Monolithic pours are not for the DIYr.
Monolithic pours are not for the DIYr.
The trucks arrived early and Russ was here to get everyone going. I had some work obligations and so I missed the majority of the action. I've got just a few photos of them filling the bottoms of the walls and the the floor. A second truck arrived with several more yards and they finished filling the walls and a small pad (not pictured - on the backside) where the RDF will be positioned.
I think the rain started about mid day. I know Russ and the finishers continued working during the rain but covered the pond. I didn't bother getting muddy and seeing the inside, but hopefully tomorrow will be a nice day and the forms can be removed.
The forms were removed the following day. Once removed, Russ patched up the areas where the form ties were positioned.
And finally an application of black paint was done on the inside to make it look better when viewing the fish. The concrete contains Xypex, a concrete waterproofing crystal, and so the paint is just for aesthetics.
Now that the painting is done. The pond is being filled and the filtration is being set up. I went with the Red Label RDF, a Levelor auto refill and the stainless showers with the Momotaro media. I am very very new to this hobby and I don't have expensive fish, but I felt like this was the best way for me to go based on some of the posts here. I know there are a lot of other options, but I think this will suffice for my needs. Some of the plumbing is still taking place, but here's a couple of photos of some of those items.
The pond is being filled right now just to test all of the equipment before Russ leaves.
The next big challenge will be getting our backyard in order. We've had a TON of rain and there is dirt and mud everywhere from the excavation. We plan to finish the outside with something like stone veneer (if someone has ideas, let me know) and then have landscaping done to build up dirt around the pond so that the walls don't appear so high. We will then put down a walking area using pavers or something along those lines.
Last edited by Pbgooch; 01-06-2019 at 02:18 PM.
Looks amazing!! I think the equipment choices are excellent and you’ll be very pleased long-term.
Andrea
Koi Health Care Committee Member
With your only biofiltration being a shower, I think you need to talk to Russ about some way of winterizing the shower. The bacteria in our showers don't perform well at lower temperatures. Talk to Russ about feeding and temperatures. Your water quality tests will be your best friend. I live in Knoxville and have my shower enclosed and insulated and keep a space heater in the enclosure. I only fast my fish for about 6 weeks.
The pond is now full and I love the look at night. There happened to be a floodlight almost centered over the pond, and I think it makes the water look nice. However, I'm thinking I could find a new fixture or replace the standard floodlight with an LED or other bulb to get an even better effect. Anyone got recommendations?
Another view.
And a view of all the work to be done:-) As I mentioned, it rained a lot of the time that Russ was here. As a result, my excavation was last minute, and they couldn't haul out the dirt at the time without destroying my yard. I've now got lots of mud and we will have to bring in someone to build up the dirt around the pond and then replant a lot of grass or sod. The next step is to get some of those things done and get the pond finished with stone veneer or something to make it more appealing. I'm very pleased with it so far and I think Russ did a very good job on ensuring the pond itself was very well constructed.
Nice! I would go for a very narrow LED flood. In my old planted aquarium days, bright single-point light sources produced the most pleasing nighttime effects with water surface movement.
RDF & stainless steel bakki shower with the authentic media...Wow, it takes most serious hobbyists 5-10 years to reach the level that your pond is currently at. If this is your first pond, I can't imagine what kind of project you'll have going in a decade!
One concern is that you might be disappointed with the looks of your current collection once you learn more about all of the varieties and the attributes that lead to quality. Although some of them appear pretty decent, these are 20 year old fish that you recently got for free right?
I hope you don't take it the wrong way(because I love all Koi), but it's sort of like having a beat up old station wagon in the garage of a newly-built Beverly Hills mansion...
And I'd scratch any ideas you have with the night lights...although it may look pleasing to our eyes, most fish/animals like to sleep in the dark!
It's exciting to see new ponds built with shower filters but are your neighbors OK with it?
I always get worried about the safety of the fish when conflicts happen regarding sound.
OMG great progress heavy duty stuff there
I was nervous, but the shower is not very loud. Fortunately, my neighbors and I get along very well and I don’t think there will be any noise issues.
“One concern is that you might be disappointed with the looks of your current collection once you learn more about all of the varieties and the attributes that lead to quality. Although some of them appear pretty decent, these are 20 year old fish that you recently got for free right?”
They weren’t free, but it wasn’t much. I got the fish before I knew much, so I thought mine were something great because of the size- boy was I wrong! Now that I’ve learned a bit more, I’ll be obtaining fish that are more attractive and desirable to keep.
“And I'd scratch any ideas you have with the night lights...although it may look pleasing to our eyes, most fish/animals like to sleep in the dark”
I don’t want daily lights, but I’d like an option to light the water from above if we have guests at night for an hour or two.
Last edited by Pbgooch; 01-09-2019 at 09:34 PM.