Apple Blossoms Pond Project and Progress

Discussion in 'Water Gardening' started by Apple Blossom, Aug 10, 2015.

  1. Apple Blossom

    Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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    Well I've started my pond project and this morning the pond liner arrived without the underlay! which was free with a voucher along with free delivery. I ordered on Friday and hey presto it was here as stated. I gave them a call and they will post the liner today for delivery tomorrow no messing and great service :)

    The pond when we moved in was overgrown, leaking and cracked ... not an inviting place to go to have an evening glass of vino :sad:

    Fish pond.jpg

    Having cleared the back area, pulling out all the hops that were overcrowding and pruning everything back the area looks a lot better with Clematis for each season so should look better for next year as the growth has been good this year.

    Treated for the last two months all the weed growth so its time to start smashing it around a little bit. Its a good size pond 14' x 14' x 2.5' at the deepest

    P1020528.JPG



    P1020527.JPG

    Going to chip out this area as it will only puncture the lining and create a shelf area for plants etc. lift the slabs and replace once the underlay and liner has been placed

    P1020529.JPG

    Just looking on 'tinternet' now for pumps, filters and water features, not sure how to work out the water volume. If anyone could help it would be most helpful :)

    Would like a waterfall feature as I think this could be built in quiet easily and will be looking around for some slate as happy to build up the left hand side to give it that natural water flow. Mr AB will supply the electricity from the house so will probably introduce underwater lighting too in time :)
     
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    • wiseowl

      wiseowl FRIENDLY ADMIN Staff Member

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      Hi @Apple Blossom I worked it out by 14 x 14 x2.6 feet;)

      Up to: 14445 litres (3175 gallons)
       
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      • Apple Blossom

        Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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        Wow thanks Woo, would I need to take something off that based on my measurements being a square shape whereas the pond is in fact a triangle within that square if that makes sense? I was asked to do it this way to ensure that the liner was the correct size, no doubt a lot of waste due to shape.

        So, my thoughts are it will probably hold half of what you have estimated? Maybe? If this is the case then maybe a 8000 L filter would do the job? :heehee: There's a lot of 'maybe's' in there :heehee:
         
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        • Apple Blossom

          Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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          Just finished bashing all the loose concrete from the edges of the pond and getting the slabs ready to lift.... would have taken a photo but its too dark now and its only 9pm....:sad:

          Been looking at filters and pumps and if my calculation is right I think this one may do the job???
          If anyone could give me some advice it would be very much appreciated as not sure if this will work or if there are better options :scratch:





          [​IMG]
          Pressurised Filter PF-8000 / AquaECO-4500 Pond Pump + Hose / Clips
           
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          • Apple Blossom

            Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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            Photo's from yesterday.... bashing all the concrete edging away... looks much better but still needs a lot of work. Ready to lift the slabs up tomorrow, weather permits as its raining at the moment.


            P1020591.JPG

            As I've been lifting the concrete with the bits in it..... excuse my inexperience with concrete terminology they have come up in quiet good pieces so I have kept them as they may make a good waterfall feature. I priced them up today at the local garden centre and sure that I can make a more natural one with them than purchasing a moulded one :)

            P1020592.JPG

            I think this corner will be the best place to put the filter and build the waterfall around it to create a natural look and gives that relaxing water fall feature and then cover it with flowers so it becomes natural

            P1020593.JPG

            On my way home from a full training day, I just managed to catch the garden centre so purchased more underlay as I think it will need it and bags of sand as suggested by @wiseowl. Whilst there I saw some lilies and the manager gave me then at a discount price of £2.50 each... think he thought I was crazy tackling this on my own :yikes:......... well it is my project :heehee:

            P1020589.JPG

            P1020590.JPG

            I know my pond won't be as grand as others on GC but at the end of the day it's my first attempt and I'm pleased with progress so far...:dancy:
             
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              Last edited: Aug 11, 2015
            • Sian in Belgium

              Sian in Belgium Total Gardener

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              I think you are making great progress!

              One tip, I can see you have tiny little leaves floating off the water lilies. If you can, it would be a good idea to remove as many of these little floating plants as possible. It is duck-weed, which can be really difficult to get rid of, once established in your pond. I have always "quarantined" my plants by simply placing them in a bucket of water, and removing the plantlets as they float free. Once I am happy there are no more to come out (normally 6-8 hours, of occasional twiddling) then it's safe to plant.

              But then, some people like duck weed...!
               
