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New pond


MICK SMITH39

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Hi all,be moving soon,no pond where im going,so I am going to have to make one .I would like it to be a good size this time,prob about 3mts x 2mts x 1mt deep,my koi has grown up in a pond not much bigger than a bath!Its got to look good,to keep her happy,but most of all its got to be cheap,also to keep the missus happy,oh and its got to be quick for my koi's sake.I was thinking of digging down about a foot then building a frame above groundabout two feet,ive thought about bricks,breeze blocks,railway sleepers,slabs,sheets of marine ply,etc,etc,its doing my head in. Any advice would be helpful.Thanks

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The above ground dimension of 3.0m X 2.0m X 0.7m will hold 4,200 litres of water, that's over 900 gallons @10lb per gallon, or to put it in more frightening terms it's over four tons of water (above ground) - make sure you build it securely if you continue with that method, it's not something to knock up on a Saturday afternoon.

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Mick,

 

Don't know about the UK so this may be a really stupid comment.

 

As a practical matter our freeze line is about 24 inches below ground. Anything above ground is subject to becoming hard water - really "hard".

 

Phone

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Thanks for replies boys.Think and hope that I will be alright with the freezeing question,About the volume of water,thats why I was looking at railway sleepers,blocks etc,Anything at least 4" thick.Was wondering if there is anyone out there who has built a pond of a similar size?

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Hope this gives you an idea.

 

My Sons previous school built an above ground pond with the following dimensions.

 

12 feet x 8 feet to a depth of 3 feet.

 

Construction was as follows:

 

4 of 6 foot x 8" by 8" timber posts.

6 of 6 foot x 4" by 4" timber posts.

Sufficient 2" by 2" posts to fill the frame.

 

Use the 4 posts to create a rectangular frame and place the 6 posts equally within the frame, 2 down each side and 1 at either end.

Each post buried and secured to a depth of 2.5 feet using a full bag of postcrete per post.

 

Buy sufficient railway sleepers to clad the entire frame.

Clad from the ground up.

Make sure that you use bolts and not screws to secure the sleepers to the frame and have the nuts on the outside. Ensure that your bolts are oiled before use and the nuts are painted with Hammerite upon completion.

You can use screws as extra strength but do not have them larger than 4".

Line the inside of the wooden frame with Breeze blocks ensuring the mortar is smooth on the inside and then paint with pond sealant paint. Once dry use a waterproofing paint suitable for ponds, usually a black finish.

Use the blocks to determine different depths and any features you wish to create.

 

Be as inventive as you want.

 

Once complete allow the pond 3 weeks to cure and cover to keep off the rain.

 

Do not overdo vegetation and ensure you use pots which contain pond compost. Lillies grow quickly and can overpower the pond.

Canadian Pond weed is an excellent plant but needs regular attention as it grows particularly fast.

 

On the outside of the frame you can clad it, paint it or leave it.

 

Once you have filled your pond do not add any fish for 2 weeks to allow the water to stabilize.

 

 

To keep the pond from freezing place a pump into the pond, which stands vertically out of the water and run from a timer.

In very cold conditions having the pump run for half an hour every hour will keep the ice at bay.

In conditions similar to the winter of 2010-2011 have the pump on constantly.

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Hope this gives you an idea.

 

My Sons previous school built an above ground pond with the following dimensions.

 

12 feet x 8 feet to a depth of 3 feet.

 

Construction was as follows:

 

4 of 6 foot x 8" by 8" timber posts.

6 of 6 foot x 4" by 4" timber posts.

Sufficient 2" by 2" posts to fill the frame.

 

Use the 4 posts to create a rectangular frame and place the 6 posts equally within the frame, 2 down each side and 1 at either end.

Each post buried and secured to a depth of 2.5 feet using a full bag of postcrete per post.

 

Buy sufficient railway sleepers to clad the entire frame.

Clad from the ground up.

Make sure that you use bolts and not screws to secure the sleepers to the frame and have the nuts on the outside. Ensure that your bolts are oiled before use and the nuts are painted with Hammerite upon completion.

You can use screws as extra strength but do not have them larger than 4".

Line the inside of the wooden frame with Breeze blocks ensuring the mortar is smooth on the inside and then paint with pond sealant paint. Once dry use a waterproofing paint suitable for ponds, usually a black finish.

Use the blocks to determine different depths and any features you wish to create.

 

Be as inventive as you want.

 

Once complete allow the pond 3 weeks to cure and cover to keep off the rain.

 

Do not overdo vegetation and ensure you use pots which contain pond compost. Lillies grow quickly and can overpower the pond.

Canadian Pond weed is an excellent plant but needs regular attention as it grows particularly fast.

 

On the outside of the frame you can clad it, paint it or leave it.

 

Once you have filled your pond do not add any fish for 2 weeks to allow the water to stabilize.

 

 

To keep the pond from freezing place a pump into the pond, which stands vertically out of the water and run from a timer.

In very cold conditions having the pump run for half an hour every hour will keep the ice at bay.

In conditions similar to the winter of 2010-2011 have the pump on constantly. Thanks for that boy,just what I wanted,Has give me a lot to think about, my only concern is keeping the fish in the large padding pool for 5 weeks.Thanks again.Mick

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  • 5 weeks later...

Hello all,Been in my my new house for aweek now. the koi made it.must have been in the plastic bag for nearly 3 hours in the end,couldnt get the keys.Been in the paddling pool for a week now.That last post was just wondering why I should turn the pump of when I feed them?Also how big was your pond in the end. Thanks

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Hello all,Been in my my new house for aweek now. the koi made it.must have been in the plastic bag for nearly 3 hours in the end,couldnt get the keys.Been in the paddling pool for a week now.That last post was just wondering why I should turn the pump of when I feed them?Also how big was your pond in the end. Thanks

 

My Pond is 15 feet by 11 feet.

Around the sides is a continual shelf at 12" deep. At the end, by the fence, are steps so that I can maintain the pump.

The pond goes from 2.5 feet to 3.5 feet deep.

 

Turning off the pump when feeding in a paddling pool stops loose food being sucked up. Caught in the sponges it rots and pollutes.

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