Rock bottom a no no?

[sissy]

I think most of us just say it is easier not to have rocks on the bottom and we are not telling people they shouldn't .I actually think it is easier on new ponders not to have rocks so they do not fail at ponding and give up .I have enough work to do and not as much time for my pond and I think most people feel the same .I just found that my koi were rooting through the rocks turning them over and making a mess .When they were smaller it was not as bad and then they got into the I am big and destroy everything stage it all ended .No plants unless on the edge in plant pockets no floating plant holders because they flip them over and they are frog killers and spit the outside of the frog out and I have to use a net to scoop the remains out .Koi produce so much waste it is easier for me to not have rocks

 

[Sunshine]

@sissy You said "To me the easier the pond is to maintain means the less worries you have with something going wrong with water quality". That is telling anyone new coming here that they will have water quality issues and discourages them. I'm sure with all the hoo-haw on rocks versus no rocks discussion on here they will know that having rocks means one day a year they will have to empty their pond and clean it. Everyone's pond is different ... different locations, different environments....difference in plants/no plants ... shaded/full sun. So many variables. Having rocks has nothing to do with water quality. Husbandry does. Whether you have rocks or not.

 

[sissy]

To me the easier my pond is for me to maintain the better and yes I had rocks but after my koi got over a foot long it became harder because they could root up even the biggest rocks I had in there and make a mess and then my water quality would be horrible .i could not see the fish after a night of them making a mess .I don't need extra work and a new ponder may want to make it easier on them selves at first .It is hard enough to start a pond and get it all working right .I know after rebuilding my pond last year .I felt like a new ponder all over again and it was scarey .I still worry as I test my water sometimes 2 or 3 times a week and I hardly ever tested my old pond because it was established .I chose no rocks and if you saw how many dead frog bodies I have taken out because aggie and bert catch them and suck there insides out you would understand .I would have to fight the rocks to retrieve them with the pool net .Not everyone has this problem but i do .I sure don't want to be in my pond cleaning it out .

 

[Lisak1]

@sissy - your two koi sound like an interesting pair! Frog sucking bullies!

We have a fully rocked pond. The bottom is a shallow layer of large gravel. We have no issues with build up of gunk or muck or anything else on the bottom. One reason may be the design of our pond. When I'm in the pond grooming lilies, I can feel the water current pushing toward the outflow. We don't get a lot of debris that makes it to the bottom but it's easy to net out the bit that does. The rock bottom doesn't hamper that in any way.

I agree that it's totally a matter of personal preference. We like the way it looks so it's a rocky bottom for us!

 

[Jeff Kraemer]

It is a Preference in my opinion. I keep a layer of small river rocks at the bottom. I have a smaller pond, so i use a long telescopic net, so i always clean anything out of there. Plus the rocks provide protection for the liner. If a tree branch falls, or a sharp rock falls...it could puncture the liner. I dropped a large flat rock in there one time while i was adding some new rocks. the edge went right into bottom. The rocks saved me then. Plus the fish eat the stuff that grows on the rocks. You wish the rocks could stay clean and new because it looks beautiful. But its fine once the rocks change color and look more natural. I don't have issues with sludge on the bottom.

 

[mtpond]

I had rocks on the bottom of my pond and I took them out because they got covered with crap and it was to hard to fish out the gunk. I also had rocks down the sides of my pond all the way to the bottom. I've taken two sides of rocks out and dug shelves to put rocks on to hide the liner. Going to take one more side of rocks out this summer and call it good. That will only leave the rocks below the waterfall. And for the time being I'm going to leave them.

 

[Tradewinds]

I agree it is personal preference. I had small pea gravel in the bottom of my pond but removed it, as I believe it to be a detritus trap due to my pond's configuration.
I didn't like the way the bottom looked without rock, so I covered the bottom of the pond with large flat stones, which are easily moved when the need arises.

 

[sophsmom]

My tiny pond is just a 50-gallon tub that I have on my balcony. I have gravel on the bottom like what you'd put in an aquarium. In terms of cleaning, should I treat the pond like an aquarium and use a vacuum to get the gunk out of the rocks?

I added the rocks because with my pond, you look down into it and all I'd see was a pump and filter. I still see that, but the gravel makes it look a little more natural.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

My tiny pond is just a 50-gallon tub that I have on my balcony. I have gravel on the bottom like what you'd put in an aquarium. In terms of cleaning, should I treat the pond like an aquarium and use a vacuum to get the gunk out of the rocks?

I added the rocks because with my pond, you look down into it and all I'd see was a pump and filter. I still see that, but the gravel makes it look a little more natural.

When it needs cleaning, use whatever method works the best.

 

[Lisak1]

My tiny pond is just a 50-gallon tub that I have on my balcony. I have gravel on the bottom like what you'd put in an aquarium. In terms of cleaning, should I treat the pond like an aquarium and use a vacuum to get the gunk out of the rocks?

We have a small patio pond too. I will occasionally stir up the gravel and see how much gunk I can stir up. If it's considerable, I'll pull out some of that water (water plants with it) and add some fresh (from my big pond).

If you have any plants in your little pond, you'll find that the roots will pull the debris and gunk to themselves - I have good luck with water lettuce and water hyacinth in my patio pond that won't grow in my big pond. The roots get long and flowing and every now and then I'll pull them out and trim back the roots (just pull them off with my hands) and in a week or so they are as long and flowing as ever. I also make sure I have some underwater plants growing in my patio pond - hornwort is an easy one to grow. It helps keep the water clear and the fish love to hide in it and nibble on it.