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    Thread: Well, now I've gone and done it!

    1. #1
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Well, now I've gone and done it!

      .
      Or, should I say, here's another fine mess I've gotten myself into!

      Based on a word from Noahsnana, I called Webb's Water Gardens, and ordered this 20 x 25 liner. They were nice enough to make an exception and let me pick it up. Turned into a bit of an adventure, but all's well that ends well, and I'm grateful to them ... saved a couple hundred bucks in shipping!

      Which matters, because I promised Darling Bride I'd keep the big pond budget to $1,000. As of right now, I'm $378 into that. I'm gonna need a spreadsheet.

      So clearly, that will make a pond 12 x 17. I learned on the last one sloping the sides makes a real difference, but I don't want to push my luck too far, so I'm thinking 12 x 18. A decent slope on the sides is a good idea, based on local conditions and my soil.

      Also, I want a 12" deep ledge, one foot wide, all the way around the inside of the pond. Then another, 24" deep and 12 inches wide, inside of that, for the water lilies. The rest of it will be 48" deep.

      According to my precise calculations ( ), that will put me at about 4,500 gallons. So I'm looking at this vivosun pump. Maybe there's a better one out there, but is there a better one under $100? Not sure. Also, I'd like to keep the power use down. I'm already running two pumps in the garden. It's starting to add up.

      The pond I just finished is at near ground level, and I wish I'd taken Steve's advice and raised it up 22 - 24 inches. It'd make for a nice place to sit, and make it easier to tend. So, 24" above existing grade. The deck stairs and the greenhouse are at the East end... there's about 15 feet between the greenhouse door and the planned east edge of the pond.

      I like wood. I'm used to wood. Wood is forgiving. So when - not if, but when - I mess it up, I can fix it, and still make it look good. Luckily, the price of wood has come back down to earth.

      Picture the site. The pond will run lengthwise, East to West, across the slope. The North side is higher by about a foot, and further North, it starts to rise more as it gets closer to the house. There, I can make an 8 x 8 foot box, about two feet above pond level.

      On to the filter, and this is the real dilemma. I really, really, really do not want to cut a hole in the bottom of the liner. I worry about the stability of the ground, especially with some of the downpours we get here. I've done a lot to manage the way water flows through the site, but when we get 4-5 inches, like we did the other day, things get difficult. Sinking a pipe into concrete and hoping it will stay put doesn't seem like a good bet.

      On the other hand, I'm less worried about cutting a hole near the top of the liner. So I'm thinking retro bottom drain, 2" pipe going out near the top of the West side to the filter.

      This is where I need some guidance. DIY filter, of course. Three blue barrels? Maybe. Should the first be a vortex settling chamber? Or maybe a pea gravel upflow filter? Should I save the pea gravel for the second barrel? And then put the pump in the third, so I can pump the water up the hill to that 8 x 8' box? Will a pump like that even handle that kind of lift?

      Darling Bride likes the idea of a stream, which is why I'm thinking about making that box upslope form the pond. I'm just worried that would take a much bigger pump, and add a lot of cost to the project.

      Thanks for reading this far. Any advice would be welcome!

      Best,

      Bill

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    2. #2
      Noahsnana's Avatar
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      Glad you were able to pick up the liner
      As to your questions others will jump in to answer
      The will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot keep you. .....
      "I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle." -Winston Churchill Zone 7a
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    3. #3
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      Quote Originally Posted by One Poet's Garden View Post
      .
      Or, should I say, here's another fine mess I've gotten myself into!

      Based on a word from Noahsnana, I called Webb's Water Gardens, and ordered this 20 x 25 liner. They were nice enough to make an exception and let me pick it up. Turned into a bit of an adventure, but all's well that ends well, and I'm grateful to them ... saved a couple hundred bucks in shipping!

      Which matters, because I promised Darling Bride I'd keep the big pond budget to $1,000. As of right now, I'm $378 into that. I'm gonna need a spreadsheet.

      So clearly, that will make a pond 12 x 17. I learned on the last one sloping the sides makes a real difference, but I don't want to push my luck too far, so I'm thinking 12 x 18. A decent slope on the sides is a good idea, based on local conditions and my soil.

      Also, I want a 12" deep ledge, one foot wide, all the way around the inside of the pond. Then another, 24" deep and 12 inches wide, inside of that, for the water lilies. The rest of it will be 48" deep.

