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Looking for pond graphics 4/25/07
Hi
I am wanting to build my own above ground liner pond. I went on your website and
it was alot of help.
I was wondering if you could send me so pictures of wooden above ground liner
ponds.
It would help alot.
<No such word>
Thanks
Mark
<Mmm, no time to search for or make scans... Other than what is on WWM is what
you get... or books... there are some nice pix in "Ortho" and "Sunset"
publications on ponds... Bob Fenner>
Plywood tank +pond liner 12/19/06
i am building a 180 gallon plywood tank using 3/4 wood and 3/8 glass. i was
going to use a pvc pond liner instead of the epoxy. how can i make a seal
between the liner and glass?
<Best to use an intermediate "race" that can/will hold the liner... make this
water-proof and to adhere the glass viewing panel in turn onto this race-frame.
Do take a look on the Net, "Yellow Page Directories" for your area for the
"Liner Swimming Pool" companies, tools, materials here. Bob Fenner>
Overwintering Koi in a cold locale 9/19/06
Hi:
<Hello there>
I have a rather small pond about 5' x 4' x 20" - I am worried about
my
beautiful young koi. There are 3 - 7" koi and 4 babies that are
about 1"
each - they were born this year. I have been told I can leave them
in the
pond if I use an aerator to keep water moving or a deicer.
<Mmm, no... unlikely... too much chance this volume, size/depth
basin will freeze all the way>
At 20" I am
afraid the water will freeze solid. Should I buy a 100 gal
Rubbermaid
trough (or bigger) and move the koi into the garage for the winter.
<Yes, I would>
We are
going to expand the pond in the spring and will make an area that is
at
least 3' deep - I know they can survive throughout the winter at
that depth.
If the garage stays between 20 and 30 degrees throughout the
winter, would
the koi be better there and then what do I need for the trough.
<Store it... incorporate it into the pond/bog filter...>
The aerator
- do I need to run a filter - I have no idea what to do. I need
help
<I would run a large sponge filter and a Tetra Luft pump to operate
it... Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubhttp://www.wetwebmedia.com/pdmaintwint.htm
and the linked files above, and:
FWSubWebIndex/spngfltfaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>
Thanks a million
Jacque
Re: Overwintering Koi in a cold locale 9/19/06
Thanks for your response. I went to the web site but I can't
identify the large sponge filter you are referring to in the e-mail can you be
more specific?
<Mmm, let's see...
http://www.pondbiz.com/home/pb1/smartlist_106/tetra_pond_filters.html>
Also, will a 100 gal tub be large enough.
<Should be... with a cycled filter in place, careful to no feeding when
temperature is below 55 F... Bob Fenner>
Jacquelin A. Moody
Moving goldfish indoors for winter 8/17/05
Help me....... please,
I'm losing sleep and winter's comin. We have a wonderful
garden pond that has roughly 20 large goldfish, 6 shubunkin, and 15 multi
colored babies that survived the breeding and eating season. I've come to
the realization that I have to bring all of them inside to enjoy over the
long Minnesota winter. Would either 2 150 gallon or a single 300 gallon
tank see them through the winter?
Joann
<Yes... depending on how "large" is large, about this volume should do... you
might save some money by looking for Rubbermaid troughs... and investigating
filtration for these on WWM. Bob Fenner>
Large fiberglass or polyethylene tanks 8/12/05
Hello-
<Howdy>
Can you point me in the direction of some businesses that sell large fiberglass
or polyethylene tanks?
<Mmm, two critical questions... how large is large, and where for? The U.S.?
Shipping can be expensivo... Here's the Google response:
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-27,GGLD:en&q=large+fiberglass+and+polyethylene+tanks+in+the+U%2ES%2E
Bob Fenner>
Thanks-
Mark
Pond Construction
Good evening crew!
<Later afternoon in HI now>
Hope everything is going well with you.
<Yes, thanks>
Just a quick THANK YOU! for all the help in the past. My 75 GAL is running pretty smoothly and the 200 is almost ready to fill
(YAY!). But, now, I need some info for pond construction.
