Thank you all for my first pond

[GBBUDD]

I was driving through some of the heaviest Rains I have ever seen yesterday on the way home. Then it hit us my cistern is literally to the top ,2 feet lower than the surrounding area and it's now full I should have done another layer of large aquablocks but I did not want the water to evaporate with an open top .1

 

[YShahar]

There is no sugar coating it adding gravel is a pain in the you know what. I had read all the posts about cleaning it but until you are faced with it my god what a pain. Did our best, would load the tractor front end bucket and hose them off with the water spilling out. We did not have a screen to handle the project. That part of the project took much longer than expected. Used 3/8 pea gravel in the bog, and 3/4 inch for the pond.

I found that the "river pebbles" that I ordered ended up containing about 1/3 broken flint, with edges sharp enough to cut my hands while I was washing it. So every single handful of the stuff has to be sorted through by hand before it goes into the pond.

I've set up a screen made from bonsai screening (the stuff you put over the holes in a bonsai pot) stretched over an old plastic wheelbarrow. That way I can sit in the shade and sort through it in my free time. It takes about an hour to get a full bucket's worth of clean, round stones. At this rate, I'll probably still be sorting and adding gravel to the pond and bog over the next year or so, one bucket at a time. So yeah, a time-consuming pain in the tuchas!

 

[YShahar]

Here is the promised video. Just took it today. The water has cleared up quite a bit, yesterday could not see to the bottom and today you can. so the bog is doing its thing.

Nice! Isn't it fun when you get to turn it on and see the results of all your hard work?

 

[Pablo]

I found that the "river pebbles" that I ordered ended up containing about 1/3 broken flint, with edges sharp enough to cut my hands while I was washing it. So every single handful of the stuff has to be sorted through by hand before it goes into the pond.

I've set up a screen made from bonsai screening (the stuff you put over the holes in a bonsai pot) stretched over an old plastic wheelbarrow. That way I can sit in the shade and sort through it in my free time. It takes about an hour to get a full bucket's worth of clean, round stones. At this rate, I'll probably still be sorting and adding gravel to the pond and bog over the next year or so, one bucket at a time. So yeah, a time-consuming pain in the tuchas!

That is no fun, shame you have to go through that. I had read posts about the gravel and washing them, but had no idea how bad it was until I got it. And I was thinking the pile was in the driveway for a few weeks and we had a lot of rain so maybe it would wash off some, nope. Started scooping with the tractor and saw how bad it was, that cleaning took a lot longer than I thought. Along with other things in the build, lol.

 

[YShahar]

Thanks, yes raccoons are a concern. Herons, foxes, coyotes, fisher cats all are around here. I am not going to stress about it. Its nature, there is only so much you can do. Its why I am looking forward to the gardening aspect rather than the fish. the fish will be nice but I look at it as an extra.

That's pretty much why I don't have koi (other than the one that I rescued from a really bad situation). I see the fish as being there mostly for mosquito control. Still, His Honor the Chef really wants koi. I tried to fob him off with fancy sarrasa goldfish, but he still wants those big expensive pooping machines. So once the bog is finished, we'll probably add a couple of them. He promises to take them for daily walks and train them not to go after the meter reader.

 

[Pablo]

Nice! Isn't it fun when you get to turn it on and see the results of all your hard work?

It was a huge relief. And yes it was nice to see and have the family happy with it. My wife asked me afterwards why I kept saying I was in shock, was I holding back on something?, I said you have no idea what I was holding onto, I did not want her to stress about the pond lol.

 

[YShahar]

Ugh what a mess, over two inches of rain in just 4 hours this afternoon. Over three inches of rain since filling the pond on Saturday. At least it is just flowing out the back to an area that does not matter. Lot more rain to come this week.

Think of it as a stress test for the pond. Also helpful for seeing how to adjust the overflow!