      According to my precise calculations ( ), that will put me at about 4,500 gallons. So I'm looking at this vivosun pump. Maybe there's a better one out there, but is there a better one under $100? Not sure. Also, I'd like to keep the power use down. I'm already running two pumps in the garden. It's starting to add up.

      The pond I just finished is at near ground level, and I wish I'd taken Steve's advice and raised it up 22 - 24 inches. It'd make for a nice place to sit, and make it easier to tend. So, 24" above existing grade. The deck stairs and the greenhouse are at the East end... there's about 15 feet between the greenhouse door and the planned east edge of the pond.

      I like wood. I'm used to wood. Wood is forgiving. So when - not if, but when - I mess it up, I can fix it, and still make it look good. Luckily, the price of wood has come back down to earth.

      Picture the site. The pond will run lengthwise, East to West, across the slope. The North side is higher by about a foot, and further North, it starts to rise more as it gets closer to the house. There, I can make an 8 x 8 foot box, about two feet above pond level.

      On to the filter, and this is the real dilemma. I really, really, really do not want to cut a hole in the bottom of the liner. I worry about the stability of the ground, especially with some of the downpours we get here. I've done a lot to manage the way water flows through the site, but when we get 4-5 inches, like we did the other day, things get difficult. Sinking a pipe into concrete and hoping it will stay put doesn't seem like a good bet.

      On the other hand, I'm less worried about cutting a hole near the top of the liner. So I'm thinking retro bottom drain, 2" pipe going out near the top of the West side to the filter.

      This is where I need some guidance. DIY filter, of course. Three blue barrels? Maybe. Should the first be a vortex settling chamber? Or maybe a pea gravel upflow filter? Should I save the pea gravel for the second barrel? And then put the pump in the third, so I can pump the water up the hill to that 8 x 8' box? Will a pump like that even handle that kind of lift?

      Darling Bride likes the idea of a stream, which is why I'm thinking about making that box upslope form the pond. I'm just worried that would take a much bigger pump, and add a lot of cost to the project.

      Thanks for reading this far. Any advice would be welcome!

      Best,

      Bill
      The age old saying... "a picture is worth a thousand words" applies here.

      Is the pond for fish and plants or just plants?

      I'm confused... I thought the 8x8 box, 2 ft. above pond level, was for the filters. What is it for?

      Iirc the pump showed a max flow of 18' of head. I never could find a regular flow chart, but with
      8' of static head (plus whatever dynamic head you have from pipe and fittings), I'd guess you'll
      have less than half of the 4500 gph it states. That's not going to be enough for a 4500 gallon pond
      imo.
      --Steve



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    4. #4
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      The age old saying... "a picture is worth a thousand words" applies here.

      Is the pond for fish and plants or just plants?

      I'm confused... I thought the 8x8 box, 2 ft. above pond level, was for the filters. What is it for?

      Iirc the pump showed a max flow of 18' of head. I never could find a regular flow chart, but with
      8' of static head (plus whatever dynamic head you have from pipe and fittings), I'd guess you'll
      have less than half of the 4500 gph it states. That's not going to be enough for a 4500 gallon pond
      imo.
      Steve,

      I'm still clearing the site, so no pics yet. There are some chickens in the way.

      The pond will be for both fish and plants. It will be the main focus of the entire garden. I wanted a stream, and a bridge over the stream, but I think I'd need a much bigger pump to make that look good.

      The real question in my mind is the filter. The jury's still out on the anoxic filter in the lower pond, but it's only been two weeks. There's no pea soup, but then I've got 50% shade cloth over it.

      .

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      .

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      .

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      .

      The filter level is only about an inch and a half above the pond level, so I'm getting some pretty good flow. I was surprised that the seal between the flexible tubing and the pvc structure was so good I could backflush and drain the filter just by disconnecting the tubing from the pump and siphoning the filter water down the slope. I'm going to have to do some more permanent plumbing on it this winter. But it did give me an idea.

      So, the 8x8 12" deep box is going to be another anoxic/gravel filter. It's only going to be about an inch or two above the level of the pond. I've got a lot of dirt to move, and I can use it to regrade the site a bit. If I could have the box about four feet north of the pond, I could have a kind of gravel flume that feeds back into the pond.

