Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Small pond water clarity

Hello everyone. It's been awhile since I last posted here. Been in the deciding stages regarding my pond. Basically it comes down to this - I kinda fall between the cracks of a pond / watergarden. The pond I have in mind will be about 40-50 ft. long X 25' wide X 4-5 ft. deep at the deep end, and 2 ft. deep on the shallow end. I'm thinking of tilling in bentonite to seal (instead of a liner). As some of you know, the filtration systems for some water gardens/Koi ponds although effective, can literally cost thousands of dollars. I'm trying to avoid this, and don't really think it will be necessary. However, I do not want a slimy, algae infested mess of a pond on my hands either. I will have a waterfall as part of the overall design, so it will a source of pumped water. The pond will mainly be for asthetics in my backyard landscaping, and to attract wildlife, birds etc. I plan on stocking bluegills, and a few bass. What do you guys think? Any suggestions regarding water clarity and/or filtration requirements of a small pond like this would be greatly appreciated!

bump...in hopes Cary will weigh in.

Kayakndave,

I'm very new to micro-ponds so can't help you much...but would think, if you have fish and you feed them, you will need a filtration system. Our micro-pond, which is around 1600 gallons plus or minus with a waterfall, will loose water clarity very quickly without the filtration.

Regarding fish, it is kind of nice to be able to see them in this sort of setting. I put in a small LMB and can never see it, but do observe it attacking minnows on occasion. BG are pretty much the same way, out of sight pretty much. We also have Tilapia and Pacu and some gold fish and Koi, which are much more visible.

I really enjoy just sitting by the micro-pond, drinking an adult beverage, and contemplating.

Interested in Cary's response or others. Good luck.

p.s. installed a liner for my micro and so far so good.

Thanks Meadowlark - I was begining to wonder if anyone really gave a hoot about my little pond! I agree on filtration, it just won't be quite as elaborate as the Koi folk's ponds. I understand also that with the proper amount of water plantings, that Mother Nature will take care of it herself, it just requires a little patience. Does Cary have a micro-pond? It would be nice to hear others chime in with their experiences concerning smaller ponds....Thanks again.

Just got back from finishing a pond this afternoon. Only 15 x 30 with a 1hp pump. The hard part...12 tons of rock. My hopes I will have a back rub when I get home tonight!

Medowlark is right...line the thing. Be sure to use at least a 45 mil EPDM rubber liner and install an underliner prior. The underliner will allow for protection of roots and rocks as well as allow for gases that tend to build up under liner to escape.

With depths of 2-5 foot deep, you are sure to get an algae problem in such a small pond. Working at Sea World of Florida, we had a saying when working with the large aquariums, "Dilution is the solution". It is easier to get away with out filtration with larger water bodies. In a small one such as your plan, some sort of filtration will most definately be needed.

In my past 20 years of working with water, I have used and tried to invent my own filters for ponds. I have been happiest with the product line we carry now. It is simple to install and very reliable.

Using the 25 x 50 and average depth of 3.5 feet, that comes to 4375 cubic foot. Multiply that by 2.2 (gallons in a cubic foot) and we get 9625 gallons for your pond.

A liner with a grande biofalls filter and a signature series skimmer that has a filter and pump inside will be sufficient enough to filter that size of a pond. Ours here at the shop is 7,000 gallons and we have no problems keeping it clear. There are no shade trees so sun is beating down on it all day.

The key is to line the entire pond with rocks, there is a formula for that too so it looks more natural, making sure you leave areas for plant pockets and plant up to 40% of the pond with aquatics. Finish it off with either KOI and goldfish or game fish, but not both for you will be feeding the game fish a very expensive dinner.

Here are photos of ours today. As you can see, no problems with algae. Since this is my sign, I do have a floating fountain and water garden diffuser in the pond too.

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I appreciate the response Cary, but I must admit that I'm a little confused. After studying the Koi pond and water garden sites and forums, and asking questions, I got several suggestions that I should construct a "mud" pond - no liner. Are you saying that lining it with bentonite is not a good thing? I just ordered 75 bags, but I could probably cancel tomorrow. I already know right much about liners, but was thinking the bentonite would be a good alternative, and without the problems of trying to hide the liner. I have seen smaller ponds in the area with no liner or bentonite (retention ponds) and they seem to be fine. Some are pretty clear considering nobody takes care of them but Mother Nature. All the same I would like to have something enjoyable the first time around - not to mention the potential waste of money. As we all know - none of it's cheap!

If you have already ordered the clay and are comfortable applying it, I would go with that route.

Most firt timers are not clear on how it works or how to apply it. Be sure to add your littorial shelfs and plant them with aquatics that are native in your area. Again, at least 40% coverage is desired. Most of them can be maintained with a simple Rodeo mix with an aquatic surfactant and keep the plants in check by treating the outer edges of each mono-culture.

I would look into a small aeration system just to keep the water circulating so you do not have the chance to even start to build up muck and noxious gases on the bottom.

On another note, just from experience and speaking with the City of Orlando and the City of Winter Park, they have been irradicating Pickerlweed from their lakes. It seems that this aquatic defoliated so much that in the areas where this plant was found, large amounts of muck could be found.

Good luck!

with all due respect, 2.2 is pounds per KG, there is about 8 gallons per cubic foot...50x25x3.5x8=35,000gal and that would be a little light on the total gallons.

Cliffbrook,

You are correct, I rushed through my conversion chart. Actually I have the number of cubic feet mutiplied by 7.4805 to arrive at total gallons. 32,727.1875 gallons for kayakndave's pond.

Thanks Guys. Yeah I knew that was a little low on gallons, but I also knew it was a simple mistake. I was able to cancel the bentonite order. No big deal. The guy told me to call him back when I am ready. I must admit though - I am tired of thinking and planning. I want to get to "DOING"! I think I'll dig a test hole, till in the bentonite, and see how it does. If the test hole does well, I think I'll go with the bentonite. As far as a more "Natural" pond, this idea appeals to me more. The whole thing is - is that they both will cost about the same ($800 - $1000) and as we all know, If your careful with the liner, it's not going to leak, but the bentonite I'm not too sure about, only because I don't have any experience with it. It doesn't seem all that difficult though. Just need to get past the indecision process. And by all means, please add any advice or comments with your experiences! Cary - that pond looks great BTW!

I do have experience with bentonite. It has now worked for me one out of three times on small ponds. I expect the mistakes have been mine but the chances of a mistake appear pretty large. On a small pond with neither livestock nor wildlife, I would go with a liner.

Hi Dave. Interesting - can you elaborate a little for me. What application method? Application rate? What size is your pond? I'd really like to hear more of your comments/experience with it. I must say that when I had a well dug, they used a little bentonite around the small dug out area where the well pipe comes up out of the ground. It's just a small area. only about two feet in diameter and about a foot deep. But that little area holds water big time, so in theory it looks like it would work fine, but of course that little deal doesn't cost a thousand bucks either....