Ok so i found my way over hear from the Tractorbynet..the guys over there are always giving props to this board when it comes to pond this and that....

so as i look over the sections i'm left

weres the "section" on pre-formed pond (plastic linner) thingies? (i know i know)



im thinking i want to start out with a small "water feature" and im thinking this is one of the easyest and cheepest ways to go about it....

Thanks

schmism, it may take a little more time than usual for someone to answer your question.

As you've seen, most here are into earthen ponds, or larger ponds with liners.

Welcome aboard.

thats cool, I didnt know if it was a popular thing on this board... figured i could pick up a few tips and tricks....

Hi schmism.

I think it would be interesting if more people joined PB that had mini-ponds. Eventually we'll have two good sized ponds on the property I share with my girlfriend, but before that the only pond I've done was an 850 gallon concrete tank that I built at my first house. I went through several phases with that pond and I really enjoyed it. You may not be able to have a fishing pond, but I think much of the pleasure from owning a pond comes from creating an environment and watching it grow. You can do still do that even if your pond is tiny.

I would be glad to offer suggestions based on my mini-pond experience. You also might find some good advice at another website I post on. That's the North American Native Fishes Association forum:
http://forum.nanfa.org/index.php?s=50ac1e496f75e09f97f73db6a7f1dafe&

Most of the members there collect fish for their aquariums, but I think a good number also keep fish in small outdoor tanks or ponds.

My first pond was a pre-formed one like you pictured. It was great!!!! The only thing that I'd complain about it was it's size. But that's probably the biggest complaint on all ponds. LOL

It's easy to install, lasts forever without leaking and looks great. The price is good too.

Every time I see them at Lowes or Home Depot, I think about buying one just for the yard. Something that I can see and hear out my window. There's just nothing like the sound of moving water!!

Goldfish are cheap and hardy for small ponds. They will grow very large and are fun to watch. Add a few water plants and you'll have to walk up and look at it every time you're in the area.

Build it and you will never regret it.

Eddie

While at Rual King this weekend for some other stuff we noticed they had some pre-molded pond liners. the largest of which (larger than what you can find at HD/lowes) was ONLY $89!

Ive seen a write up or 2 on how to turn a stock tank into a pond... the 300 gal rubermade version was nice but $200. It was a good 1.5' deeper, about the size of a small hottub....

Schmism, I have two ponds in my back yard. They are both made with rubber liners and have skimmers and waterfalls. I have had no problems with the liners and the ponds are deep enough to keep my koi alive through the winter months. You will love whatever size pond you put in. My ponds stay clear, mainly because I circulate water at around 1500 gallons per hour. It also is filtered several times. Good luck

what do you use for a filter? a home made version or something off the shelf?

What i have envisioned in my head is a filted water fall style also.

did you fab yours together out of HD/Lowes parts or buy some sort of "kit" ?

This looks like a good idea, but seems overkill for a "small" pond (300gal?)

http://www.koiclay.com/diy/pg1.htm

Schmism, I had the luxury of having my ponds professionally installed. In the skimmer box there is a leaf basket and below that is a filter that looks kind of like padding used in a evaporative cooler and below that is the pump. The water is then pumped up into the water fall box. The water enters the box at the bottom and goes through three filters like the one in the skimmer. The water is then filtered through volcanic rock, which provides the medium to establish beneficial bacteria that help keep the pond clean. All this equipment comes in a kit. It would be overkill for a 300 gallon pond. PetsMart also has some filters etc.

To date we have installed over 75 garden ponds and service close to 100.

We install and sell the same type of kit Heybud is talking about. I can say from experience the ponds that are preformed are our biggest maintenance headaches!

Without the proper filtration and ciruclation and the lack of rocks throughout the pond for increased beneficial bacterial growth, the pond is not able to self-support itself and is unable to assymilate the nutrients created by the fish and plant waiste or washing in during a storm event.

The skimmer on the unit Heybud has allows the ability to first skim any leaves and debris off the surface so it does not sink and decompose on the bottom. It also allows a protected area for the pump to be placed so it does not burn out due to clogging of the intake.

The Bio-falls box for the water fall allows a box to place even more bio-material inside it for greater bacterial growth. This can be lava rock, pvc shavings, sponges or bio-balls.

If you create a habitat that mimics a natural setting, your only maintenance will be a weekly cleaning of the simmer basket and topping off the pond due to evaporation.

Spend the money on the correct kit and you will enjoy your pond more and spend less time servicing it and more time playing around it.