Starting a new pond

Had a leak in the old one and wanted to go bigger. So out with the old. Patched and plants moved to it. Will be a bog garden later. Has anyone done a bog garden project?

Marking out the outline by removing the top soil. Tree has to go also. 10 x 40 ft. Three to four feet deep.

Making a big hole and removing a big tree.

Down she goes

Now my work reallly starts.Got to spread all that dirt that is left over. He made the hole four foot deep all around instead of three on one end only. Should I fill it in some at one end or just cut some ledges for plants around the edge.

Holy cow! That's a lake! Oh, and I love your 'shovel'. LOL If it were me, I would add a plant ledge all the way around, at least one foot wide by one foot deep-all depends what and how many plants you are going to drop in the center, and how many will sit on the ledge.

Thans Badseed. Its located on a terrace and all the dirt from it will be another terrace below it. Just have to rent a Bobcat to shovel the dirt around and then will add a wall later. Have a load of sand to put in the bottom.

I wish I lived closer! That sounds like my kind of fun. :)

This will be gorgeous. We live in western NC. Thanks for the offer of the clay but it sure doesn't look like you need help with that big shovel you're using LOL. I can't wait to see when it's done!

Do any of you know how to make a pond skimmer. Havent been able to find one on the net. Read where someone made one out of a barrel and buffer pads. I want to build everything.

I made one from a recycled aboveground pool skimmer I got at a yard sale.IT works fairly well.

TARogers, Here is a link for a nice homemade skimmmer by Greg Bickal.

http://www.geocities.com/bickal2000/skimmer.htm If you get a chance, check out his entire site. He is a jack of all trades when in comes to DIY ponding. His simple deicer is a mainstay in many a pond.

Here is another site that has anything you ever wanted to know about everything ;). It hasn't been updated in a long time but you will find many, many links for DIY pond accessories, etc. http://www.webspace4me.net/~mikehill/index.html

Good Luck!



This message was edited Wednesday, Mar 19th 10:52 PM

You are much more ambitious than I! If I had that kind of empty space...boy what I could do...Please post pictures as your project progresses. Looks like it will be really cool. Are you going to use concrete for the bottom, a liner, or what???

TARogers 5, You are ambitious and have quite a bit of space. I agree with Badseed, you should have a ledge all the way around the pool-pond-lake. Lots of plants just need to be covered with water not down 2 0r 3 feet. I have a ledge around my largest pool (very small compared to yours) and my ledge is filled with pots of plants. Good Luck and keep up posted with pictures, etc. Donna

Going to put in a liner.

Last corner to dig out and will now work on the drain and rock ledge.

so glad to "meet" you. My bottom drain is going to be installed tomorrow if we aren't too busy with other things so I will be thinking of you.

Now filled with water and working on the rock border. My grandson had to use it for a pool first.

Steve looks like your pond and mine are about the same size. We both used a big yellow shovel.

Starting the second rock layer and that yellow box is the horzonal pump and skimmer. Also has the float valve and a pre-filter. Will be puting in shutters so I can use the skimmer or pump off the bottom drain. Have a three inch line to the box from the bottom and also out to a 3 inch drain valve if I have to drain the pond down the hill side.

Got to find something to cover the yellow box that is light and can be removed easy.

Holy Smokes Ted!! It's coming along beautifully. What a lot of work. I can't wait to see it all planted.

I KNEW it was a swimming pool! LOL Geeze Ted! It is huge and beautiful! I can't wait to see what you do next. :)+

Got a ways to go on it yet. Need to make a filter box, waterfall and a stream going to the pond. Have to go to the woods again and haul a few more stones. Tried to make a stream bafore and tore it all out. Want to figure out how to make one to look natrual. Thanks badseed and poppysue! ♫ Will be seventy this year and want to get it done before I fall down. LOL

Your pond is sure looking nice. I have mine finally filled up and now placing 1x6's around the top for finishing touches. I am making a skippy bio filter for mine. Went and got the tank today to do it. That will be a project in it's self. Need to figure out all the plumbing. LOL. We have started landscaping, but will take months and months to get it finished. Problem here is, I have many ponds and not many land plants to landcape with. So I am going to have a hard time with that. We live in a very small town with no nursery's. The only place in our town to buy plants is Walmart.

Keep up the good work on your pond and let us know how it goes for you.

Geez TARogers5,You must be in great shape. My little pond dug in pure sand like to kill me!And thats at 44yrs old. I hope I have your stamina at 70!!I hear keeping busy keeps you young. Ya gotta be going on reverse about now!! Keep the pictures comming!!Lookin good Boy!!!

Hey Ted, that looks great! It sounds like you are doing the right things for ease of cleaning and your filtration will be good too from the sounds of it.