      I'm thinking about this because everyone says the anoxic filter should be the last part of the filtration system. I think I need to settle out debris and do some filtration *before* the water gets to the anoxic/gravel filter.

      So I'm thinking three blue barrels on the west side of the pond. Gravity flow from the pond into the first barrel. That barrel is just to settle out debris. The pipe would go about 2/3s of the way down, and have a 90 degree elbow. Based on what I've read, a barrel simply isn't big enough to have a truly effective vortex. Some folks suggest brushes or something similar to slow down the water so debris settles out. I'm thinking of trying that, and putting the brushes in the top 2/3s of the barrel. Below that, some egg crate lighting diffuser, so there'd be about a foot of calm space where the sediment can collect.

      A pipe would come out from near the top of the first barrel and go down into the bottom of the second barrel. I'd fill the second barrel with pea gravel, again with lighting diffuser about a third of the way up so there's space at the bottom.

      A pipe would come out from near the top of that second barrel and go into the third barrel near the top. That barrel would be filled with cut up packing strapping. The pump would be at the bottom of that barrel, and it would pump the water up and out to the anoxic/gravel filter.

      But that leaves me with two questions. If I use that 4,500 gallon per hour pump, what size pipe would I need to sustain the gravity flow, preserving a good margin for error. I'm thinking 2" pipe might be playing it too close to the vest. Would 3" be enough? Is there a chart on the site somewhere that has this kind of data: "what gravity flow can I expect through a 3" pipe? Through a 4" pipe?" That chart must exist somewhere?

      In any case, this time, when I do the plumbing, I want to make sure I can simply siphon backflush the anoxic/gravel filter and the barrels, all at once, just by switching the pump off and opening a valve. That means inch and a half pipe, connecting the bottoms of the three barrels, and leading down the slope through the garden.

      Question two: I'm already starting to think I should have made a skimmer for the lower pond. I'm thinking I should have a skimmer for this one, but can it be gravity fed as well, and flow into the first barrel? Or does a skimmer need to have a dedicated pump?

      So that's what I still need to figure out: pipe size, material in the barrels, skimmer.

      Best,

      Bill
      Last edited by One Poet's Garden; 08-13-2021 at 11:28 AM.

    5. #5
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      So there's a fly in the ointment. I was thinking maybe I should use four inch pvc throughout the gravity flow part of the system. But a web search tells me I won't be able to find a premade 4" retro bottom drain. Dang! Do people jus DIY their own?

      Thanks,

      Bill

    6. #6
      icu2's Avatar
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      I'm not sure you'll flow enough to need a 4" but even if you go 3", I'd make the penetration
      through the liner 4" so if you later decide you need more flow or whatever, all you have to do
      is replace the pipe.
      A settling chamber in a 55 gallon barrel has the flow capacity of about 2000 gph to remain effective.

      Some 4" options:

      http://deepwaterkoi.com/Bulletproof-...rains-RFBD.htm

      http://www.cascade-pond-supply.com/A...ins-p-474.html
      --Steve



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    7. #7
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      I'm not sure you'll flow enough to need a 4" but even if you go 3", I'd make the penetration
      through the liner 4" so if you later decide you need more flow or whatever, all you have to do
      is replace the pipe.
      A settling chamber in a 55 gallon barrel has the flow capacity of about 2000 gph to remain effective.

      Some 4" options:

      http://deepwaterkoi.com/Bulletproof-...rains-RFBD.htm

      http://www.cascade-pond-supply.com/A...ins-p-474.html
      Thanks for the links!

      I went to home depot and looked around a little. I'm thinking I may as well just go with 4" pipe from the start, if the 20% price difference from 3" means I don't have to redo the whole thing at some point.

      If the pond is 12 by 18, should I have one bottom drain, or two?

      The pipe, of course, is white, so I'm thinking I need to paint the 'inside the pond' part. They don't seem to have krylon fusion paint at HD. Has anyone tried rustoleum for this? Or should I make a special trip to Lowes?

      Fly in the ointment: they have elbows for 4" pipe, but not much in the way of fittings, like they would for 2". It doesn't look like there'd be a way to 'screw tighten' the connection as it goes through the liner, like I see in the illustrations for bottom drains. Maybe it's not necessary? Or is there some secret I don't know?

      I've been going through a bunch of the DIY filter threads here today. I noticed some folks use oyster shells as part of the filter media to buffer PH? Is this an accepted practice, or am I wandering off the reservation again?

