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FAQs on Using Liners in Above Ground Pond Construction

Related Articles: Liners for Above Ground Ponds, Do It Yourself The Indoor Pond by Anthony Calfo,

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Aquatic Gardens

Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains:
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by Robert (Bob) Fenner

In Store Saltwater Pool. Const.        12/5/12
Hello Crew,
<Myk>
I have a quick question for you in regards to a project that we are working on here in the store.  We have a large indoor pool that we have built and are looking for the best way to seal it.  The pool is framed with 2x6's and plywood and cased on the inside with hardiebacker wet area cement board. 
The front panel of the pool is a 96"x30" glass panel recessed into the wooden frame.
<This will have to have a race built, installed to incorporate the liner>
 Our initial thought was to go with a pond liner, but the consultant for the liner was concerned that the corners of the pool would be too harsh on the liner.
<Mmm, no... An overlay of wood or other material should be placed as a "cap" over the top of the liner>
 Can you suggest a proper means of sealing this pool that will be safe for saltwater use?
<I would use a 32 mil Tetra Liner likely; otherwise a similar thickness butyl rubber liner>
 I can send pictures for you as well if that would be helpful.  Thank you in advance for your time.
Regards,
Myk.
<And you. Bob Fenner>

Liner install -- 10/20/10
I have a brick enclosure. It was probably originally for flowers. It's about 3 feet side and about 10 feet long. The enclosure has the brick wall of the house on two sides and a 20" wall on the other two sides (at least double layer of brick). At some point some of the dirt was removed and a small water garden
installed. I want to excavate all the dirt from the area and line the enclosure with pond liner, and put a small water fall at one end of the enclosure.
This is to house a couple fish along with continuing to have some water plants.
<I see>
I have two questions/issues:
1. What is best to do for the liner that will be on the house side?
<To "trap" the upper edge between the current top and a new cap; barring this, a very messy process of fitting (don't cut all the way to the top till it's test-filled w/ water... using a "glue" of some sort (usually
asphaltous in nature... the messy part), the liner to the vertical walls...
This is covered in the FAQs archived on WWM under liner use on the Pond Subweb of WWM>
The vertical wall will have no place to overhang and cover the liner.
<Understood... the liner has to terminate/end higher, above the water level line>
The outside walls, the liner can overlap the wall and will have a course of 4" cap stones setting atop the liner.
<Ah good. This is best>
I was thinking I might have to put another layer of 4x4's or brick alongside the house brick higher than the pond waterline, then use a final row of brick/stone to set atop the liner. I was not going to mortar the bricks (or 4x4's) as they will be held in place between the house exterior wall and the water pressure.
<I would eventually mortar in... looks nicer and there's less chance of the rock/cap falling in, tearing the liner. There are colours/dyes you can add to the mortar mix>
2. The existing power outlet would actually be below water line, so I must relocate the box. This will involve running a bit of conduit from the existing outlet box up to the new location. I would seal the hole where the conduit enters the house. Is it a bad idea to have the electrical conduit coming out there and having the liner over the conduit.
<Can be... You might want to look into installing a junction box... in the basin, or a compression coupler to waterproof fit the electrical cable. In all cases, the line MUST be fitted w/, through a GFCI circuit>
I think so. My alternative is to build a wall to pull the pond keep the pond away from the conduit and
relocated outlet box. I'm thinking I'd just use 4x4's to build that up.
<Mmm, do read on WWM, elsewhere re>
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
<Bob Fenner>

Re Liner install - 10/22/10

Crew,
<Brion, you did get my response?>t;
I'd sent a message about the liner install. I thought I'd show send a few photos to see if a picture helped. <Mmm, yes>
"Site-1-Small" is a ground level view of the site. The rubble around the wall is the rocks, broken tiles, broken bricks that I excavated from the enclosure.
I probably need to clear those away before my wife loses patience with the project (the budget's already exceeded)...
<You are wise here>
The majority of the outer wall will be the upper ledge where the liner will terminate. There is one of the
stone blocks that will set atop the liner one all is in place.
<So, I understand that you'll be breaking off the remaining/shown cap, capturing the liner edge under this area on the two exposed sides>
TopRight-Small" shows the window/outlet box. I intend on putting a junction box and conduit around to relocate the box.
<Good... Needs to be six feet away from the water, have a service switch, be wired through a GFI... according to the olde NEC at least>r /> But, it turns out the box is probably the limit of where I should go. Just below the outlet box you
will notice a black pipe. That is the drain pipe from our kitchen sink that goes around the outside of the house to connect with the sewer. I probably don't want to cover that up with the pond. So, my thought is to run a concrete block course between the house and the outer wall. I'll also need to form a repository to hide my Laguna power-flo 1400.
<Mmm, a wooden "box" will likely be best... Above grade; with all set upon a pad... concrete cast or pre-cast...>r /> Backfill and possible devise some waterfall feature. I'll put some concrete footer down before the blocks.
Then possibly a cap block course. I'll then be able to put stone blocks atop the liner there.
<Okay>
WallRight-Small" shows another view of the outlet box. The liner should come up just to the mortar joint above the top of the outlet box. The outside wall is about 1/2" higher than that mortar joint. I'd wanted to go all the way to the other wall, but don't think I should cover the drain line. And, I did need a space to house the filter.
<Yes>
TopLeft-Small" shows where the largest part of the pond will be. Note along the house wall there is no ledge for the liner.
<Yes... unless you build a wall/ledge to mount same over... you'll have to "stick" the liner up there... not easily done as previously I wrote you>r /> Also, you may notice that I excavated a bit below the footers for the wall. I'd pulled out some clay drain
tiles. I don't know if the weight of the water could collapse those.
<I would definitely put something there, compact it...>
Length-Small" is one other view. It's a little over 8 feet from the nearest wall to the outlet box.
This gets to my core puzzle. What would be your recommendation for house wall side of the liner. I think the two core options are 1) adhesive the liner to the house (don't like this). 2) build a wall against the house (4" maybe) that will then provide a ledge for the liner.
<Agreed>
What is the preferred material. Brick would match the rest I suppose, but what about treated wood 4x4's?
<Not wood... Brick, block will be fine>
Also, what do you recommend regarding filling up the excavated portion to the wall footers(e.g. concrete, gravel, sand, dirt)?
<Concrete would be best... floated to a given/made deeper area... depression... to facilitate draining, solids, "bad" water removal>
I need to cover some of those sharp edges. I've been searching the site, but a link to any FAQ/article would be appreciated. I do have underlayment to use and might have enough to double it.
<I'd float the bottom out in concrete w/ small aggregate (nom. 3/8" or pea gravel)>
I've got two 14" Koi in a 40 gallon holding tank. I'm sure they're anxious to get to their new digs...
<Ah yes>
Thanks,
Brion Jones
<Welcome. BobF>


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 a lot of help. I was wondering if you could send me so pictures of wooden above ground liner ponds. It would help a lot. <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>

Aquatic Gardens

Ponds, Streams, Waterfalls & Fountains:
Volume 1. Design & Construction
Volume 2. Maintenance, Stocking, Examples

V. 1 Print and eBook on Amazon
V. 2 Print and eBook on Amazon
 

by Robert (Bob) Fenner
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