Bio Pool 10/18/05
Greetings,

I am interested in building a bio pool for swimming and aquaculture. I live in San Diego. Any books or resources you can recommend?
Thanks, Scott
 

Cementacious construction inside biological ponds  9/7/05
Robert, Have sandy soil for my pond, have question  about  using mortar and
flagstone on inside to make walls. Can the  mortar be toxic to fish.

I have heard of a plastic cement but can't find any  info .
Bill  Oglesby


OC pond construction  8/27/05
Can you tell me if you know of a good reliable builder for concrete Koi pond
in Orange County, CA?  I had a beautiful Koi pond in my last home measuring
27 ft long, 6 feet deep (3 above and 3 below) and 5 ft wide. . .  I can
hardly wait to get started again.  Thanks
Craig E. Kalthoff


S. Cal. pond help 7/20/05
Dear Bob,
I am constructing a waterfall and pond at my home.  It is already dug, and the retaining wall for the waterfall and many boulders are already in place.
Do you know someone in San Diego who can install my pump and plumbing for me?
Many thanks,
Tanya McManus

Building a very large pond, dam 7/19/05
Need to know the formula to calculate the yardage to build a dam?

Do you know where I can find this formula?

Vickie Leady

Pond construction question 7/13/05
I am building a semi-raised pond eight foot by twelve foot, roughly two and a
half feet deep.  I am starting out with a footing 5 1/4 inches deep by 8
inches wide, reinforced with 1/2 inch rebar horizontally and vertically.  I am
then planning on placing one course of 8x8x16 hollow core concrete blocks.  I am
capping the pond with concrete pavers probably two courses. The footing is
being poured on top of the existing grade and properly leveled.  The raised
portion of the pond will be surrounded by a flower bed which i hope will solve the
problem of grass clippings and leaves.  My question is if there should be any
concern about frost line with the poured footing and if i should be concerned
with it cracking or being damaged.

I will have a EPDM liner and underlayment
inside the concrete block and form. I live in New Jersey, USA. Any information
or help would be greatly appreciated. Everywhere i read and research has not
mentioned anything about this concern. Thank you for your assistance.
Dan


Lake liner 7/9/05
Hi-

I stumbled upon your great site and I’m hoping you can help me out.  My
boss is planning to build a rather large lake on his mountain side
property here in Ojai.  The lake dimensions are 200’x100’x150’ and we’re
trying to determine the best type of liner to use.  The soil in the
mountainside is rather impermeable…we’ve had difficulty passing perc
tests because the ground is so hard.  Our contractor and ranch foreman
recommend using a 30 mil PVC liner, but my boss is hell-bent on using a
clay liner.

  How much would a clay liner run on a lake this size?
<... depends on the make-up of current basin bottom... a mix material has to be dished in... likely cheaper by far than pvc>
Is it even worth using?

  He’s talked about bentonite and gunite.  Thanks for
your input!

Emily Warmann

Pond construction question 07/01/05
Hi,
I just read your article in wetwebmedia about building concrete and liner
ponds and found it very interesting.
At this moment I have a pond service company and would like to expand my
horizon building ponds professionally, is there any seminar where I can
learn more about this industry?

Any suggestions in general?
You'll likely gain from perusing these. Do write back should you want to chat over aspects, experiences...>
Congratulations on your website.
Regards
Samuel Toscano

Pond construction... mainly 6/31/05
Just recently we added a cement pond to our back yard. And before putting
water into the pond I need to know what measure should be taken to prevent
leakage.
<...>
A few question I have is how long should I allow the cement to cure
before cleaning it with a solution? And what type of solution should I use?
Thanks for your help!
Diamondmind
You might avoid a good number of future issues by studying now... Bob Fenner>

Ponds--San Diego Building Codes 6/29/05
Bob,

I just got off the info line at the building information center, and
to my surprise, the girl at the desk told me that there were no city
code or permit requirements for ornamental ponds. I then pulled up the
pool & spa codes, which tightly define pools and spas as bodies of water
designed for people to go into. Should I call again, and get a second
opinion on a different day? Is something fishy here?
*ba-da--ta!*
:)
Joe Kraska
San Diego CA