      Best,

      Bill

    8. #8
      icu2's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by One Poet's Garden View Post
      The filter level is only about an inch and a half above the pond level, so I'm getting some pretty good flow.
      You lost me on this part.

      Quote Originally Posted by One Poet's Garden View Post
      I'm thinking about this because everyone says the anoxic filter should be the last part of the filtration system. I think I need to settle out debris and do some filtration *before* the water gets to the anoxic/gravel filter.

      So I'm thinking three blue barrels on the west side of the pond. Gravity flow from the pond into the first barrel. That barrel is just to settle out debris. The pipe would go about 2/3s of the way down, and have a 90 degree elbow. Based on what I've read, a barrel simply isn't big enough to have a truly effective vortex. Some folks suggest brushes or something similar to slow down the water so debris settles out. I'm thinking of trying that, and putting the brushes in the top 2/3s of the barrel. Below that, some egg crate lighting diffuser, so there'd be about a foot of calm space where the sediment can collect.

      A pipe would come out from near the top of the first barrel and go down into the bottom of the second barrel. I'd fill the second barrel with pea gravel, again with lighting diffuser about a third of the way up so there's space at the bottom.

      A pipe would come out from near the top of that second barrel and go into the third barrel near the top. That barrel would be filled with cut up packing strapping. The pump would be at the bottom of that barrel, and it would pump the water up and out to the anoxic/gravel filter.
      I've never used an anoxic or gravel type filter so I have nothing to contribute on that. But I'll offer some feedback on the other filters...

      Again, think of the pond and filtration as one complete system. I think your pump and filters are too small for 4500 gallons. If the
      stream is as big of draw as the pond (because of budget restrictions) maybe less total pond water and more attention to the pump
      and water flow ?

      A single 55 gallon barrel for a SC will flow about 2000 gph max. Yes, brushes or some type of prefilter like bacti-twist will help, but it will
      only add about another 500 gph on to the max you can flow effectively. That's not enough for your 4" retro BD to work well. What I was
      told long ago was for BD size an aerated 3" BD flowing 1500-2500 gph will cover 8'-10' of pond floor area. A 4" aerated BD flowing 2500-3500 gph
      will cover 10'-12'. Those flow rates are minimums to get the coverage area and to keep the pipes clear of debris. Your 18' pond floor would
      say you need 2 - 4" BD and enough flow to make them both work.

      When designing gravity flow DIY filtration for multiple barrels in a series, remember draw down. An illustration:

      Name:  gravity1.gif
Views: 507
Size:  20.2 KB

      When making the connection from barrel #1 and #2, run the pipe like the .gif shows and not making the connection up high on
      barrel #1. If you do the draw down in #1 may be enough that it stops the flow between the two and the pump runs dry. And don't
      glue the pipe under water in the barrels and it will allow you to adjust the height of the pick up for whatever draw down you
      experience. Also, make connections between the barrels 4". Smaller connections will increase the draw down you see in each
      barrel after #1.

      Add a skimmer. You won't be sorry.
      It can gravity feed with a 3" or 4" pipe to filtration or you can feed it directly to a pump if it has a basket or some way of
      collecting debris before the pump.

      All just things to think about.
      --Steve



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    9. #9
      icu2's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by One Poet's Garden View Post

      Fly in the ointment: they have elbows for 4" pipe, but not much in the way of fittings, like they would for 2". It doesn't look like there'd be a way to 'screw tighten' the connection as it goes through the liner, like I see in the illustrations for bottom drains. Maybe it's not necessary? Or is there some secret I don't know?

      I've been going through a bunch of the DIY filter threads here today. I noticed some folks use oyster shells as part of the filter media to buffer PH? Is this an accepted practice, or am I wandering off the reservation again?

