper and decide the overall look and features you are trying to achieve and then decide which way will be easiest.

 

[brandonsdad02]

If she doesn't want to start all over with the pond and have it cycle again, you could get a small swimming pool and pump the water in there and a set up a temp system while you are building the new pond. You can do the whole berm thing, but you are going to want to get a good seal on the liners when you glue them. You need the areas to be clean and dry to get a good solid seal and still then it might leak in the future. Your best bet is to put in a new liner that is all one piece and use the old liner for a water fall.

 

[j.w]

mm

 

[marcelmouse]

You need the areas to be clean and dry to get a good solid seal and still then it might leak in the future. Your best bet is to put in a new liner that is all one piece.

I think this is what I missed in my hasty tutorial-skimming; the current pond liner is not one piece. I have no idea if it's glued or not, it predates us both, as it was put in by the previous owner. However, it doesn't seem to leak now; the rate of water loss is consistent with evaporation. Thanks for the input, obviously time for me to do some more research.

 

[brandonsdad02]

It can come from the manufacture with seams, but I've had one of there seams rip while putting the liner in. Many people have had good luck with getting a good seal when putting liners together but I wouldn't take the risk if you don't have too.

 

[Waterbug]

...ask some knowledgeable-seeming Internet people

Nailed it. Best description of internet experts I've seen.

What's PNW? Pacific Northwest? How parochial.

I'm with your partner...quick and dirty is really the best of both worlds. It's dirty, but also quick. Of course there is the appeal of being clean with the downside of taking longer. I just have one question...What's a "quick and dirty" pond?

I'm having a bit of fun...but to the point...if you want actual help a lot more info has to be provided.

You've also asked a subject that would take volumes to answer. Basically an internet dump.

 

[sissy]

not knowledgeable but I would start fresh and you will know what you have and not have to worry about what the other people did or didn't do .If it is that shallow it should not be to Hard to rip out and see what you have that is good or bad .You may find out that is the easiest and fastest and less headaches later .You don't want to get it done and find out there are problems with the older pond you did not anticipate and then kick yourself .I SHOULD OF CAN BITE YOU

 

[addy1]

Pictures always help, so we can see what you are trying to do.