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              • Apple Blossom

                Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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                Hi Sian thank you for your kind support, I did notice that it was all over the tubs in the Garden Centre and thought yuk, don't want that in my pond. I have just popped them into the water in the pond at the moment as it was tippling down with rain. Thank you for the tip :dbgrtmb:. My plans for today have been washed out as its raining cats and dogs here. Weekend weather looks good so hopefully I can get the current rain water out and get the lining down :)
                 
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                  Last edited: Aug 13, 2015
                • wiseowl

                  wiseowl FRIENDLY ADMIN Staff Member

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                  Good afternoon @Apple Blossom you have done a grand job,all my pond is a hole in the ground a liner and lots of pobbles(as my grand children call them) around the pond,yours is a posh pond by comparison :lunapic 130165696578242 5:
                   
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                  • Apple Blossom

                    Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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                    :lunapic 130165696578242 5:I'm not sure its a posh pond :lunapic 130165696578242 5: if anything its a bit old fashioned by design... but we can only but try and I really don't fancy taking on a big project with it (I say in hesitation as I'm on internet looking for pumps/filters etc.) so I'll do my best to make it a pretty pond :heehee:
                     
                  • Apple Blossom

                    Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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                    Good Afternoon @Radiation91 I wonder if I could ask for your expertise on pumps and filters recommended for my pond. I've been surfing the internet and probably got myself a little bit confused :scratch::pcthwack: I've just been reading your advise on Woo's pond and it's very informative :)
                     
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                    • WeeTam

                      WeeTam Total Gardener

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                      A great idea but may i make a wee suggestion. It looks like it will be too shallow so it will cook in summer and freeze in winter.

                      Would it be possible to dig out part of the bottom layer of concrete by at least another 2 feet? This will reduce weed explosions in the summer and allow fish to survvive a freeze in winter.

                      Then cover the earth with some sand then an old bit of carpet then the underlay and finally the butyl.Try to make sure no liner is visible or it will degrade quicker due to UV light.
                      Everyone should have a pond or water feature in the garden,theyre great :fishing:
                       
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                      • Radiation91

                        Radiation91 Gardener

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                        Hi Apple Blossom.

                        WELL DONE!! Taking things into your own hands and just getting on with it is so rewarding! Good on ya! You're doing great btw :dbgrtmb:

                        I love the shape of that pond! With you water lillies in the middle it will look very fetching :blue thumb: It probably says this on the label ut make sure you plant the lillies at the right depth, otherwise they wont flower. Some need to be at 1ft depth and others at 5ft. Check the label or google the name :)

                        Firstly, the volume of the pond is about 15000 liters, as @wiseowl says, but thats an overestimate. It's a good figure to use though because if the equipment you buy can handle 15000 liters then it can certainly handle your pond which will be slightly smaller.

                        As for the pump and filter... hmmmmm. This is a very broad topic :scratch: There are various types of setup you can use. Your best bet would be to have the pump in the pond, pushing water out into a filter, which then leads up to the waterfall, trickling back into the pond. Your first step is to work out how high you want to the waterfall to be. 50ft? 100ft?

                        :loll:I'm kidding! I'm guessing it will be much smaller than that :) Just work out how much higher the top of the waterfall will be than the surface of the pond water, not the ground. Make a note of that distance. It doesn't matter how deep the pump is, it's always from the water surface up to the top of the waterfall.

                        OK... looking at your pics, you have a perfectly shaped pond which is great! Find the deepest part of the pond and that is where the pump should sit. That way, as fish waste sinks to the bottom it will move to the pump and get sucked out into the filter. Also, the returning water will flow down into the pond and drag stuff down into the filter.

                        With regards to the size of the pond pump, you're looking at about 10000 litres per hour. Sounds like a lot but if you've got a pond with goldfish and some plants then your supposed to have a pump that circulates the entire pond twice every 3 hours minimum. i.e. One circulation every 90 minutes. This one looks great:

                        http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jebao-Garden-EFP-Series-10000/dp/B00A4BKUY6

                        It's designed to take water "with solids in" up and out of the pond. With this one, you can have a waterfall 4 METERS above the surface of the water. Chances are, this thing aint gunna fail with your pond! It uses an impeller and the reviews say it's easy to clean which is great. Cleaning your pump REALLY extends its lifespan and performance. Automatic shut off when overheating too which is nice. It won't heat up the pond if it starts failing.

                        Remember... with pumps and filters it's buy cheap buy twice.

                        Ok, pump sorted... now the filter. :phew: Still with me?

                        The water being pumped out goes through the filter and then back out to the top of your waterfall. You tend to have the filter partially buried. It helps keep the temperature stable. If it was sat on the ground then it could get sunlight, heat up the water and cause fluctuations. Fish don't like fluctuations! :nonofinger: Another option is to have the canaster in a box (wooden or brick etc) and have only the pipes coming out.

