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  • Results 1 to 13 of 13

    Thread: Thank you to everyone that helped me make this pond possible!

    1. #1
      mpagri is offline Member
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      Thank you to everyone that helped me make this pond possible!

      This is a post at the end of my build, but I still wanted to put it here instead of in the main forum because this is where I spent all my time reading and learning. I don't post a lot, but, after completing the easiest pond filter clean of my life, I felt that it is time.

      Thank you SO much Koiphen.com

      My pond is 100% functional, 100% what I wanted and 100% amazing thanks to all of you.

      I want to thank a few people in particular starting with Ramzy Andrawos and his incredible crew. I had so many people come look at my pond and try to sell me on their way to build it "right". Ramzy knows the koiphen way and built it the way I wanted it. I had Takara Koi (Ramzy's company) plumb and install all my filtration, make my filter pit, and set all the rock around the pond. They did a fantastic job that worked the way it was supposed to from the moment I plugged in the pump. I am very particular and high maintenance (sorry Ramzy) and they delivered beyond my expectations. I am hoping to meet up with him again soon to stock the pond as well.

      Also thanks to Steve (Birdman) for setting me up with my equipment and helping me to troubleshoot it along the way. His customer service is incredible and he knows what he's doing.

      Many other KP members have allowed me to PM them and contributed their wisdom on various threads that I have posted, thanks to you all.

      This was my original build thread that I did not keep up with
      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showth...ies&highlight=

      This is what we came up with for my pond:

      12x9x4 3000 gallons

      1 4" aerated BD
      1 Pool skimmer w/o basket

      Direct to Ultrasieve III

      ESM85000

      Evo 55w UV

      1 55g MB
      2 55g S/G (One is actually offline at the moment)

      2 TPRs
      1 Waterfall

      Water is crystal clear, backwashing is incredibly easy, and the few koi I have so far seem thrilled.



      Just a short clip so far (before the water went clear), I'll post the filter pit and more photos tomorrow!

      Some very humble things I would like to give back to the community:

      The google "site:koiphen.com [search phrase]" feature is amazing. It is way better than the built in forum search, and pretty much every question you have has already been answered.

      I built my pond with a cinder block collar on very solid clay soil, rather than a poured concrete collar. It is not time tested yet, but I think that it is a very good cost compromise if you don't want to deal with bringing in a cement trunk.

      I had a hard time finding a ton of information on building a nice, natural, not formal, waterfall, I will make a separate thread on how I dealt with this.


      Thanks again, I think it is time for me to become a member, and I look forward to many years of posting beautiful koi photos thanks to this community.

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    2. #2
      cindy's Avatar
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      Wow, very nice

    3. #3
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    4. #4
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      Beautiful pond! Looking forward to seeing more pics.


      Proud Member Of The WWKC
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      Koiphen 2022 Koi Person of the year

    5. #5
      mpagri is offline Member
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      As promised:

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      Still not much to look at in terms of fish. I have a 10" karasugoi, a 6" yamabuki ogon and a 6" shusui. No show winners...yet.

    6. #6
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      Your pond looks awesome!!! I'm very interested in the collar you incorporated into your build as I am doing my pond almost identical to yours. I have searched this site daily looking for a build similar to what I'm trying to achieve and then I stumbled upon your build and I breathed a sigh of relief. I am a total newbie to ponding and am learning a lot but there is just so much to take in. My husband will be my novice plumber so we're struggling there also How did you set up your falls? We're thinking about putting 1 of our s/g filters up by the falls but was wondering if you would still plumb into the bottom of the barrel for the BD or did you go another route? Any pictures of that by chance? I haven't been able to find anyone in our area that really knows how to install a pond the Koiphen way, everyone I've talked to thinks I'm crazy and everything I've suggested is overkill How big did you go on your filter pit? Sorry for all the questions, but I've come to a full stop because I'm afraid of making mistakes that I can't really afford with the plumbing. Your pond looks great!! It's almost exactly what I want and I'm so ready to move forward now that I've seen yours One last question and then I'll hush. What is the small purple tree? It's beautiful!