<Okay>
I am upgrading the wife's Koi pond this year. Going from a pre-fab 150 GAL from Lowe's to a dug, liner pond.
<Much better>
Now, on to the question. The pond is going to be 21.5" above ground with a 2' X 4' X 2' deep underground part. Pond will be 8' X 4' rectangle.
I am going to use 6X6 lumber for the walls and wanted to know if the pressure treated wood will pose problems for the fish. I know that they no longer use cyanide for pressure treatment, but don't know what they use in it's stead. Will water run-off from rain, etc leach anything from the lumber into the water and affect the fish?
<Should be fine... there are other ways/types of treated wood that can be problematical, but the crushed/pressure treating is not toxic>
Thank you so much for your time.
<Welcome. Bob Fenner>
Pond liner in tank
Situation:
Excellent site with good faq's but mine is a bit specific...
Built a plywood tank and used pond liner (instead of epoxy), and sealed it up
with GE 1200 Silicone. (I got it from a tank builder so I assume its aquaria
safe).
<Is, but doesn't adhere well to liners>
I just poured RO water and after 2 days the water started clouding a bit. Is
this a result of the silicone?
<Nope>
Is this normal and will running the water through carbon clear it up?
<Is normal, carbon will help... but really the "system" needs to cycle... this
takes a few weeks... can be sped up... a "break-in" biological period.>
Right now the water is just standing with no movement.
<Better to recirculate it>
Or, is the EPDM pond liner giving something off.... I assume the liner is safe
to use for fish seeing as they use it for ponds.... Do I need to prepare it
before use?
Please help!
Thanks
Lee
<EPDM is very safe... Please read on WetWebMedia.com re cycling of aquariums...
the same series of events occur in all aquatic environments. Bob Fenner>
Re: pond liner in tank
http://wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/pdmaintwint.htm
Just to clarify
Given my situation, RO going cloudy is normal after a couple of days even if
there is no substrate?
<Yes, normal. Very likely the opacity is due to biological goings on, not simple
physical or chemical reactions... microbes are populating the water to such an
extent that they're making the water cloudy>
(just water and the tank). If this is normal this I'll begin cycling the
tank.
Again Thanks for the help!
<A pleasure to serve. Bob Fenner>
Way-above ground pond
Hi I've done a lot of landscaping in my relatively small yard... and it
struck me that one area would be perfect for a pond.
<Okay>
The location is a rectangle between my house, my deck and my fence,
about 5 ft wide and 10 ft long. (i.e. one ten ft side against the deck,
one ten ft side against the fence, one 5 ft side against the house.)
The deck is 24 inches above the ground. Where this gets hard is that I
would want the surface of the pond to be well above the level of the
deck....18 inches... so I'd like to have the surface of the pond about
42 inches above the ground.
<Can be done>
My thought was to use railroad ties, joined with rebar, to bring the
ground up... about 12 inches. Then bring it up another 12 inches around
the edges. Then make a box of landscape timbers on top of that. End
result would be a 10 by 5 foot pond, 18 inches deep around the sides
with a 3 by 8 ft , 30 inch deep trench in the middle.
<I would add some plywood in the insides... including the bottom... and good
three inch screws through it, into the railroad ties... and some steel anchors
(can be had from Home Depot, Lowe's) to join the RR ties at the corners>
Am I fooling myself if I think this is doable.
Rob, near DC.
<Is doable, and sounds like a very nice project. Will you be adding a filter? A
pumping mechanism? Time to think about plumbing, electrical et al. before
constructing the basin itself. Bob Fenner>
Roof Rubber - Pond Liner 7/18/04
Hello all!!!
<cheers>
Now that both my saltwater aquariums are running smooth I thought I'd take on a
new challenge----a pond.
I have a few ??.
<have you read the DIY pond article we just ran in the last issue of our
electronic magazine? If not, do check it out: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i1/pondDIYCalfo/diy-pond.htm>
Is there an easy formula for estimating pond liner size?