                        There's different type of filtration:
                        • Mechanical - this removes debris from the water. Fish solids, plant matter etc.
                        • Biological - This converts ammonia and nitrites into nitrates which is less toxic for fish.
                        • Chemical - This removes toxins and chemicals from the water.
                        There's also a UV filter which exposes the water to UV light, helping to kill algae.

                        I've come across this filter:

                        http://www.allpondsolutions.co.uk/p...OnovC6Wx-0ABBCl02RvGhJrDfz4E7mQl5oaAkOu8P8HAQ

                        It has 1 fine foam filter, 2 coarse foam filters and bio balls. It also has a UV filter. The coarse filters remove big lumps of solid waste. The finer one collects finer solids and the bio balls will act as a surface for bacteria to grow on. This is good! The bacteria eat ammonia and produce nitrites. A second type of bacteria will then eat the nitrites and produce nitrates, which are much safer. NEVER expose the bioballs to chlorine water or even try to clean them. They will look messy but it is a living thing that is helping you. Washing it off will mean that ammonia and nitrites dont get converted. The UV filter will help stop the pond from going green. I will help you later on if this is not completely stopping the algae.

                        This filter is only capable of withstanding the pressure of the pump pushing up 3m from the water surface. So keep your waterfall to less than 3m tall otherwise it will start leaking! :wow: I suggest 2m tall MAX just to be safe.

                        This is an external filter canaster which means you can turn off the pump and filter, open the canaster and rinse out the foam pads. Simple eh?

                        You will need an outside electrical socket fitting for the pump and the UV part of the filter. You'll also need some tubing too. Thicker tubing is better because it's less likely to get blocked. Obviously thinker tubing it harder to disguise though.

                        Hope this helps!

                        Good luck!
                         
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                        • Apple Blossom

                          Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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                          Thank you for such an informative message @Radiation91 I'm really grateful :dbgrtmb:

                          I've just had a check on the details of the lilies :phew: Phew!...... I think they will be ok, I have

                          Nymphaea Fire Opal
                          James Brydon
                          Pygamaea Helvola

                          I've taken a look at the pump and filter and they look great and are able to do the job :dbgrtmb:

                          I think I need to stop running ahead of myself and take one step at a time.. so weather permitting this weekend I will get the underlay and liner down, once that is down I can look at how the waterfall will fall into place taking into consideration what you have said about height.

                          All the electrics are being done by Mr AB so not worried about that :)

                          There's a lot to think about.... I understand about the depth @WeeTam but the friendly neighbour has told me that when the pond was up and running it had fish in and that they recovered the fish when the property was empty and it started to leak.

                          I will probably only put 2 fish in it this year and see how it goes over the winter months, if it doesn't work for the fish I will then probably just use it as a water feature without the fish.

                          Mr AB and I have had a chat about knocking the concrete out and making it deeper but to be honest we have just decided to leave it as it is and see what happens but thank you for making me aware of the possibilities of too warm and freezing conditions :dbgrtmb:

                          Thank you both for the help and advice it has been really useful :)
                           
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                          • Radiation91

                            Radiation91 Gardener

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                            @Apple Blossom Good idea... little goose steps :)

                            With regards to neutralising/removing chlorine, you could check out one of these. The filters last quite a while and it's probably cheaper than adding gallons of dechlorinator to the water.

                            http://www.waterfilterman.co.uk/fis...r-for-koi-pond-up-to-99-chlorine-removal.html

                            As for the depth of the pond, I will leave that to you. I've just found this snippet online:

                            :phew::phew:

                            Also note that stressed out fish have a weaker immune system and that causes problems with their health. It might be a better idea to dive in at the deep end (pun intended) and get a nice sized school of goldfish. Maybe 6? Then they have company and have that "safety in numbers" feeling.

                            Have fun working out all the details! It should be an awesome journey!
                             
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                            • Apple Blossom

                              Apple Blossom Total Gardener

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                              Good Evening @Radiation91 the de-chlorinator looks interesting and as you said well worth the money so its on my purchasing list :)

                              Thank you for the information on the minimum depth for goldfish, shubunkins etc. I think that is what was kept in it previously so I'm happy with that :hapydancsmil:


                              :yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes: 6 fish on my conscience :yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes: it was bad enough thinking 2 may not survive but 6... :yikes: but if survival is better in numbers then 6 it is :)

                              Weather report seems better for tomorrow so with luck my plans will come into place... I've just seen the new water level after the monsoon we've just had.... think it will take me longer to empty it :heehee:
                               
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