    7. #7
      mpagri is offline Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by Bwatts View Post
      Your pond looks awesome!!! I'm very interested in the collar you incorporated into your build as I am doing my pond almost identical to yours. I have searched this site daily looking for a build similar to what I'm trying to achieve and then I stumbled upon your build and I breathed a sigh of relief. I am a total newbie to ponding and am learning a lot but there is just so much to take in. My husband will be my novice plumber so we're struggling there also How did you set up your falls? We're thinking about putting 1 of our s/g filters up by the falls but was wondering if you would still plumb into the bottom of the barrel for the BD or did you go another route? Any pictures of that by chance? I haven't been able to find anyone in our area that really knows how to install a pond the Koiphen way, everyone I've talked to thinks I'm crazy and everything I've suggested is overkill How big did you go on your filter pit? Sorry for all the questions, but I've come to a full stop because I'm afraid of making mistakes that I can't really afford with the plumbing. Your pond looks great!! It's almost exactly what I want and I'm so ready to move forward now that I've seen yours One last question and then I'll hush. What is the small purple tree? It's beautiful!

      Hi Bwatts, thanks for commenting. My pond is very new still so I invite others to chime in but don't hesitate at all to ask any questions you have because I know exactly what you are going through. I had already tried to do the plumbing myself once before and I made some easily correctable but crucial mistakes. This time around I was glad I hired professionals. I still designed the whole system with KPs help but they did a really good job fitting everything nicely into a tight filter pit space. I think, however, with a LOT of research and some experience working with PVC fittings and plumbing it is and has been a DIY job.

      My pit is 8x4x6ft. It was hard to fit everything but it is not hard at all to work in now that it is set up, in fact I rarely even go inside. I think the cinder block pond collar and the pressure treated/cedar wood filter pit are very reasonable ways to go as far as bang for buck is concerned. Obviously poured concrete all around is going to last much longer (and cost way more), but I think I can get at least 5 years out of this and by then I'll prob want to go bigger anyway haha.

      I have pictures of my collar before the stone went on if you'd like to see. It will take me some time to dig them up out of an old phone itunes backup lol.

      Here is a separate thread I made that covers the falls:
      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showth...ural-waterfall

      I had a 55g behind the falls that was plumbed in from the bottom and set on cinder blocks to allow space for the inlet pipe. You can go in from the top and down to the bottom as well I am pretty sure. Search kent wallace's designs for this, I believe. I removed this SG from the system for now because it had a leak at the shower drain (I don't think it was screwed on tight enough). I can add it back, but so far I haven't needed it, the water is VERY clear and I have very low fish load at the moment.

      I think the sieve is the absolute key. It cleans out almost everything so that even though only 1/3 of my water is getting a fines polish through the SG, the water is still very clean.

      The purple tree is a japanese maple variety I think crimson queen, but not sure anymore.

      I think that touched on all of your questions. Again don't hesitate to ask, and thanks for the kind words.

    8. #8
      mpagri is offline Member
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      Also I meant to point out, before anyone else does, that I clearly am still in need of a serious electric overhaul..

    9. #9
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      I would put that bamboo in pots.
      Currency units are a media of exchange and not a store of wealth

    10. #10
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      Beautiful pond!
      Nancy



      Koiphen 2013 Koi Person of the Year!

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    11. #11
      mpagri is offline Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by gray cat View Post
      Beautiful pond!
      Thanks!

      Quote Originally Posted by rbarn View Post
      I would put that bamboo in pots.
      Thanks for the concern, definitely a risk so close to the liner. It is fargesia Rufa, a very slow growing clumping type bamboo. I am going to keep a close eye on it and may go back and put a rhizome barrier. Potting it would decrease its hardiness a lot in my zone.

    12. #12
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      mpagri

      I would definitely love to see some pics of the block collar, if its not too much trouble did you fill your block cells with concrete? Here's another dumb question How do you go about leveling your pond? At the floor bottom or at the collar? Any tips on that would be greatly appreciated too I made the huge and costly mistake of purchasing an Aquascape System pond kit. I'm so regretting that purchase, it's money I could've put towards a sieve had I but known. I found this sight about 2 weeks to late. So I'm trying to incorporate it into my design so I don't feel like it was a total waste of $1500. I appreciate all the help I've received here, this forum is awesome.

      Thanks so much,
      Bonnie

    13. #13
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      The bottom doesn't have to be level, but the top of the collar should be. To get level, look up water level. It uses a bucket or large bottle, a long hose, and some colored water to fill both. The bucket or bottle is set anywhere you want, and the hose is dragged around to the various locations around the perimeter of the pond. Use a ruler or other stick as a vertical rod to mount the end of the hose at the appropriate level. The water in the end of the tube will always be level with the water in the bucket, so you now have a way to get level going over or under, around or through.
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