Would you use ceramic tile as riprap in a pond? I removed 1800 square feet today and that's a full 16-foot trailer with one-foot tall sides...seems like a waste to haul it to the dump. I had the idea to run it through a concrete mixer to break it up and round off the edges, but that'd take forever. Any suggestions?

Mark

Good question - assuming the tile is made of clay? If so, provided there's no worry of any paint/dye/or other chemical leaching into the water I'd guess it would be fine. Seems there's always a spot on the pond for some riprap!

Not sure I would do it. If you put it down and don't like the looks, it will be a huge job removing it. Do you think it would stay in place? Flat stuff has a tendency to slide downhill.

If you want some big rocks, come and get them.

I would break some up and put it in a bucket of pond water and see what happens in about 10 days. if you can compare water chemistry before and after that would be better.

Assuming you do use it I would break it up (not worrying about rough edges) and make several piles in 2-4 feet of water. It will grow some good stuff on it(food) and be a great place for inverts and craws etc.. I would not place it (spread out) flat on the bottom as it will get covered up.

Isn't ceramic tile built to be resistant to water breakdown? Aren't we talking tile to move water?

How old is the ceramic tile and what color is it? In the past ceramic frit paint formulas used to make "bright" yellows, oranges, and red colors contained lead, cadmium, and sometimes barium to produce vibrant colors. I would pass on using ceramic tile if it had any vibrant colors present.

Ceramic Toxicology

If that tile was made before or during the 70's it probably has asbestos in it.

Your fish could get lung problems.

I know you're joking but is asbestos a problem if it can't get airborne?

I worked in a plant with asbestos for 33 years. They told us the best way to stop it from being airborne is to wet it down. You just don't want to break it up, it has very small microscopic fibers that get airborne. Have no idea what happens in a pond.

Thanks for all the replies!

Dave, Lori said she IS going to take you up on the offer of the rocks! The backyard renovation is probably happening later this year...as soon as the current project is finished. It was great talking with you today!

The tiles are only twelve years old...and there are no bright colors. I tiled the front half of the house shortly after we bought it and have no fear of contaminants leaching from the tile. The tiles were a PITA to put down, and a PITA to remove.

As for asbestos, here's what I've been told many times over the past few years at work: asbestos in tile, formica, linoleum, insulation, drywall, etc, is basically all the same. It is a naturally occurring rock, and as been used since ancient Egytptian times for it's superb insulating quality. Nevertheless, the long filaments are a carcinogen, and are only dangerous when airborne. Millions of dollars have been made by abatement companies in the old WWII hangars that I work in. It has become a big deal and we aren't even supposed to place nails or screws in the drywall. From what I've witnessed, the abatement process consists of an attempt to create a negative pressure zone, fans, and a decon booth. All that to say that MSC had a pretty good joke.

I think I am going to use some old oak pallet timbers (roughly 4"x5") as a containment for the tile shards thrown haphazardly in. Stacked four or five high, with alternating sides, they should negate any problem of the piles slumping, yet still provide a great place for growth. Of course, I'll throw some pictures up on this thread.

Here's what i came up with:





Dave, before you say something about it: I know, that folding chair isn't much good for cover...

I don't know when we'll see this pond full, so I keep edging uphill a little bit at a time. This may end up 6 or 7 feet deep or it may be in the proposed 2 to 3 foot range, all depends if we ever get any significant rainfall.

I had to look several times to find the folding chair.

I understand your comment of ever getting any significant rainfall. I never thought that I would consider ice storms as positive occurrences.

I'll start looking around for some big scenic rocks. They shouldn't be hard to find but we will have to use 4 wheelers and my front end loader to get back in to some places. I have a couple of them that were cut by rivers eons ago. You know, back when it used to rain.

I like the way you put the tile up on top of the fish crib instead of on the bottom of the pond.

