Pond Novice: A buttload of questions

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albirdy

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 5, 2008
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Bay area, California
Hello MFKers!

I am definitely an amateur when it comes to fish. Currently I have 15, 20, 30 gallon tanks. My mother has kept a tank since I was really young, and now that I have gotten older, I have inherited her hobby.

Well, to give you some background, I am from the Bay Area that has characteristic Mediterranean climate (How much does rain effect ponds?) Right now, I am wondering what kinds of systems are necessary for ponds. My back yard is not very large, but I believe we have room for about a 4ft by 3ft, and if it were completely on the surface, it would be preferred, although not necessary.

I understand that depth is important due to predation, so how deep is good enough to keep these predators away? Would it help that I have a friendly beagle that may serve as a fish-body guard? :P

So, if I want to house Koi, mollies, and perhaps guppies, what kind of filtration is required? Will plants be enough for aeration? Heating (in winter). Oh, and did my question about the rain get answered?

Could I build the pond out of a wooden box, and line it with pvc lining? Would it be easier to simply dig a hole (which I am not trying to do, because it is rather permanent).

Is there anything else I am missing? What are some ball-park figures as to how much I'd spend?

(P.S. I want plants in the tank, so pre-made pools out of the question, right?)
 
that is an awesome pond. what did you use to keep everything together?
what were the materials used (the lining, first and second)?
how large, and how much did you end up spending?

:) :) :) :) :)

Thank you so much!
 
albirdy;1971530; said:
that is an awesome pond. what did you use to keep everything together?
what were the materials used (the lining, first and second)?
how large, and how much did you end up spending?

:) :) :) :) :)

Thank you so much!
Click to expand...

The bricks are just stacked up. Some say it'll topple because I didn't off set the blocks, but I've had a pond before built in the same fashion that was up for 5 years. The only reason it was taken down was raccoons ate all the fish and the L shape was just not as cool as I thought it would be. The wood is held together by screws. The first lining was a felt-cloth liner to keep the sharp edges of the blocks from rubbing up against the acutal liner. I used a pvc liner made by Beckett. The internal measurements are 5'x5'x2' The external measurements are 7'x7'x30" So it's hold about 375g. I probably spent about $400.
 
Ohh, not bad at all! so the bricks have never toppled over? do you sit on the wood at all? That sounds pretty cool, man. what would you do to prevent any predators from coming in this time around, just wondering? (would my dog help in this? (although he is quite peaceful)).

could you go into any detail about the sump building? where did you get the know-how to do that ? :)))

gracias!
 
albirdy;1972146; said:
Ohh, not bad at all! so the bricks have never toppled over? do you sit on the wood at all? That sounds pretty cool, man. what would you do to prevent any predators from coming in this time around, just wondering? (would my dog help in this? (although he is quite peaceful)).

could you go into any detail about the sump building? where did you get the know-how to do that ? :)))

gracias!
Click to expand...

The original pond went through the Northridge Earthquake and didn't topple over, so I'm not too worried about it. It sits on the ground, but I did wish I put something else underneath the felt loner. I'm in the process of building a fence to put on top of the pond opening. It's to keep the dogs out of the pond too...one of my dogs decided to fall in during a heat wave. :grinno:

When it comes to the filter, I just saw how people built their own filters for their tank and thought I would give it a try with a pond filter. I looked at the internal design of store filters and I just went for it. I'll be honest and say that the filter isn't the best design. Leaks a lot, but I made another one. This one I drilled holes on the sides of the pot instead of the corners (makes it a lot easier). I used 3/4" pvc piping. I also used connectors with threading in the holes and put O rings and on each side of the connectors and I used silicone to seal the outside to prevent leaking. I used lufas as my "bio-balls" I actually bought carbon and ammonia chips that were meant for the AC 110 and place them in there as well. I bought some foam pads from Jo-Ann's (fabric store) and cut them to fit the inside of the pot. And I threw in some old t-shirts as well.
 
benzjamin13;1972708; said:
The original pond went through the Northridge Earthquake and didn't topple over, so I'm not too worried about it. It sits on the ground, but I did wish I put something else underneath the felt loner. I'm in the process of building a fence to put on top of the pond opening. It's to keep the dogs out of the pond too...one of my dogs decided to fall in during a heat wave. :grinno:

When it comes to the filter, I just saw how people built their own filters for their tank and thought I would give it a try with a pond filter. I looked at the internal design of store filters and I just went for it. I'll be honest and say that the filter isn't the best design. Leaks a lot, but I made another one. This one I drilled holes on the sides of the pot instead of the corners (makes it a lot easier). I used 3/4" pvc piping. I also used connectors with threading in the holes and put O rings and on each side of the connectors and I used silicone to seal the outside to prevent leaking. I used lufas as my "bio-balls" I actually bought carbon and ammonia chips that were meant for the AC 110 and place them in there as well. I bought some foam pads from Jo-Ann's (fabric store) and cut them to fit the inside of the pot. And I threw in some old t-shirts as well.
Click to expand...

What would you have put under the felt? Now, with the hole now in the side of the bucket, does the filter work effectively? Are you able to sit on the pond perimeter without problem or disruption to it?
 
albirdy;1974369; said:
What would you have put under the felt? Now, with the hole now in the side of the bucket, does the filter work effectively? Are you able to sit on the pond perimeter without problem or disruption to it?
Click to expand...

Probably just something to protect it from any bugs that might be able to crawl underneath and bite into the lining. The filter...drilling the holes in the corners made it a lot harder to seal and it leaks a bit. Doing on the side is a lot easier to seal. The other mistake I made was not checking to see if it was level. So that's something you should definitely do if you want it even. It doesn't bother me too much and no one has noticed, but it bothers me time to time.
 
You should try to make the pond as level as possible, what ever style you choose.
 
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