Koi dying with no physical signs 6/29/05
Hi

I have been searching your site for possible causes for the death of my fish. I have lost one a day for the last seven days. The pond is new (about 6500 litres). I left the pond for a couple of weeks before putting the fish (15 small koi up to 7") into it. The filter and fountain were running for the entire period since the pond was filled.
I had read quite a few of your responses to other owners with similar problems (fish dying with no outward signs). The fish that have died became loaners, not feeding and began swimming at a very shallow depth and would die within 24 to 48 hours of showing these symptoms. Whilst reading one of your replies about possible deaths caused by poisoning by weed killers/pesticides etc.

it suddenly dawned on me that my pond design may actually be poisoning my fish. The pond is part dug and part raised and lined (not a problem). However the top edge of the pond was finished with 6" wide decking timbers. I realized, whilst reading your replies, they were made from tanalised timber (for those who may make the same mistake as me but are unaware of what tanalised timbers are, they are timbers treated with cyanide). I have made a presumption that when it is raining the cyanide is possibly getting into the water (not 100% but I think it is a strong possibility). Of course I immediately went out and took these timbers off my pond and will drain it first thing in the morning.

Could you please let me know your views on this? If you think I am right then I hope this information may help others who have made (or might make) a similar oversight to mine!!
Ps. Great site!!!
Regards
Stephen Robbins


Sex ratios in Our Hobbyist Population, Pond Design, Construction

That does sound interesting, but I have a conflict. I shall look forward to other opportunities. Fortunately, I have time. The aquarium is planned for next summer, timed with a remodel, where it will be built into a wall designed just for it (and not to worry, I am hip to the ventilation issues of such a design).

I found the meeting interesting. A diverse and warm slice of humanity. Curious, though: are women underrepresented in aquaria, or was this meeting just an anomaly?

Thanks for the pond book, by the way. I think it's all on your site, and I therefore I've basically read it, but you probably didn't guess that I've read most of your whole web site already, particularly the pond stuff, some of it several times. :)

I do have two questions:
1. In your archetype design, you favor pulling mid grade from the pond, and not from the bottom drain. In your FAQs, you also frequently mention the risk of totally draining the pond through pumping malfunctions. Is this the only reason you pull mid grade?

I am asking, because my design features gravity-feed from the bottom drain into a settling tank (same level as the pond), but pumps from the top of the settling tank back through the filters and water features. If the pond level drops too low, the pump runs dry, can't drain the pond. I like this design a lot, because it focuses the cleaning requirements on a smaller space (the settling tank).

2. You favor underlayment for all sorts of ponds (which has the ring of something intuitively correct, even though I didn't think of it myself, ha), but you don't talk much about mixed stone and masonry ponds, except the formal raised variety. My pond will be built from wall to wall rock, cemented together, partially raised, but emphasizing randomness and informality. Therefore no flat regions of cement anywhere, except perhaps in the various basin bottoms. I should expect this variation to work fine as long as the underlayment is correctly laid, and the stones are appropriately padded to prevent puncture as they are placed and cemented. Yes?

Joe
San Diego, CA
USA

Small in-ground pond to build!
Robert,
Can you help me with some pre-planning I am doing for a small pond I am
designing?  I have planned a 3' x 4' in ground concrete pond.  My questions
are:  Do I need to form such a small size with rebar or will chicken wire
do?

I am planning to pour the concrete to a 3.5" thickness all around for
the basin.
Also, any special concrete I should spec that will be completely waterproof?

I see you recommend a underlay liner even in concrete construction...will 20
ml. heavy plastic do?

Last question, there will be a 32" high urn that sits in the middle of the
basin.  I would like the water to flow up and out of the top of the urn and
recirculate....any rec.s on pump size and manufacturer?

