Some general setup issues

[Tai]

Hello,

I am planning a pond and I have a few setup questions.

1 I am having issues with the edges of the pond, I don't want my pond to be at ground level or below ground level so I plan at building it about a foot above ground and a foot below ground. My issue is that I don't know if I should make the edges fully vertical or I should make it gradually deeper? I know that for predators, it would be better for a vertical wall, but I think it would be easier and nicer to have a gradual deepening.

2 Is a surface skimmer necessary?

3 How do you treat new rocks going into the pond?

4 I plan on making a waterfall going into a small stream and then into the pond, How should I setup the filter and would it reduce flow significantly for the waterfall?

Thank you

 

[sissy]

Mine is half and half but you also need to consider your colder weather .The top will be more exposed to cold and will freeze and you will need a pond heater .Rocks will take up room on the bottom so it will be less deep .Skimmer depends on you and what stuff will be falling into the pond ,like leaves .Rocks just need to be cleaned

 

[Tai]

I won't be keeping anything in the pond over winter, I will be bringing the fish and lilies inside for the winter so no worries there. When you say your pond is half and half, what do you mean? I may try and add the skimmer later on if needed. For the bottom, I will only be putting small 1 inch or less thick pebbles though so it won't be too big of a deal.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Slope the underwater sides of the pond and keep vertical the portion above ground.
I encourage you to install a skimmer, you will find that they are a real benefit.
A filter should not significantly affect the flow over a waterfall. Water has to exit a filter at the same rate that it enters or the filter will either burst or overflow. Also your pumps flow rate should ideally be twice the total water volume of the pond.

 

[tbendl]

I would take a look at some of the showcases on here. Most people recommend a shelf in you pond for plants and I agree with Meyer about the slope, I think it makes the walls more stable over time. As far as putting rocks on the bottom, just know that will involve a lot of additional cleaning. I wish I had installed a skimmer since I have trees hanging over the pond but my budget was very limited when I started so I am off the "scoop" family. It is more work and I will probably eventually consider a skimmer.
Good luck Tai.

 

[Tai]

Slope the underwater sides of the pond and keep vertical the portion above ground.
I encourage you to install a skimmer, you will find that they are a real benefit.
A filter should not significantly affect the flow over a waterfall. Water has to exit a filter at the same rate that it enters or the filter will either burst or overflow. Also your pumps flow rate should ideally be twice the total water volume of the pond.

ahhh I see, Good idea! I will keep the upper portion vertical and the lower portion sloped. I will look into a skimmer as well, it would most likely be WAY easier to do now as opposed to later!

My theory was also along the lines of what you are saying, but I just had to make sure that there was no extra precautions.

I would take a look at some of the showcases on here. Most people recommend a shelf in you pond for plants and I agree with Meyer about the slope, I think it makes the walls more stable over time. As far as putting rocks on the bottom, just know that will involve a lot of additional cleaning. I wish I had installed a skimmer since I have trees hanging over the pond but my budget was very limited when I started so I am off the "scoop" family. It is more work and I will probably eventually consider a skimmer.
Good luck Tai.

I have looked at a few, and they are beautiful! I think that a lot of the time, people make shelfs because they are building ponds in excess of 3 feet. I think that with a max depth of 2 feet, I should be fine without any and it may be better for my fish in terms of predators. I don't have any trees really close to where I plan on building the pond but I think I will look into a skimmer. Or else you can also welcome me into the scoop family

I also thoughts about the rocks and cleaning at the bottom, but I am also worried about UV light hitting the liner and degrading it. I also think pebbles lend themselves to a much more realistic pond. But for sure something to consider.

 

[Tai]

I just remembered something else I would like to ask that seems like a common sense thing.

How do you deal with overflow? My idea is to angle my pond slightly towards one corner and then dig a gravel filled downhill trench to take the water away from that corner everytime it overfilled. How are others dealing with it? Especially those of you with an inground pond.

 

[sissy]

My pond is half out of the ground on 3 sides and sidewalk is on the other side .It has a double wall inside is straight with 2 1/2 rows of block and outside that is insulation and retaining wall block .I had to rebuild it because moles chewed through my liner

 

[MariaTeresa]

Regarding overflow, I have a low corner which overflows into a rock-lined trench that runs to a drainage 'hole'. The hole holds the water as it slowly goes into the surrounding clay soil. I have the hole set up so that when that overflows it does so into the garden. Good fertilizer!

 

[sissy]

But with a raised pond the overflow has to be different .I would not want any of my fish to be washed out .I have even pulled the hose on my pump to allow water to flow out instead of into the filter ,We can get some pretty heavy rains here .

 

[Tai]

My pond is half out of the ground on 3 sides and sidewalk is on the other side .It has a double wall inside is straight with 2 1/2 rows of block and outside that is insulation and retaining wall block .I had to rebuild it because moles chewed through my liner

DARN MOLES!!! What did they hope to find on the other side? Your pond follows my main idea for building my pond. Thanks for the pics!

Regarding overflow, I have a low corner which overflows into a rock-lined trench that runs to a drainage 'hole'. The hole holds the water as it slowly goes into the surrounding clay soil. I have the hole set up so that when that overflows it does so into the garden. Good fertilizer!

Perfect, see this is exactly what I plan to do. But mine will run along a trench right to the city's sewer system. BTW, the thought of some huge water filled hole really brings on all sorts of phobias and such haha.

But with a raised pond the overflow has to be different .I would not want any of my fish to be washed out .I have even pulled the hose on my pump to allow water to flow out instead of into the filter ,We can get some pretty heavy rains here .

In terms of the fish flowing out, that is a good point, I will install some form of netting in that corner of the pond to block any fish from leaving. That or build a grate in that corner to stop them from getting out. Regardless, the overflow will only be slightly below the water level so only fish under an inch wide would get through. We can have some torrential rain fall here as well!

 

[addy1]

A pond bottom over time does not look like liner at all.

This is mine.

 

[MariaTeresa]

BTW, the thought of some huge water filled hole really brings on all sorts of phobias and such haha.

The hole is actually quite small, about 1.5' in diameter, and it is filled with rocks, cement pieces, whatever I had, so that no one could accidentally fall in. It does mean it holds less water, but it is also safer.

 

[sissy]

I have my over flow 1 inch above my almost highest level .I don't want water flowing out until it is close to the top level .This way I have to worry less .Like addy said the bottom gets covered in good muck and then taddies come along and clean a lot of it up .You really don't need stone for a natural bottom .We have had a week of somewhat heavy rain on and off and it is great for my plants .I have not gotten to overflow stage yet because pond was lower after I cleaned the filters and rebuilt the one filter that I did not finish last year .So i got a nice water change

 

[MariaTeresa]

In terms of the fish flowing out, that is a good point, I will install some form of netting in that corner of the pond to block any fish from leaving

When my fish spawned last fall I actually did have fish fry flowing out of the pond! They were so small that they were able to get through. I scooped the ones I could find back into the pond.