I did this in several different versions. One I thought of late was taking round and split old hedge posts (Osage Orange) that were taken out of a fence line and were probably already 30+ years old (and still completely solid). I drove in four steel posts in about a 2' square (round posts do not stack as well as your square ones do - so steel posts were used to keep crib shape and from falling over - tied hedge posts to steel posts with heavy wire so crib would maintain shape over the years). I cribbed the posts up much like you did with the square ones. But half way up, having a huge pile of old posts, I put a solid layer in. Basically made the middle 2' impenetrable except to smaller fish. These posts were crooked and various sizes. The ends hung out of the crib on all 4 sides 18" or so. So these round crooked posts had lots of gaps and irregularities between them, then the solid layer also had gaps and voids. Then cribbed it on up to about 4.5-5' high from the bottom and about 30" from surface at full pool. Put an old chunk of plywood for the top and piled 3" crushed limestone rock on top (kind of like what you did with the tile).

I have scuba dive out to this crib, snorkeled, and paddled the paddle boat along it. We often throw a little feed on the top when we are in the boat. Always a bunch of small BG hanging around it. They like the rocks on the top. Water is so murky hard to tell what they are doing at the lower levels, but I think it seems to be working.

Did this with several other variations using pallets, old boards screwed to the pallets, PVC pipe, old black plastic pipe, about anything I could find lying around in the shed that had not been used in years. Layered plywood with 2x4's between with lots of layers to provide narrow cover for small fish. Drilled holes in the different pipes with a step drill. Screwed all together with construction or deck screws. Always put about 6" of crushed rock on the top to make sure it stayed sunk and the rock to provide cover for tiny fish (like your tile). Tried to keep the rock just below surface that small boat would not hit it at 1' low water level, yet reaching as close to the surface as I dared and not cause a navigation problem (Wife and I decided before pond was built, no gas motor boats in pond - paddle boat or maybe later a 2 man bass boat with trolling motor).

I'm really anxious to get out there later this spring during spawning with a dive tank on (but hate the idea of needing to don a thick wetsuit) to see just how well my structure is working and what fish and sizes are using it. One thing about fish under water, if you swim likely will never see one (talking fresh water low visibility - does not apply to clear ocean water). Just have to lay motionless on the bottom perfectly still and eventually they get curious and come around to see what you are and are doing. BG sometimes will give you a pretty good nip on the ear or will peck at the mask faceplate. I hate to think what big RES may do. May have to wear a hood . Wife gave me a GoPro under water camera for Christmas so hope to get some pictures this year.

In my minds eye, the way you put the rocks (tile) on top of the crib will work well. And from my limited observation, small fish love the rocks to hide around. I have also noticed putting the crushed rock around the pond edge it grows algae. And we have a bazillion snails (as well as fish fry) that love those rock covered algae. Probably not a good thing for the most of the fish, but the RES ought to be well fed. Maybe I'll grow some big RES.

Wife was not overly "enthused" with the "look" of her new backyard pond but I assured her when it filled, none of it would be seen. So she supported the idea and just kind of rolled her eyes as I came up with each new "design". "Think you have enough yet?"

Ha! I know exactly what you mean! My wife gives me trouble out my big pond looking "trashy", but that's only because she can see the stuff...she doesn't complain about the small pond, and she has no idea what all is in there.

I didn't put all the tiles in the big pond...but I didn't want to haul them to the dump either. So I decided to use them as backfill around the plastic barrels I'm burying for an outhouse I'm going to build within a short walk from the picnic pavilion/party shed. Now there's a pile of tile out in the pasture...I know the wife'll have a comment on that too, but my response will be: "See, you can recycle/reuse a lot more than most people think! Just have to create the right application."

Mark, you may or may not want to check with the County about the legalities of having an outhouse. I was told be a County official that they are now illegal in Montague County.

Really? Wow. I'll check, but up here I doubt anyone would ever care if they knew. Or it might be: "what, someone has been crapping in my tool shed?"

It really wouldn't be that difficult to put a real toilet in one. Water could be gravity-fed from a tote. My only worry would be the freezing temps taking out the ceramic toilet.