The Pond Has Started

[Erica-Renee]

I would say that its not evaporation, it is going to be a leak either in the hose going to the waterfall or its splashing out once it runs into the box. I would add a valve to the pump if it doesn't already have one and turn the flow down. just a few drips of water will add up over time. We find that sometimes when the bubble fountains get partial clogged a few drips will hit the sides and will experience water loss like you are describing.

You can also try and point the flow downward into the splash box or attempt to get the flow from the pump to the splash box submerged to help keep the splash down.

Today when i got in from work (been dry here today) water is splashing onto the rocks at the top of the water fall. I suspect this is where the water is going. Time to dial back that pump some i guess. Was hoping to not have to do that as the water is flowing the way i like..


Thanks

 

[Erica-Renee]

Gonna be a nightmare dialing in the protein skimmer.........

Protein skimmers only work on Saltwater .... Sorry.

 

[Erica-Renee]

I would say that its not evaporation, it is going to be a leak either in the hose going to the waterfall or its splashing out once it runs into the box. I would add a valve to the pump if it doesn't already have one and turn the flow down. just a few drips of water will add up over time. We find that sometimes when the bubble fountains get partial clogged a few drips will hit the sides and will experience water loss like you are describing.

You can also try and point the flow downward into the splash box or attempt to get the flow from the pump to the splash box submerged to help keep the splash down.

You are Kinda right.. The Water fall does not have a splash box or any box as far as that goes. Its a Black pipe aimed down at the center of a Giant flat rock. The rock is slopped to aim the water toward the stream . During Adjusting the rock work last time apparently i bumped something and the water was Trickling back behind the rock and down onto the mulch.In a area i still have some unused rock piled up. Moving one of the rocks today i noticed a puddle of water and followed it up to the water trickling behind the pipe.
I decided against a over flow or water fall spill way because i think it looks more natural the way i have it.. Well when i had it Correctly.. The guy who i got the rock from really hooked me up with some GIANT Flat pieces. WITH NO Delivery fee because i am like 1/2 mile from his location.

Next I work on the pump house , I am going to use some old fencing from a Job and build a small structure over the Filtration and a railing in front of a very deep drop off spot of the pond.(for Grand Kid safety he is 4 years old) Everywhere else in the pond there is a 2 foot or better ledge around it.. the drop off spot goes down 5.5 feet .
Then we are going to add a few gold fish and some Simple hardy plants and let it Mature . Spring before any Koi is likely Depending on my work schedule and how it progresses..

Thanks for your input . of course everyone else as well.. This is new Territory for Us , On a good note we are right now about 1500.00 dollars in this Plus our labor So all is good


Erica The Pond Lady in Progress

 

[dantimdad]

Protein skimmers only work on Saltwater .... Sorry.

Actually not. Foam fractionation has been used on very high bioload ponds for decades. They are not very efficient but serve a purpose. And they usually have to be very large.

One benefit is the O2 levels in the pond are high which helps with ammonia levels.

 

[sfin52]

only big birds we see are Owls and and Chicken hawks.We do have a Raccoon that lurks about. The Deep area will be more then 3 feet deep . Filtration will be Custom made.

Like our Aquariums the plan is to make it as Maintenance free as we can.. More time to enjoy then work on . The Best times to work on this project are also my Busiest times work wise. My plan is to have this ready to put into service and start stocking some in the spring of next year. We are doing a lot of other outside projects at the same time.

We have been wanting to do this for 12 years, either no time or not the right time financially.

Thanks for looking. Now i just need the bad weather to pass. They say we will get storms the next 3 days..

Its fish eating birds that fly over and see your pond fish as a great snack. My father in-law had to chance a couple off and lives about 25 min away from a lake/ swamp area.

 

[Erica-Renee]

Actually not. Foam fractionation has been used on very high bioload ponds for decades. They are not very efficient but serve a purpose. And they usually have to be very large.

One benefit is the O2 levels in the pond are high which helps with ammonia levels.

Exactly... Would need to be Huge I think the pond is about 7-8k Gallons of water . I need to do a 3d drawing to figure the exact amount because of the shape .Its turned out to be 5 and a half foot deep and that area is prob move then half the ponds foot print.. So could be even more water ...

Thanks

 

[Jon Fishman]

Actually not. Foam fractionation has been used on very high bioload ponds for decades. They are not very efficient but serve a purpose. And they usually have to be very large.

One benefit is the O2 levels in the pond are high which helps with ammonia levels.

Well that makes my unfunny joke even less funny

 

[Ka0s]

The waterfall box/tub might be something you want to reconsider. We buried ours and rocked over it for the first few years. Now we removed the top rock and grow our cooking herbs in it (were lazy so we never use them) but the primary reason we opened it was to use that as a clean out spot. We put gavel in the bottom and it filters the water better than anything we've ever tried. I understand completely on the natural look so don't think I'm trying to pressure just sharing my thoughts.