<the minimum is the length in each direction, plus 2X the depth, plus an
extra three feet for folds and pleats. Thus a 10X10 pond that was 3 feet deep
would require a 19X19 liner(10+3+3 plus 3'extra)
I will have 2 pools (3'x7'x12" and 4'x7'x24") with a waterfall between
them the pools are about 4 inches apart. I obviously can use 1 piece for both or
1 per pool - any recommendations?
<tough to say without seeing the lay of the land. I'm guessing 2 separate
pieces will be much easier to make proper/clean folds and pleats>
Can you use roofing EPDM as a pond liner?
<yes... if is aged and clean, or if new is first washed and rinsed with mild
acid (strong vinegar is fine)>
Can you make a waterfall without liner under it or does it need to have a lining
as well?
<it absolute must have a liner>
My waterfall is 2/3 complete using flat stones with 100% silicone connecting the
stones, but I didn't put liner under it...yet.
<the silicone will fail soon... a personal guarantee>
Thanks for your time, Jeremy
<before you dive any deeper my friend... you REALLY need to get some sound
construction advice and tips. Do consider John Dawes "Book of Water
Gardens" and James Allison's "Water in the Garden". Fantastic
books. Anthony>
Moving Sucks!!! Use of pond liners
Hi Anthony, Bob and Crew:
<Hello Gregory>
Thanks for the great support and books!! You guys can truly be a
godsend at times.
Sorry if this is a silly question...I tried to search the faqs re: moving, etc.,
but did not find a definitive answer. I am in the process of moving
my 110 tank to a new house. Unfortunately, I will have to spend 3-4
months in an apartment while the house is being finished. Since I am
afraid to set up the 110 in the apartment, I have decided that I will
temporarily house everything in the oversized soaking tub in the apartment's
second bathroom. This is the largest container (approx. 60-70 gallons
I think) that I could think of for keeping everything
healthy. Anyway, I thought that I would line the tub with plastic
pond liner (because of soap & chemicals), but the guy at the garden store
said that it might be toxic to marine animals. Is this so, or is
there a certain type of liner that I should use and/or avoid?
<No problems in using any type of liner intended for pond use. All, EPDM,
Butyl, Vinyl, composite, are chemically inert, non-toxic to marine life. Bob
Fenner>
Thanks for all your help. Take care, Greg
Re: Moving Sucks!!!
Thanks for the info Bob! That's a load off...I thought that I was
going to
have to rethink this whole process midstream so to speak. Great new
book
BTW (I have told Anthony so, but have never been in touch with you
directly). I think it really fills an interesting niche that is, of
necessity, skipped or lightly treated in most of the marine
"standards."
Very shrewd of you guys to include so many (!!!) quality photos as well.
<Agreed. Must need "get the attention" of folks as an a priori step
to "introducing them" meaningfully to informational content. In our
interest this is supremely easy... with so many gorgeous, interesting life
forms>
I
think that alone will broaden the audience that you reach. I've read
it
through once, but have flipped through the photos too many times to count.
I look forward to Volume 2. Take care, Greg.
<Thank you for your input. Bob Fenner>
Re: Moving Sucks!!!
Hi Bob (again):
Sorry to be a nuisance, but I just bought my pond liner for this rather
bizarre project and had one last question (I hope!). The liner is
covered
in the gray powdery substance that I assume prevents dry-rot, etc. during
storage. I rinsed it and scrubbed it with a broom a couple of times,
but I
think there is still quite a bit clinging to it. Is it necessary that
I get
this coating off before using the liner?
<No, but if it bothers you, it can be scrubbed off with some water, rock salt
and a scrubby brush>
If I need to get it off
thoroughly, I would appreciate some advice on what to use as a cleaning
agent if anything other than elbow grease. Thanks again for your time
and
wisdom/experience. Take care, Greg
<Glad to share. Bob Fenner>
Pool liner question
Hello Mr. Fenner,
I've been reading your website ALL day and I have
soooooooooo much :*).