Thanks a million....I appreciate your feedback.
Erin Foley King

Partly thought out pond plan
Hi, we are making a backyard pond in a 3 leaf clover shape and it will have a waterfall at the top of the pond. Appx size is 14' wide by 14'long with a shelf that borders the pond appx 12" deep, then onto the deepest section, appx 3-4'  deep. We plan on taking our 3 sliders out of our indoor aquarium they are rapidly outgrowing it and introducing them to the pond, perhaps just for spring, summer and fall and maybe bring them back inside for the winter. My question is about keeping the water clean. I have an extra pump/filter from a swimming pool and have read about converting it into a pond pump/filter. We are doing this on  almost pennies, so I can't afford to go out and buy an expensive pump.

The finished ideal will have a waterfall facing you as you walk up to it and I'm thinking the intake should be placed on the opposite end of the pond the waterfall is on, then run the return hose back up through the ground to the waterfall to a outlet box I'm sure I will have to make. Other than knowing we want a small fountain to shoot from the middle of it with a few lights to accent the beauty at night, that is pretty much where I'm at. I am currently pricing the wide black burlap to lay down as a pre-liner before ordering the actual liner. Please, any and all suggestions / advice  would be great...........thanks for your time, Mike K.


Glass Block for Indoor Pond?
>Hi I am looking to build a large indoor pond and would like to use solid glass blocks for the top 1 or 2 rows of block wall for the front, [so] as to allow the side viewing of the top of the pond when sitting down across the room. I am just not sure that this is possible and if it is how you would go about making it structurally sound to handle the side loading of the water. 
>>I don't see why you couldn't use the block for these top two rows at all, and I would use mortar per manufacturer's specs (do NOT use anything with algicides or any other "cides", though). Silicone may be used as well.
>The wall would be roughly 15' long and was thinking of 2 rows of either 12x12x4 or 8x8x4 block. Is this something you could advise me on further? Thanks for your time and help. Mike
>>Mike, I'm not sure about the rest of your question, I think Bob would be better able to answer that, but he's currently in the Galapagos (undoubtedly enjoying warmer weather than I). In the meantime, glass block should be no different than, say, pool coping blocks, try consulting a contractor with experience installing above-ground ponds, pools, etc. Personally, I'd go with the 12x, as there will be fewer breaks/seams. Better viewing, fewer seams means fewer areas for corruption of seals. I would also do a general Google for pond societies and materials used for pools and ponds. I know that many above ground ponds/fountains use brick, it seems to me that the glass block can be treated the same way. Marina 

Can you help me with my POND?
Dear technical support,

Need your recommendations to seal Glass to Concrete, with the following basic specs for a pond environment.....CAN YOU HELP?

Water is to be on the LOWER SIDE (left hand side) permanently and length of glass panel is about 2.6 m long and rises about 1 m vertically.
Basic Gap is 20 mm wide (by depth as shown) that needs to be sealed.      

   50 mm Laminated Glass Panel                                                                                    (200mm High X 20mm wide) GAP

(150mm X 20mm wide) GAP
Waterproof Reinforced Concrete     
S Nino Stamboulakis

Reflecting pool
Dear Mr. Fenner,

I am architect in Karachi, Pakistan. I would appreciate your input on the
most effective construction methodology for reflecting pools.

The project is the headquarters of a large pharmaceutical company (Aventis).
The landscaping includes a generous sized reflecting pool in the front of
the building. The concept is to have a "as clear as possible" reflection of
my main facade.

The pool is about 1'-6" deep. My main question to you is whether the tiles I
am using at the bottom of this pool should be a dark color or a light one
for the sharpest reflection on the water surface?

I look forward to your response
Thank you,
Sincerely,
Amina Nasim Jan
Senior Architect
Ahed Associates.


Indoor Pond camera site
Here's the link to our pond webcam site:
http://www.members.shaw.ca/jsherrington
It features streaming video feed of our indoor pond with details about
its construction.
Thanks, John

Just what is a keyway in a farm pond ????????

 

Koi Pond possibility
I love Koi Carps but never owned them. It always has been a dream and recently, I purchased some land by a hillside with a stream in the front and a beautiful natural waterfalls. This is a remote area and everything is natural. The average temperature through out the year would be 17 degree C.

