concrete pond

hello to everyone, i joined dg in april. been using site for info. moved recently from pa to fl. i had plastic preformed ponds in pa and found them enjoyable but the one in sun all day i was fighting alge all the time. i'd like to make a pond at my new home but was thinking on making a concrete pond. any ideas on how to go about starting. should i? i;am not afraid of hard work, (really any thing related to gardening is'n even work.) really haven't found any website on how to either. maybe i'am not asking right ? please feel free to jump in and help me with instructions, ideas, thoughts looking forward to hearing from anyone thank u

This message was edited Oct 9, 2006 1:43 PM

Are you planning on putting fish in you concrete pond?

yes fish and plants. do you have any ideas or help for me?

Check into the ph of concrete, I don't think it is good for fish. I put in a pond with the rubber liner nine yrs ago. It has done great.

Jeri

Check out this website http://www.fishdoc.co.uk/water/pH.htm I hope it helps

Jeri

flowersandbirds are you there?

I ask these questions b/c when I started my pond I had 2 big truck loads of limestone delivered and then found out I couldn't use them. I would hate for that mistake to happen to anyone. I still have piles of limestone but i went to plan B. All is well. NOW. But for awhile all I could do was look at my piles of limstone and shake my head. I finally used alot of them around my flower beds for edging.

Jeri

thanks all for replying. decided to go another route. after drawing outline of pond i want concrete would be too much work. since i'am a do it yourselfer i'll just take time to rethink if i want to go preformed or dig out the shape and go liner. back to the drawing board.

flowersandbirds

I would think you need to decide how big first. That will let you know more about which route to take. Preformed is nice but they all generally small ponds. If you want bigger than the liner is your answer.

We have a concrete pond that was made when the swimming pool was put in 5 yrs ago. No problem for the fish, we did wait a month or so I think before putting them in tho, but darn it the pond has no shelf for plants! How that came about I don't remember.That has been the only problem. It is 4ft deep and approx 10ft wide I guess maybe larger.

Dh built a small pond himself at the old place using rebar and concrete. It was very small and took him a long time. The walls kept falling in before he could get the crete on the rebar and walls because the soil is so sandy here. He had to keep wetting and packing the sand down. I think the walls were too steep as he wanted it deep to keep those big white birds down here from eating the fish.

For a larger pond I would recomend a liner unless you know a cheap reliable swimming pool contractor! Go deep at least 4 feet to keep your fish. They can go deep when the sun is really hot if there is no shade and the water too warm and the big birds won't get them either.

Rocks aren't cheap.here, shop around for a deal... we moved ours with us and then got more for the edges of the larger pond and waterfall.
.....from a Florida viewpoint hope these tips help on your design.
Michelle

Hi Michelle,

They told me something totally different here. Like I said before not knowing I bought alot of limestone rocks b/c it was all that was available at the time here in Baton Rouge. Then I couldn't use them for the pond.

I lined my flower beds with the limestone and now I'm afraid it has leached into my topsoil and turned it to clay.

Oh too bad! I have never used limestone and it is known to be alkaline.
I have had no trouble with concrete once it's cured for at least 30 days tho.
The rocks we have are imported from Tennessee and the Carolinas.

I make Concrete garden items as a hobby and all the instructions say that it is initially cured and Ph should be more balanced after 30 dys. I tested this and left something in water for several days.. tested PH then changed water and retested in several more days etc until a month had passed. The water got less and less alkaline. Concrete will continue to get harder for years .

I just suggest anyone with a concrete item whether it be a pond or a planter check the ph of the water at first then several days later to be sure. I suppose you could fill a barrel of water test the ph then put in one of those limestone rocks and retest the ph a few days later and see what it is. Peat is acidic and if your beds have gotten too alkaline you could start amending with that or anything else recomended for acidifying soil... be sure to test, test, test, the ph as you go tho.

You can find the liners at Home Depot, Lowes, etc, in your area. That's the way to go.
The pre-fab plastic ponds are cheaper and easier but they are not designed to endure
more than a few years. They jack-up in freeze/thaw and crack sooner than later.
Stay with the liner and you will have artistic license to shape your pond anyway
you prefer and have peace of mind in it's long lasting endurance.

We had a liner pond, then hurricane season came and the rain raised the water table and lifted the liner. What a mess! We replaced it with a concrete pond. We dug the hole, lined it with cheap plastic (to keep the sand from mixing in) then chicken wire, then started mixing stiff concrete and putting in in and troweling it up the sides. It was a big job and I could never have done it without my brother, who came and worked on it for three days. I painted the cured pond with a ThoroSeal water sealer - I hear G4 Pondsealer is better, I don't know for sure. We let that cure, then filled the pond and started the pump, put in plants and added fish about a month later. I don't know what the pH would be if we hadn't sealed it, but the koi and goldfish haven't complained yet. Now, if I could just find some HeronSealer too, I'd be set.

LOL KC, Heron Sealer! 4 feet deep does it for us as a "sealer".