I started out trying to learn about the Bichir fish family as I just
bought a Senegal Bichir for my son. I had never seen one before
(after 35 years of aquariums) and I was simply fascinated by them. They
are such cool fish. My son has a beautiful 75Gal E series tank that
he has fashioned after the Public aquariums. I looks like an exact
slice of the Amazon or Niger River... very nice. He had a beautiful
Clown Knife fish which we
> both loved, but didn't particularly care for how nocturnal they are... so
we found him a good home with a friend and I got my son the Bichir and an Arowana
(sp). They are doing beautifully and we have learned tons about both
of them thanks to your incredible website. I printed out the pages
about the Bichir and Arowana for future reference and will add it to our
aquarium books.
The question I have is about my own fish
hobby. I have made a wonderful outdoor pond using a 300gal livestock
(horse/cattle) trough.
<Neat>
They are maid by Rubbermaid and very hard black plastic and thick.
<Yes, very fine products>
I so very much and it is doing perfectly. I have many aquatic plants
growing in it. I especially enjoy my water lilies and aquatic
forget-me-nots. I also have some beautiful koi, goldfish, Dojos, and
a Channel Catfish. I use to have crayfish but they ate or tore off
most of my water lilies, so into the lake they went. My plants are
propagating and my fish are getting bigger. So... my question is...
have you ever heard of anyone making an outdoor above ground pond out of the
pools like they sell at Costco, Sears, or Wal-mart?
<Oh yes... very fast to build and inexpensive per gallon... a bit hard to
maintain re temperature fluctuation sometimes.>
I have a huge one that is round and is 15' across, 3' tall, and holds 1700gal. It
would make the best pond... if the liner is proper for a pond. It
is set up using a white tubular PVC pipe frame that supports it and has the blue
PVC liner used by most of the flexible pools. It is not the hard
plastic type, but the thick liner material/fabric kind. The pool top
has slots sewn into it and the PVC pipes are run through there and then snapped
together, so the pool is essentially hung from the PVC pipe frame. I have had
this pool in my yard for 4 years now and it has never had any leaks (knock on
wood :*) ) and the water is always crystal clear... even without chemicals and
no filtration at the time being. My kids used it for two years and
then told me that they were too old for that kind of thing now. Not
wanting to take it down and not wanting to create a huge mosquito hatchery, the
next year we went out got tons of tadpole eggs and hatched out frogs. It
was great fun. We've always had tree frogs on our farm and it was
nice to help them out with a breeding place while keeping the
mosquito's in check. This year I've thought about putting feeder
goldfish in it... then when I was working on my 300gal pond and wishing I had
more space for my plants and fish to get bigger... I looked at that pool and
thought... Hey, that would be perfect! If you
have any information on this at all, I sure would appreciate
it.
My concerns are; 1- if the liner is the right type... although
it is
very
strong to take the beating that kids can give them and uv resistant. It
is just not the sold in the garden stores as pond liner. 2- is there
a possibility that my plants could growing through the bottom of it and cause
a leak. I would like to fill the bottom with sand and then smallish
gravel and then set the plants in new larger containers on top of the sandy
bottom.
<The liner should be fine (non-toxic) and the sand is a very good idea. May
well prevent puncturing by pots et al.>
I know that the plants will outgrow their containers and soon grow
into the gravel and sand becoming naturalized. I like that but I am
worried about the roots being strong enough to actually puncture the bottom. I
would love to get some freshwater clams to live in the sand. I would
build a wooden wall/frame around it to protect it more and line the inside of
that (between the liner and wood) with insulation of some sort. That
would give it good puncture protection and also help if we get a hard freeze in
the winter. I also would use a water heater to help also. The
pool liner already has through hole fittings for the filtration system that was
used for the pool so I could use those for the pond filtration also.
<Yes>
This would be SO awesome if this would work. I
read all your
articles on your pond info but I could find nothing on anyone ever trying this. I
value your expertise and opinion and would love to hear what you know and think
about this. A 1700gal pond!... I would be in heaven... so would all
my fish and plants. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank
you for all of your incredible work and information on your website. It
is truly the BEST on the Internet... you've done an amazing job. Thank
you again...
talk to you soon. Oh yeah, I live in Port Townsend in Washington
state on the Olympic Peninsula. Typical Pacific Northwest weather up
here... cool and rainy :*).