It is my thinking that Koi Carps have survived many hundreds of years without pumps, filters, aerators, skimmers or any mechanical devices. Will it be possible for me to keep Koi Carps in a pond without these devices?

Rain water will be harvested and used as a natural falls to fill the pond and an outlet will be in position at the bottom to remove water from the pond to maintain the required water level. What else do I have to do?

I may sound very stupid and it may not be feasible at all, but your suggestions and opinions will be appreciated


Re: Koi Pond
Bob,
Thank you for your quick response. I had my doubts in my belief but your
reply has reassured me and given me the confidence to go ahead with my
project. I do not want to make any mistakes and please direct me to sources
from whom I can get more detailed information which will be of use to me in
constructing my pond.
and I will gladly help you along the way with specifics as you come up with questions>
I would like to contact specially those who have similar ponds like I have
in mind to learn from their experience. Please help!
Thank you once again.
Dudley Devaraj

Polyurethane for Concrete injection and waterproofing.
Dear Sir,

I am a waterproofing contractor and using acrylic polymer based, epoxy based
and styrene butadiene rubber based material for my work of concrete
waterproofing, structural repairs, restoration and protecting concrete
structures.

But I am not satisfied with the performance of the above material because of
the not satisfying results.
I heard and read much about polyurethane material for above all purposes. I
don’t know much about polyurethane. I am interested to know about
polyurethane and how it can be used for construction and concrete problem
solving purposes.

Your web site is very informative and interesting. At presently I have three
challenging projects are in my hand. One is of polyurethane injection
grouting and another is construction joints which expand and contracts
because of structural design mistake of missing expansion joints in the slab
at a prestigious project of science city, India and next project is of a
leaking basement vault approximately 500 feet long, 20 feet wide and 10 to
25 feet various height under ground at different levels.
<... i would have a manufacturer rep. or two and structural engineers review the use application here>
Please send me broacher, technical data of all the products and method of
application thereof.

I would also like you to send some samples injection grouting material and
polyurethane coating for water proofing material if it is possible. I am
ready to bare the cost of samples if any.

Kindly confirm by e-mail before sending me broacher that you can send
samples or not so that I can ask for samples of the particular material I
require from your product.
Kindly send detailed price list and packing sizes available for each product.
Waiting for your reply.
Thanking you
Yours truly
Sanjay Bhavsar

Pond with a view
Hello there, you have been so helpful with my marine problems; I can't help
share my pond concerns and thank you in advance for your wisdom. I'm in the
design phase of a pond approximately 5000 gallons that will have a viewing
panel in the adjacent attached sunk in patio. My question is - how the heck
to you get a good seal on an acrylic view port that will be about 2' high
and 3' wide? Is Acrylic even the best material for outdoors without direct
sunlight? We are in Tucson and are hoping to go with a cichlid pond as
opposed to the Koi pond which is why we so desire a side view into the pond.
Thank you for your time. Bill Roh

Pondering and ponding in S. Africa
Hello Robert,

thank you for a very informative website. I feel slightly more confident on my plans for my ponds now. I will hopefully be adding my name to your list of South African pond builders soon.

David Banks
Rondeberg (Philadelphia)
Cape Town
South Africa
May the best of your past be the worst of your future.
"Anything forced can in itself not be beautiful." - Xenophon

How to construct an outdoor pond with a natural clay base.
HI!

I am a new pond enthusiast who recently acquired my own home.  I want to put
an in-ground pond in my yard.  I would rather like to construct it with
natural elements instead of using a commercial liner.  Is this possible?  My idea
was to dig out the pond and line it with clay, then incorporate sand, gravel and
silt.  Is this a feasible idea?  We aren't talking about a huge pond here...

Thanks.
Taso  

Building a wildlife pond
I live in the mountains of Colorado with considerable wildlife, including bears who love water.  Two years ago I built a wildlife pond using a  liner,  not considering how vulnerable they are to puncture.  The bears, along with the dear and elk,  loved the pond and a mother and her two cubs made the most of it.  Of coarse the pond started leaking the first summer and I realized my mistake.  Was thinking of purchasing a very well made heavy duty pre-formed fiberglass Koi pond but after reading the articles by Fenner Roberts  it sounds like fiberglass may also be problematic when tested by bear claws.   What do you think?  Is the preformed fiberglass my best bet or would you recommend some other construction technique?  Or should I just give it up?