 

[YShahar]

That is no fun, shame you have to go through that. I had read posts about the gravel and washing them, but had no idea how bad it was until I got it. And I was thinking the pile was in the driveway for a few weeks and we had a lot of rain so maybe it would wash off some, nope. Started scooping with the tractor and saw how bad it was, that cleaning took a lot longer than I thought. Along with other things in the build, lol.

Some people just throw it into the pond as-is, then let the mud settle to the bottom and pump out the dirty water. I had thought of doing that, but once I saw those sharp bits, that was the end of that idea! I'm using the sharp and broken ones for rock mulch elsewhere in the garden, but there are a few of those I'd prefer not to even have in the same country as my pond!

 

[Pablo]

Think of it as a stress test for the pond. Also helpful for seeing how to adjust the overflow!

Exactly, not going to say it cannot get worse because once you say that you know what happens. But happy that it made through ok, wife was more stressed than I was, she wanted to go start using a bucket to take water out, lol.

 

[YShahar]

Exactly, not going to say it cannot get worse because once you say that you know what happens. But happy that it made through ok, wife was more stressed than I was, she wanted to go start using a bucket to take water out, lol.

Love it!

Last year, when the first rains came, HHTC was looking out the window at the torrent coming down. "Oh no!" he said, "the fish are going to get all soggy!"

Here, it rains only in the winter, and usually it's so cold and wet and miserable that I don't spend much time in the garden until the sun comes out again. But I decided that my overflow is going to go into a small stream, with a couple of small waterfalls. Those falls will come to life only during the rainy season. So I'll have a reason to go out and check out the garden even during the flood season! Next project to do after the bog is done.

 

[Pablo]

Got the excess water pumped out, it was quite a bit, went lower in anticipation of the rain that is to come this week. A little bummed that quite a bit of dirt had washed into the pond, there was a small pile of dirt I had not gotten to.

But I do have a question for all of you in regards to the clean out pipes in the bog. Since I already had a pipe to pump the water out I figured I would attach it to the clean out pipe to see how it worked (I know some people do not worry about clean out pipes). But no water came out of the pipe when I turned on the pump. I have screw on caps to those pipes and attached extra 2 inch pipe I had, it was pretty long. From what other people describe the water usually rushes out, I thought. So I took the pipe off, screwed on the cap. then I tried it with no pipe, just took the cap off. Water did come out when i turned on the pump, not exactly explosion but just water came out. When I initially took off the cap there was water up to almost the top. There are three clean outs, tried it on two of them and same result. Not sure what I am doing wrong, should I be attaching a smaller size pipe/hose? I dont think there is a blockage as water was coming out with the cap off.

 

[GBBUDD]

But no water came out of the pipe when I turned on the pump

you have no back pressure from waste between the gravel , water takes the path of least resistance there's no backup in the bog yet that could take some time to build up . no fish no waster no build up

 

[Pablo]

you have no back pressure from waste between the gravel , water takes the path of least resistance there's no backup in the bog yet that could take some time to build up . no fish no waster no build up

Good to know, thanks.

Funny side note, wife did take buckets of water out of the pond this morning, the water level was stressing her out with more rain to come.

 

[GBBUDD]

Good to know, thanks.

Funny side note, wife did take buckets of water out of the pond this morning, the water level was stressing her out with more rain to come.

simple fix just determine your high water level and make an over flow.

did you see my note regarding buying a few stones to place along the top? sling them with the kubota the look will be well worth the effort and cost

 

[Pablo]

simple fix just determine your high water level and make an over flow.

did you see my note regarding buying a few stones to place along the top? sling them with the kubota the look will be well worth the effort and cost

I did, honestly the kubota has limits, it is the small one, BX23. I have attached pictures of the boulders it got out of the ground, it was ok to drag those out of the ground but lifting is tough. The one with the dog next to it was the one that almost caused the tractor to tip over as we were going to use that as the middle stone in the waterfall, going up the slight hill was a no-go. I am kind of tuckered out with the stone work, lol.