Keep on keeping on. You will have to just email me when you are ready for your bog plants and I will see what I have for you.

I finally got a crew here to put the liner in our pond and the bottom drain went in really easily too. Now all we have to do is all the other stuff. Whew it is a job isn't it?

Ponditis I would like to see a picture of yours when you get it. Started my stream again and still looks like a pile of rock. Will start the filter tank and try the stream again later. Finished the pond rock.

Have you got any magazines or books or even internet sites with good pictures of streams that you like? That seems to be the best way to get the rocks right. Just try to do yours similar to one you like. I like them natural looking too and know it will be a hard thing to achieve the look I want but I also know I can do it. So can you!

OK got my Stock Tank all set up and tested the water fittings. Photo. Used the Skippy Bio Filter site and modified it somewhat. I went into the drain plug and chased the threads clean thru so I could add a fitting on the inside. Went thru a one way check valve so the tub would not drain back into the pond if the pump was not working. Also will not have to fit or cutout for the PVC pipe if it came from the top. See next picture.

Plumming set up. Notice brass check valve.

This message was edited Saturday, Apr 26th 10:42 AM

Looking good. Did you bury it part way in ground? What about your drain plug on back? You might use it later to clean the gunk out of bottom of filter in the fall and spring. Also be sure to check and make sure the drain plug bulkhead doesn't leak before you do much more. I set mine up and it leaked. Put plumbers tape around it and still leaked. Called Rubbermaid and they are shipping me another bulkhead at no charge to replace it. Just a thought for you.

Also depending on size of pump you use, the outflow will make a good bit of watermovement. I ended up running a pipe from the outflow hole down into the pond to prevent much spash and waves. You could see waves for 20+ feet in mine at first. I am also considering running a pipe coming from the outflow all along the bottom with holes drilled in it to help stir up the silt on bottom to filter it out. That is another thought. So many options you can use with the skippy filter.

Let me know how it does for you.

Steve I am going to put my outlet direct into a waterfall and then a short stream.
Do not have a drain as I used it for the thru wall fittings for the pluming and check valve.
I buried it half way on the bank so I could hide it better and not have too much height for the waterfall. I removed my bulkhead fittings and used marine sealant before I put it in the ground. External pluming I used 1 1/4 inch PVC and 2 inch PVC flex hose. Then used a heat gun to slightly expand it to slide over 1 1/4 PVC with PVC glue. Makes a gradual bend and no threads to leak. Very tough and will give to any shifting. Used in RV glide out kitchens for draining into holding tank.
.

Ted, we are also using the flex hose for our pond as it will give less friction in the pipes so we can have more water to the waterfall. You are doing a great job in your design IMHO.

I wish we had a bank to put our filters on. We have to bring in dirt to raise ours up to over the waterfall. Such is life, when we had a slope we weren't in to water gardens. LOL

Ted,I have been watchin this thread from the start,STUNNING!I can not wait to be it in full glory!What a nice spot this will be!

Me too. I'm watching with great anticipation! This is going to be a beautiful pond.

Thanks everyone. Started on the falls. Will be four shelfs and a 4x7 Veggie pool between the falls and the pond. Removed the stream for the second time. So it is now a pool. Got two loads of top soil today for around it and the terrace that I made out of the dirt that came out of the pond. Came from a stock yard so smells to high heaven. No fish yet but hordes to tadpoles. Need to get rid of them somehow.

You can get rid of tadpoles by adding fish ;) The project is looking good.

What's the deal with a bottom drain? I haven't heard of this until this thread. What is the purpose--to fully drain the pond?

It sets on a terrace on hill side So it was simple to go stright out the bottom and down hill to a 3 inch plastic valve. Going to use it if ever needed to partly or completely change the water. A tee in the drain line goes up to skimmer and pump. Have a shudder on the skimmer portion so it can be used off the top for leaves etc or off the bottom for cleaning up after the fish. My first try at building a pond so I might of went overboard.

We just had a drenching storm and where I had cut out the rock wall to install the bio filter it let a river of water into the smaller Vegie pond washing out the sides before going into the big pond. So looks like this is on hold until I get the water drainage routed around it. Also had hail with it and all my plants in the yard and garden got beat up. The water lily's got dark spots all over them. Well anyway got plenty of dirt in the pond now. Glad I had not added any rocks to the bottom and to the Vegie pond. Going to add some rain gutter to the house.

I am sorry the rain had plans of it's own. I know you will be able to straighten it out. :) You are the man if I ever saw one. I know we are all waiting to see the finished product. Good luck and full steam ahead....

Awwww Ted, so sorry about the mess it made but isn't it good that it happened before you had it planted and finished? Now you can take the time and effort to remedy the problem without having to worry about fish or plants in there.

You can do it. Lani