Pond design and construction help
Aug. 23, 2003 Greetings:
I started excavation for a 100'x50'x 3-5"deep backyard pond. After reading some of your articles, I realized that I need some expert advice and guidance, if not construction of the pond itself. I only want to have to do this once.

I would like some names of pond contractors in the san Diego area including yourself if you are in the area. thanks for your help.  Scott Jordan

Tiling the inside of a koi pond
Can anyone help me with the pro's and cons of tiling (with ceramic tiles) a koi pond.
Thanks
Bob Fenner>

Colored concrete
To whom it may concern:  I'm inquiring the use of concrete colorants in
concrete mix to add color to the rock i make for  fresh/saltwater
aquariums or a suggestion that would add color to it instead of the gray
dull color it has  thanks  ..great site you folks have.......Jeff  

Copper pond
G'day, I am currently making a water feature from a giant riveted copper
(used to be used to wash clothes in about 100 years ago). Its made of
copper and I'm wondering if there would be a problem putting fish in it? I
would be grateful for any help you can give, thanks in advance, Kind
Regards Katrina.

Re: Copper pond
G'day, thanks for your quick and informative reply, I will most certainly
look into it, Kind Regards Katrina.

Re: trout ponds
where should i look for info on constructing a half acre trout pond. many thanks
for design, construction background. And then on to folks in your area who have earthmoving gear, electrical and plumbing experience... Bob Fenner>

Residential Waterfall and Pond
Gentlemen,
     I am in the process designing a waterfall and pond, which will include a waterwheel, to operate the water pump.
If you could provide the information I need to start this project, I would greatly appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Paul Jagla
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/PondSubWebIndex/Pond%20Sub%20Web.htm
especially design, siting, plumbing... Bob Fenner>

Pond construction, glass topped!
Hi all,
I am planning to build a pond/tank for my office.  I plan to make it a 7
foot circular tank with the top of the tank at the floor level.  It will
have a glass top that people can walk on.  The glass would be 19mm thick
and very heavy.   How do I clean the tank if the glass is not movable?

I will build an overflow with the filtration, heaters and  aeration.  Can I
build in filters which would allow me to run the tank without moving the
glass?  I know this is a very strange request and I could not come up with
a plausible answer.  Any suggestions would help.

Thanks in advance.
Karun

Academic pond builder
My name is Sean Fitzgerald, I am a third year at Leeds University
studying for a degree in Environmental Engineering.
My final year dissertation involves proposing the location of a large
scale fishing pond which is actually going to be constructed. I have to
look into several factors of the process, starting from planning right
through to construction methods and liner materials suitable for the
task.
I would be very grateful if you could please send me any relevant
literature you might have that could be of use to me. This could be
anything from drainage systems, construction methods, suitable pond life
or anything you feel may be useful.
Do contact us if there are particular questions, input you'd like. Bob Fenner>
Yours sincerely
Sean Fitzgerald

Pond Liner Bubble
We have a 1 acre pond which was lined with a nice thick liner a while back.

In the past few days however it has developed a 25' diameter bubble in the middle (see attached picture). Any ideas on how to fix the immediate problem and prevent a future recurrence?

Thanks, Glenn A. Hartzog

Lake/Pond in the Vineyard
Dear Mr. Fenner:
For some time now I have been planning to put a lake in our vineyard and have begun the search for an landscape architect experienced in such projects. In surfing the net I ran across some of your writings which indicates you have much experience in lakes/ponds. If perhaps you still do such projects in California I would like to hear from you. If you don't, then maybe you could recommend someone to me. We are located in San Miguel, next to Paso Robles, and you may contact me by email at: [email protected] or by telephone 805-467-2624 (w) or 805-467-2029 (h).
Thanks for your help.
Marty Meeker

pond shoreline design problem
Hello folks

I have been referred to your site by someone who answered one of the posts I have placed on several boards regarding this problem.

