Help With Pond Build!

[JOE22]

Hello everyone.
I recently decided to install a pond at my home, but being a complete newb, I figured I'd better post here and get some tips before I do.

There's a piece of my yard, approx 30' x 10' to the left of my driveway where the pond will be going.
Because I'm from Trinidad and Tobago, it's near impossible for me to source the EDPM liner locally so I've had to source it from the US and have it flown it (not very easy on the pocket).
The liner size chosen was 15' x 20'.

I've done some quick sketches today on the dimensions of the pond and it seems to me that a pond 13'x8'x3' should utilise most of the liner, and leave a 6" overlap off the sides, giving me a capacity of 2,333.9 Gallons.

Additionally, I have an older preformed pond shell that I'd like to install behind and above this main pond so that it forms a waterfall into the main pond.

The preformed I have is like this and I'm hoping to place it in such a way that water will cascade over that little ledge where the handle insert is. (Just for reference the price of the preformed is $920.00 TTD, or about $150USD.)


Filtration will be a pair of 55Gallon drums, one for bio and one for mechanical ( Utilising the gravel media design I found in the DIY section of this site.)
I currently have one 1100GPH pump and one 900GPH pump that will be utilised in the pond, but I'm hoping to get a 4000GPH pump as my main to run the waterfall.

Additionally, I'm toying with the idea of a small bog filter system to compliment the barrels, but I'm not 100% on it yet.


As for fish stock, it'll mostly be goldfis, koi, and some ID sharks I have in my aquarium. Hoping to introduce an RTC, some turtles and maybe a florida gar once the koi have grown enough to not be considered food. I'm also contemplating having guppy population in the pond, so that the gar/rtc can snack on those instead of my koi.

I'm hoping to start excavating this weekend as I have a brief break from school. The pond liner will be here this month.

 

[fuzzlebug]

Sounds like you got it all planned out. Only thing is a Florida gar and rtc won't work, gars are long and slender, the rtc will gulp it down easily, and eventually it'll probably eat the kois, iv heard of 18" rtcs eating 2'+ koi and chocking to death. If it was me I'd leave out the rtc, the Id sharks are going to get plenty big in your pond to the point that you may have to downsize to only one id shark.

 

[JOE22]

Sounds like you got it all planned out. Only thing is a Florida gar and rtc won't work, gars are long and slender, the rtc will gulp it down easily, and eventually it'll probably eat the kois, iv heard of 18" rtcs eating 2'+ koi and chocking to death. If it was me I'd leave out the rtc, the Id sharks are going to get plenty big in your pond to the point that you may have to downsize to only one id shark.

Damn, I thought the RTC would coexist with everyone.
As for the ID, I only have two small ones in my tank ATM, I don't think they've crossed 4" yet.

The Gar I think I'll introduce after the koi have grown a bit so as to not have it eating them.

 

[JOE22]

Can an arowana live in a pond?

 

[fuzzlebug]

Yeah,but they are jumpy, you'd have to put a net over the pond to keep fish in and predators out.

 

[xraycer]

Will the pond have any kind of shading? I believe Trinidad is a tropical climate, yes? If the pond is in direct sunlight for a prolong period of the day, would the high temperature be an issue for your goldfish? Also, you will probably have an issue with green water from the direct sunlight.

 

[JOE22]

The net can be arranged, but I'd rather the pond be open.

Yeah,but they are jumpy, you'd have to put a net over the pond to keep fish in and predators out.

Will the pond have any kind of shading? I believe Trinidad is a tropical climate, yes? If the pond is in direct sunlight for a prolong period of the day, would the high temperature be an issue for your goldfish? Also, you will probably have an issue with green water from the direct sunlight.

As for shading, it'll be shaded by the wall and the garage roof, but it'd still be.exposed to a fair bit of sunlight. I'm hoping plants such as lillies and hyacinths, in addition to good filtration keep it clear. I have a UV light as a last resort, but I'd rather not.have to use it.

 

[JOE22]

I realised I made a mistake with the sketch I had uploaded, where it said 36" it was supposed to be 30", good thing I saw it before I stuck a shovel in the ground.
Like dad says, "Measure twice, cut once."

Below I've attached pics of the old pond and the hole in which it was in. Also attached are pics of the space where the new pond is going.