      Best,

      Bill
      4" bulkhead fittings to go through the liner are pretty expensive. A cheap alternative is a pipe boot. I used it for my 3" no niche skimmer
      and they work great:

      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...mple-pipe-boot

      Imho oyster shells take too long to break down to be worth using for raising carbonate hardness. Baking soda is fast and cheap.
      --Steve



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      Roddy Conrad's Avatar
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      True 4 inch pipe retrofit bottom drains with air diffuser are made and sold but costs $450 so would put a hole in a $1000 budget. Evolution Aqua brand, a connected air diffuser at the bottom drain is a function I would not omit myself.
      Last edited by Roddy Conrad; 08-14-2021 at 11:10 AM.
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    11. #11
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      A settling chamber in a 55 gallon barrel has the flow capacity of about 2000 gph to remain effective.
      This is not quite accurate (sorry, Steve!). Yes, a 55g drum can flow 2000gph, but it will not settle much at that rate. SC are traditionally sized at 10% of your pump flow rate, ie. 4000gph needs a 400g tank. A 55g barrel will only work well if your flow is around 550gph. Anything higher than that will need some kind of prefilter to catch the rest of the suspended waste.
      I have used a 55G SC with a 4000g pump on a previous pond, with a matala filter on the water exiting the barrel. Some debris did, indeed, settle, but the matala caught a huge amount as well, necessitating a daily clean out.
      Right now I am using a 150g vortex with 6000gph flowing through it. Same thing - works to some extent but still needs additional mechanical filtration with a daily rinse off in the summer months. Perhaps your brushes will serve the purpose, but be prepared for frequent maintenance.

      To cut back on work and water wastage, you can make your SC more efficient by using a cone shaped tank rather than a flat bottomed barrel - the waste concentrates in a much smaller area and is easier to flush out with minimal water use. You can either can have a valve to open the bottom up for a quick flush, or throw a sump pump in to suck out just the accumulated mulm, or save yourself all this work by having a permanently suspended pump down there on a timer to flush often (mine goes for 15 sec. every two hours) which removes waste from the water column on a regular basis, negating one of the biggest drawbacks to old school settling chambers.
      ________________________________________
      Cheers,
      Ci


    12. #12
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      A cheap alternative is a pipe boot. I used it for my 3" no niche skimmer
      and they work great:

      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...mple-pipe-boot
      That is brilliant! Wow! What an elegant solution!

      Thanks,

      Bill

    13. #13
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      I'm not sure you'll flow enough to need a 4" but even if you go 3", I'd make the penetration
      through the liner 4" so if you later decide you need more flow or whatever, all you have to do
      is replace the pipe.
      A settling chamber in a 55 gallon barrel has the flow capacity of about 2000 gph to remain effective.

      Some 4" options:

      http://deepwaterkoi.com/Bulletproof-...rains-RFBD.htm

      http://www.cascade-pond-supply.com/A...ins-p-474.html
      Yes, 4" from the get go, I think. Those bottom drains get expensive right quick, especially if I need two. Has anyone tried getting one of these, taking the top off, turning it over, and running a 4" pipe into it?

      https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-7-Ga...6152/305185634

      Seems like it would work?

      Thanks,

      Bill

    14. #14
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      I think your pump and filters are too small for 4500 gallons.
      Yes, pump is probably too small, but I'm a little reluctant to go much bigger. I'm thinking of trying it for now, and as long as I have 4" inflows to the barrels, and a hard plumbed 2" outflow to the anoxic/gravel filter, I can do a future upgrade, if needed.


      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      When designing gravity flow DIY filtration for multiple barrels in a series, remember draw down. An illustration:
      This was very helpful. I've changed my ideas about the barrel piping, thanks to that illustration.

      Quote Originally Posted by icu2 View Post
      Add a skimmer. You won't be sorry.
      I'm thinking hard about this one. One the one hand, the lower pond already has a film built up on the surface where the water's still. Never had that problem before, but then I always had water splashing down from a height in previous ponds. I had to temporarily add an air pump just to break up the surface. On the other hand, I do want to have floating plants in there, at least for the first few years until the koi get bigger.

      But I'll likely put in a skimmer from the start. Two questions on that. Will a swimming pool skimmer work? And can it be plumbed into the 4" pipe already going into the first barrel from the bottom drains?

      Thanks,

      Bill

    15. #15
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      Quote Originally Posted by *Ci* View Post
      This is not quite accurate (sorry, Steve!). Yes, a 55g drum can flow 2000gph, but it will not settle much at that rate. SC are traditionally sized at 10% of your pump flow rate, ie. 4000gph needs a 400g tank. A 55g barrel will only work well if your flow is around 550gph. Anything higher than that will need some kind of prefilter to catch the rest of the suspended waste.
      So, here's an update. The chickens have been successfully rehomed. I spent yesterday pulling down the chicken coop, which was in the way of the pond.

