Arapaima Pond Build

[Luc70]

Pacu Mom, many thanks for the suggestion. I was checking through the other posts and indeed, amazing amount of information. Butting my head for not thinking of it earlier...lol...

To my surprise, checked the list of threads and found my thread at the top of the list...Moderator, thanks for your fast work!

Ok, hope this will get me more information and ideas, look forward to add a nice pond to the section.

Quick recap of work done for people jumping in at the finish line:

1. Pond for my Arapaima, who came swimming into my life. His name is Mr.T. He's healthy as a fish and stands at about 110cm right now.
2. Current home is a "sand-bag/tarp" pond that sits in the middle of his new to be pond.
3. Digging the new pond now, which will get to about 10 x 5 meters at water-surface.
4. More or less a half-circle, front is a long concrete wall.
5. The pond will get a tarp/liner.
6. One 4" bottom drain, one 4" mid-level drain, one 4" skimmer drain.
7. Filter will consist of 2 x 150cm diameter and 60cm high Microwave Antenna housings (the ones you see on GSM Antenna Masts) for settling chamber) One on each side of the pond. 1 chamber for bottom drain, 1 chamber for mid-level and skimmer drain).
8. Each settling chamber will drain into a Bio-filter (large plastic drums).
9. Gravity feed back into the pond.
10. Around the pond will mainly be steel mesh-wire to hang orchids and other plants but also to keep jumping fish inside the water.
11. For pictures so far, please check the first 4 pages of this thread.

Oh, budget for the pond is USD 1,000
Now, you might laugh or smile at that, but I'm pretty sure it can be done here in Thailand.
To be fair, labor for this is 'free', using my factory-workers.
I make most things myself from old scrap I have at the factory.
So material cost are limited to Concrete wall, the liner, PVC fittings and 2 pumps.
Total cost so far (liner and concrete wall) is 25,000 Baht ~ USD 825
Fittings, pumps and pipes might bring it to about 35-40,000 Baht USD 1,300 but that's about it (I hope...lol) Depends on the steel mesh I want to put around..that's not sure yet on pricing and type.

My questions at this moment:

1. For the bottom-drain, do I have to keep it horizontal for the pipe until I reach the settling chamber?
Or can I go up under an angle?

2. Since I make all parts, drains, flanges, fittings, filters myself, please have a look at the work so far and comment on anything you see that can be improved or done different. I will be very thankful for your input since this is my first ever pond-build.

Thanks all in advance.

Regards,
Luc

 

[Luc70]

Question: If I'd put in a "bog" area. Do I understand correct that this is an area that's:

1. connected to the pond, usually partial blocked with stones or wood to keep plants and small fish inside, big fish out of it?
2. filled with rounded small stones, to house bacteria and to give space for plants to root.
3. water flows through it continuously from the filter or from the settling chamber or from the pond directly (kind of closed loop with a pump) and then out into the main pond again?

Second question would be: Could a bog-area replace the Bio-filter? So after a settling chamber for the large rubbish, flow it through bog-area and bag into the pond again? Or would additional filtration, mechanical and/or bio, be necessary?

Thanks and regards,
Luc

 

[Luc70]

Ok, quick sketch of my ideas so far for pond layout...about time I put that on paper.
Bottom of the picture is the concrete yard. Then you have the concrete wall, with 2 black drains, skimmer and mid level on the right side.
Bottom drain is the black spot in the half-circle pond with the drain pipe under the pond.
The 2 big circles are the Micro-wave antenna's for the settling chambers.
Both chambers connect to a Bio-media Filter drum with a pump from the settling chamber into the filter drum.
From the filter drum, feed into bog-area's filled with water-plants and then back in to the main pond.
So if I believe the pump-capacity of what I've seen, a 10k liter p/hour pump in each setting chamber would help me push (almost 0 head) 20,000 liter or 5000 Gallon p/hour.
My pond will be in the range of 7-8000 Gallon.

That going through the bog-areas filled with water-plants, should help me battle algae and fish-waste.

What you guys think?

 

[Luc70]

Pictures of the settling-tanks to be:

How to use a GSM antenna for your fishpond...lol
Just some pictures of the antenna first. The screw-holes will make it very easy to fit a drain pipe, then just fill with concrete and sand around it for support.
Good, it comes with a fiber-glass cover that can easily be put on top with a rim to hold it in place. So no cats, birds and other critters can go take a bath.