 

[Erica-Renee]

The waterfall box/tub might be something you want to reconsider. We buried ours and rocked over it for the first few years. Now we removed the top rock and grow our cooking herbs in it (were lazy so we never use them) but the primary reason we opened it was to use that as a clean out spot. We put gavel in the bottom and it filters the water better than anything we've ever tried. I understand completely on the natural look so don't think I'm trying to pressure just sharing my thoughts.

That is actually a Kewl Ideal...

And since my water fall fix this morning water level is still exactly the same . I was a bit stressed thinking the liner might be leaking even thou i know better.. Its a Industrial Liner Used in Thousands of gallons ponds . Down side its not the most user friendly..


Will update with some new Images tomorrow

 

[Erica-Renee]

Its fish eating birds that fly over and see your pond fish as a great snack. My father in-law had to chance a couple off and lives about 25 min away from a lake/ swamp area.

They will become dinner....

 

[dantimdad]

We used to have a problem with trash pandas killing koi and then leaving them lay.

Dunno what stopped it but I don't even see them anymore.

 

[Erica-Renee]

w

We used to have a problem with trash pandas killing koi and then leaving them lay.

Dunno what stopped it but I don't even see them anymore.

We have some of those around here , as well as ground hogs .. I think they will not dive into the water only wade around the not so deep areas..
How deep is your pond when you had the issue.. I am thinking 5 feet deep should protect the fish fairly well from most predators

 

[Ka0s]

They will get in deep if there is a reward. We use the PVC pieces tied to rocks with fishing line for hiding spaces. If they cant see them they won't dive. The black PVC is hidden against the black liner

 

[dantimdad]

w

We have some of those around here , as well as ground hogs .. I think they will not dive into the water only wade around the not so deep areas..
How deep is your pond when you had the issue.. I am thinking 5 feet deep should protect the fish fairly well from most predators

It was 20" deep. This one is 28"

 

[Erica-Renee]

It was 20" deep. This one is 28"

kewl... I think my fishies (when we get some ) will be safe if they dive deep

 

[sfin52]

We used to have a problem with trash pandas killing koi and then leaving them lay.

Dunno what stopped it but I don't even see them anymore.

Hit by car:eek:

 

[norfolkgarden]

They will become dinner....

Lol, don't get caught! Herons and egrets are protected in most states.
$10,000 fine. Depends on the state.
My personal preference is making duck dinner out of every Canadian goose that is still here in July. But that is another story.

Anything deeper than 18" is usually too deep for the herons to wade in.
Criss crossed stretched out light weight fishing line can be the least visually obtrusive defense.
Motion sensing water sprays are good mostly for cooling down when you forget to turn them off...

Depending on where you live, (suburban, usually) anything deeper than 18" is a 'pool' and needs a fence with a locked gate around it. Some 4' high, some 6' high. All depends on where you live.

Your liner should survive a nuclear attack. But may be vulnerable to nutsedge. :-/
Google nutsedge and above ground pool liners. :-/

Your rubber pond liner should be much more sturdy than a pool liner. :- )

The waterfall liner/splash zone will be the bane of your existence. ;-)

Get that right and you will be golden.

Keep in mind future growth (water cress from the supermarket, among other awesome supermarket weeds) can divert water out of the water fall later on.

Aeration and pond marginals/weed filtration (believe what he said about plants! :- )) will make you very happy.
Looks like yours will get a lot of full sun. A healthy UV unit that keeps killing the algae hourly wouldn't hurt either.

We cheated with our 10' x 10' by only 18" deep bucket.
No waterfall stuck on one end. No drainage nightmares.
"Keep it in the bowl" makes for fewer options but less hair pulling.

We might add 300 to 500 gallons a summer to top it off. Maybe 3 or 4 times a summer depending.
(5 gallon buckets with amquel.)
I will let it fluctuate up to 2" if we are expecting rain later in the week.
Ours is mostly in part shade and we have decent rainfall. (About 45" of rain a year)

We just have a central fountain made up of a cinderblock hiding space/foundation with a lightweight multi tiered flat fountain made of 1' x 1' slate pieces.
A manifold of irrigation tubing off the pump (7 sections?) and a few hidden slivers of slate gave me the ability to make an 'even' water display.

Keep in mind if you want sound the water has to actually 'fall'. Not just slide around the rocks.
A small echo chamber behind the falls also helps.

This is the most underrated and unanticipated concept!
Have yet to read a water garden book that even mentions considering or amplifying sound.
Truly amazing considering the appeal it adds to the water feature.

Those traditional 3 tier circular fountains are the *best* at adding sound for a minimal amount of water.
More and more appreciation for them as the years go by.

Your pond is looking beautiful!