      I do believe these qualifications about the sizing of settling chambers. But there's no way I'm getting a 400g tank, at least in this lifetime. I'm irrationally wedded to the three barrel idea. So, what should go in the first barrel?

      A truly inelegant design is the one I'm using now in the greenhouse pond. It does keep the water crystal clear, even though the pond is over stocked. The pipe inflow would go to the bottom of the barrel, there's be about a foot (25% of the barrel's height) of free space, then eggcrate lighting diffuser, lava rock on top of that, taking up about 50% of barrel height, then the 4" outflow pipe to the second barrel, with about a foot of water space above it for a safety margin.

      That would trap large debris, and give me some kind of flow-through prefiltration. Is there a better thing to do with that first barrel?

      Best,

      Bill

    16. #16
      kimini is offline Senior Member
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      Things that new pond people don't want to know:
      1. Figure $1/gallon minimum, and that's if you do all the work. While it can be done for less, a bigger budget means far less maintenance. What's that worth?
      2. Electrical expense is forever. Decide what you're willing to pay each month and back calculate to see what water flow results. Is that sufficient for your requirements?
      3. Be wary of those who always say "great idea" about pond plans. They have the misguided idea that being positive is more important than your success.
      Last edited by kimini; 08-20-2021 at 11:45 AM.

    17. #17
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
      One Poet's Garden is offline Senior Member
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      Quote Originally Posted by kimini View Post
      1. Figure $1/gallon minimum, and that's if you do all the work.
      I'm pretty sure you're right. I was advising my brother, who's taking up woodturning. I said 'Buy the biggest, best lathe you can afford. And then expect to pay that much again in accessories. He didn't ignore my advice. Nor will I yours.

      Quote Originally Posted by kimini View Post
      2. Electrical expense is forever. Decide what you're willing to pay each month and back calculate to see what water flow results. Is that sufficient for your requirements?
      This is a big one. Not just because of the budgetary expense, but many of my readers are as concerned about climate change as I am. A giant waterfall just wouldn't be a good look.

      Quote Originally Posted by kimini View Post
      3. Be wary of those who always say "great idea" about pond plans.
      Luckily, I am Le Doyen of crazy ideas. Which means I can mostly sniff them out. Especially with the help of the good people here.

      Best,

      Bill

    18. #18
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      .
      So I've spent six days cleaning up the site. Got the last of the chicken wire dug out of the ground yesterday. Finally have pics of the site - or, in this case, a vid:

      .

      https://www.tiktok.com/@onepoetsgard...46097912563205



      .

      So many decision points and things to think about. But the big thing is to just start digging.

      Best,

      Bill

    19. #19
      One Poet's Garden's Avatar
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      .

      Update, as of this morning:

      https://www.tiktok.com/@onepoetsgard...from_webapp=v1

      I picked up some clear tubing to use as a water level. It's kind of hilarious: I cannot get it to work. Four degrees from two continents, and I'm standing there scratching my head over some clear tubing half filled with water!

      A few pics:

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      .

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      .

      Shade cloth is there because it's well over 90 degrees outside, and the pond is sited in full sun. Without the shade cloth, nothing would be happening out there!

      Best,

      Bill
      Last edited by One Poet's Garden; 08-27-2021 at 01:43 PM.

    20. #20
      icu2's Avatar
      icu2 is offline Administrator ~ WWKC President
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      Beautiful flowers!

      Water level 101:
      Take a pitcher that you can see the water level from the outside of it and fill with water.
      Go to the high side of the pond (or whatever you're measuring) and make the water level in the pitcher
      the same level as what you want to measure. For example, the top board on the high side of the pond.

      Stick one end of the tubing in the pitcher and suck on the other end to start a siphon flow. Lift the end of
      the tubing that is pouring water out of it up until the water stops and is stagnant in the tube. The water in
      the tube is now the exact height as the water in the pitcher! Now take that free end of the tube with the other
      end still in the pitcher to the opposite side of the pond and you can measure and see if they're the exact same
      height or how far off you are.

      Here's a post I did when I built my first pond using the water level I made:

      https://www.koiphen.com/forums/showt...12#post1226812

      If you see air bubbles in the tube let the water flow via siphon until they're all out. You may have to add water to the pitcher
      as it lowers while the water pours through the tubing eliminating the air bubbles.
      Hope that helps!
      Keep up the good work!
      --Steve



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