For anyone doubting 'durability' of these settling-tanks...They've been in floodwater for 7 weeks, that's why they're so dirty...Getting them cleaned now. Maybe bring one home this weekend and start filling the holes and gaps with epoxy.

 

[Luc70]

Since I've 4 of these antenna's, I will stack 2 for each settling chamber.
Gives me more room to wiggle with it, avoiding over flowing and still plenty space for inlet and settle room.
Total stack from bottom drain to top-rim comes to about 1 meter with the top just above the water level of the pond.

Similar as with the bottom-drain, I'll make a flange with PVC collar that slides into a 90' elbow.
The elbow and drain-pipe will be set in concrete, then the settling-chamber slides in on top.
If I'd later like to change things, maybe not glue them but use plumbers tape to make it water-tight.

The tanks will be about 90% buried inside the wall of the pond, so support will come from the sand.
Eventually, it will be grass cover and the top closed with the fiber-deck you see in the pictures.

Just finished the cleaning and the paint is in very good shape, so likely only need epoxy to fill up all the holes and gaps.
Then prepare the foundation and it's ready to go in.

 

[Luc70]

Question: If I'd put in a "bog" area. Do I understand correct that this is an area that's:

1. connected to the pond, usually partial blocked with stones or wood to keep plants and small fish inside, big fish out of it?
2. filled with rounded small stones, to house bacteria and to give space for plants to root.
3. water flows through it continuously from the filter or from the settling chamber or from the pond directly (kind of closed loop with a pump) and then out into the main pond again?

Second question would be: Could a bog-area replace the Bio-filter? So after a settling chamber for the large rubbish, flow it through bog-area and bag into the pond again? Or would additional filtration, mechanical and/or bio, be necessary?

Thanks and regards,
Luc

After some searching I found quite a lot on bog areas.

Now most of this focuses on non-submerged plants where the water level stays below the top of the gravel. Anybody has experience with creating a half dry half wet area, where the wet area is used for water plants with leaves floating on the water?

I like to have water plants in the pond but need to keep the main pond free. Given Mr.T's gift to cut himself, pond will be bare, surroundings only can have plants.

So I like to create a bog area that is submerged. Possible? Pro and cons?

 

[Luc70]

Unexpected help yesterday and today. One of the settling chambers ready to go in. Today we will set and poor the drains for the Bottom-drain and the settling tank and do the pipes and valves for it.
Saturday will be lots of finishing work for the first half of the tank. Straighten things out for the liner to go in. That will mean finishing the bog area, changing water tap, place a metal beam along the backside to keep the liner in place and many other things.
Hopefully next week roll out the liner and start moving the old pond a bit.
Once space is enough, we will then fix the bottom-drain, wait to dry and test that.

Lots of pictures to come for the next couple of days, stay tuned...

Cheers,
Luc

 

[Luc70]

Digging work done yesterday for the settling tank.
there will be 2 drains coming out to the left side of the pond and tank, under a 45 degree angle with a valve at the end.
1 from the bottom of the settling tank. 1 from the bottom drain of the tank.
Both these should help me to keep the pipes clean by just releasing water without any bends (except the 45' bend up) that could trap dirt.

 

[Luc70]

And some pictures of Settling Tank No.1.
The flange from the ducts I have fit exactly in the opening normally used for the receiver.
It was just a matter of putting the Pipe-Fitting on, same as with the bottom-drain earlier.
Then epoxy inside the rim, push the fitting in and screw for aluminium end-caps on to hold it in place.

Next step is to put the elbow and drain-pipe in the ground, poor concrete around it.
Then put glue on the fitting and let the tank slide in the elbow.
After that, sand around it for support.

Next step will be to connect the bottom-drain and then we're ready for testing.

Once ok, we will prepare for the big move of Mr.T.

 

[Luc70]

With most of the fittings, valves and pipes for the left side filter bought, I am still below budget. But given that I need to get the right side done as well as gravel for the bog areas and then plants, it's safe to say that USD 1,000 is not possible.

Realistic guess will be USD 1,500 to USD 2,000. Lower estimate without steel wire mesh and plants but pond itself complete and working.