Before I ask my question I noticed someone with a home made food question, could I refer you to
http://www.easyfishkeeping.com/fishyforum/forums/message.asp?r=forums&t=General&I=1040
I now know about WNV but my fry have more than doubled in size on this diet in the past week. WNV is not a problem in the UK that I know of.

Anyway to get to my question or problem.
Back ground first
I have built( finished building last night, just touch ups and this shoreline left) a concrete pond of aprox 2200 UK gal 2600 US gal.
It has three depths, 4', 2', 1' and vertical walls. I will be using a plastic liner, pvc or Dupont Xavan, I can afford butyl.
The pond is above existing ground level by 1' and will have a visible wall on 2 sides, a hedge on the 3rd and a rockery with waterfall on the 4th.
I will 'line ' the concrete with expanded polystyrene sheeting ( Styrofoam, I think ) to protect the liner rather than use underlay.

BUT
Basic outline of my problem.
I want to cast, in cement or concrete, a ramp on top of the upper coarse of block work to create a semi submerged shoaling shoreline. I intend the ramp to start 2.5" below the water surface and for it to rise to 0.5" above the water surface, gradient 1 in 3. It is to allow animal access/escape to/from the pond.

For the purposes of this post I am concerned only with the construction problems, I have taken into consideration my possible UNWELCOME visitors and here in the UK we don't have the diversity of predators that exist in N.America, I hope the rest of the pond design will keep my fish safe.

I see 2 ways of completing my shoreline
1) bring the liner up over the ramp, or
2) bring the liner over the top of the inner leaf of block work and drop it into the air space, then cast the ramp on top of the liner and outer leaf .
I favour the second method, it will be neater and provide a better surface finish. Obviously I will seal the ramp with some thing like G4 or P1 ( common UK sealants ) but I am troubled by the "triple point" where water, liner and ramp meet.

How do I seal this properly?
I had thought of 'painting' the sealant across the junction and onto the liner but I have been told that solvents in some solvent based sealants may damage the liner, i.e. G4. 

I can get water based sealant which should be ok, P1.

Other solutions based on idea 2 are
1) In addition to the above run a bead of silicone aquarium sealer around the "triple point" , possibly in a rebate cast into the cement and cut out of the polystyrene

2) Bring the liner up 'behind ' the back of the ramp so that the liner finishes above water level, but this may create neatness issues also it doesn't provide a secure foundation for the shoreline.

3) Cast the shore line in sections, seal all of each section and then 'glue' it down onto the liner with silicone aquarium sealer.

One area I will have to silicon goo is the folds in the liner where they pass over the block work.
Additions resulting from replies to my posts are
1) cast the ramp in waterproof concrete, a simple idea that will help greatly, why didn't I think of it and does away with "3)" above

2) cover the triple point with liner seaming tape.

I would be very grateful for your thoughts on my problem and solutions and for any ideas that you have. Thank you Sean McKinney

UK Pond info
Anthony, excellent, thank you very much for the information.

This is new to me so your tips are valuable.

best regards, Steve

INFO SOURCES (concrete engineering)
Dear Sir,
Do you know of where I can acquire any good DIY books on the subjects of concrete formwork and reinforcement. I would like to know how to cut, bend, splice and tie steel rebars and how to build forms for concrete columns and decking to support suspended concrete floors.
I don't know if I am contacting the right person, but would be grateful if you could spare this little trouble to help. My name is Shelton Daniel and I reside on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.

Regards & Thanks in advance.

Pond Safety
I am interested in decorative ponds but was alarmed when I heard the 
statistics regarding children drowning in pools without fences, and 
in ponds. Do have any information regarding how to physically make a
pond safer?
>>
Not much that I feel will comfort you or I... children can, will get around most any, all barriers... unless they're "swimming pool" safe... like six foot fences.
If the system is huge, consider a "safety bench" or area of shallower depth, around the perimeter... Landscape, rockwork around the edge often works as a deterrent.... and some folks have used electrical lines (low voltage) to keep animals and maybe small people out of their ponds... 
Bob Fenner