Sincerely,
Lee Ann Hightower
<I do think your plan is sound, and exciting. The weather in your area is
likely mild and non-fluctuating "enough" to not cause troubles. Bob
Fenner>
Pool to pond info
Hi again Mr. Fenner,
I just emailed you about making a pond out of an above
the ground pool.
I found a website with a picture of what I have. It's
made by Intex and is called the PVC Frame Pool 15x3 and I was wrong... it holds
3,170gals not 1,700. WOW... this will be awesome I think. Here
are the links for what the pool looks like and some info on what the liner is
made of. Sounds pretty thick to me and it does feel very thick too. Nothing
has punctured it in 4 years so far.
http://store5.yimg.com/I/nationaldiscountpoolsupplies_1746_619262
http://www.qualityinflatables.com/images/58404large.jpg
Q: What material is the pool made of?
A: Made with 3 separate layers of material for extra strength and
durability- two outer layers of heavy-gauge PVC laminated to an inner layer of
polyester mesh for extra reinforcement - a total thickness of 28 gauge (0.71mm).
12' and 15' pools have a 16 gauge floor, 18' and 24' pools have a 28 gauge
floor.
Q: How does UV affect the materials used?
A: All PVC's degrade over prolonged exposure to excessive sunlight. Intex pools
are manufactured with UV inhibitors to delay the degradation caused by sunlight.
Thanks again... please let me know what you think.
Lee Ann
<Does sound like a top of the line unit. The thickness of the polyvinyl liner
and its mode of construction are excellent. Thank you for sharing. Bob
Fenner>
Re: Pics of Pool for pond question
Thank you so much for your reply Bob. I really appreciate your
comments and
experience.
<Glad to offer it>
I am very excited about this. It will take me a little while to
put it all together but it will be awesome when completed. I will
keep your
email and try to send you some pics when I have it all together. I
don't
know what I am more excited about the most... the plants or my fish and Koi.
I found a beautiful Lung Fish and have always loved the amphibian species,
<Actually, these are fishes that live all the time in the water.>
but I think it might grow up to devour all of my other fish. So I
will wait
till I can learn more about them. Right now I am in the process of
figuring
out a filtration system... 3,200gal is A LOT of water to filter. I
really
love the Bio-filter the one guy set up that you showed on your website...
the one with the water lettuce growing in it... VERY nice.
<Can be fabricated out of plastic containers... like 55 or 60 gallon
polyethylene drums (set up in series or parallel) or large "trough"
like containers like the fab ones by Rubbermaid>
I could grow
even more plants that way :*). I have a 150gal horse trough that
could work
good for that...
<Yes! Though this filter system needs to be about twice this size... a
minimum of about ten percent of the pond>
hmmmmm. I will keep you posted. Than you again so very
much for your reply.
Sincerely,
Lee Ann Hightower
<Be dreaming, planning. Bob Fenner>
Temporary housing for pond fish
Hi Bob. I hope all is well with you and your family.
You have greatly assisted me in the past regarding my 92 gallon reef set-up, but
I now have a question regarding my outdoor pond goldfish.
I currently have a 100 gallon preformed pond that I have had for about 5 years.
In addition to various plants, I have around 5 shubunkin goldfish that average
about 1 to 2 inches. We have decided to have a new 300 to 400 gallon pond
installed in our backyard in conjunction with a custom landscape installation.
What would be the best way to temporarily house my pond goldfish? Because of the
amount of work that will take place in our yard that will include application of
grass killer, I will need to house them either in my garage or house for up to 4
weeks.
Thank you. John Rowe
<A Rubbermaid container of sufficient volume with an airstone/small powerhead
should work. Cover it temporarily even in the garage while applying any
chemicals. Good luck! Craig>
Housing fish while new pond is built
Thank you.
Should 100% of the water be water from the pond?
Thank you again. John
<Depending on how long this will be, you may want to transfer some pond
filter media to a filter running in the temp holding tank to provide
bio-filtration. If shorter term (days and the end home being a
plastic pond) then water changes (no chlorine/chloramine, temperature matched)
will suffice. Pond water is fine if it's testing free of
ammonia/nitrite/nitrate. Craig>
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