# Pond is Done - Now Comes the Fun Part!



## rhyman (Apr 19, 2009)

I finally finished the pond construction project! The final electrical hookup isn't done yet and the planting is barely started, but at least there is water and the fish seem happy. Now I can start grading the roadbed and hopefully get some track down before the cold weather gets here.











This view looking south shows the stream and rapids coming in on the left and the waterfall on the right. Both the stream and the waterfall are fed from smaller ponds. The stream is about thirty-five feet long.












This view is looking west. Moving the large moss covered boulders into place was a tough job but I survived. The green Japanese Maple behind the boulder on the left just went in yesterday.











View looking northwest from above the pond. You can see that I have already started grading the approach to the future bridge over the waterfall. I had to move a couple of the Nandina plants (Dwarf Heavenly Bamboo) to make room for the roadbed but they didn't seem to mind.












Here is a view of the inhabitants in their new home. The pond is about three feet deep at this point and the fish are swimming about a foot below the surface. The smallest one is about eight inches long. I bought these as "feeder goldfish" at Walmart about nine years ago for ten cents each. At the far right you can see the bottom drain five feet below the surface. You can also see quite a few brown oak leaves on the bottom. I have over a hundred oak trees in the yard and it has been really windy the past couple of days. Even with two skimmers going full-time, they can't keep up with the load.












Here's a close-up shot of the waterfall area. The bridge across this spot will need a good catchy name. Since" MLS Bridge" is already taken and there are about a dozen" Cozad Memorial Bridges" already in existence, does anyone have any suggestions?


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Thats really nice, great job


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## tom h (Jan 2, 2008)

HOLY S&^%, thats a nice pond!! Great job, that is one of the best pond jobs I have seen, really like that waterfall/stream.

tom h


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Very, very nice. Get yourself a net from Amazon and hang over a rope from that tree to another if present or a post if not. Think I paid $29 for a 28x28 ft net for a 2nd pond after buying the same size from a local pond dealer for $56 on "sale". 

This time of the year with trees dropping leaves a skimmer cannot keep up and a net saves a lot of leaf netting. And you don't want to go into the winter with a bottom layer of decaying leaves. Ask me how I know! You have some nice sized fish and you want to have them next spring. 

Dale


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## Dale W (Jan 5, 2008)

Very, very nice. Get yourself a net from Amazon and hang over a rope from that tree to another if present or a post if not. Think I paid $29 for a 28x28 ft net for a 2nd pond after buying the same size from a local pond dealer for $56 on "sale". 

This time of the year with trees dropping leaves a skimmer cannot keep up and a net saves a lot of leaf netting. And you don't want to go into the winter with a bottom layer of decaying leaves. Ask me how I know! You have some nice sized fish and you want to have them next spring. 

Dale


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## silverstatespecialties (Jan 2, 2008)

WOW!! That's beautiful!!


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Thats a lot of work but very, very .very nice pond.. Great job.. Now comes the R.R.







.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

Having done a pond with waterfall myself I feel qualified to say that this is_ definitely_ one excellent pond!


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## work4fil (Jan 4, 2008)

Incredible pond! Makes me want to go swimmin' with the fishes. Roughly how many gallons are you working with there?


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Looks really smart and professional. The bright color fish are simply stunning. Thanks for posting.


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## tmtrainz (Feb 9, 2010)

i like how you stacked the rock from top to botttom. It adds a nice touch to the underwater scene.


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## Biblegrove RR (Jan 4, 2008)

*WOW!*


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## jnic (Jan 2, 2008)

Beautiful pond. Really important to keep leafs and debris out. I use a net supported by a flexible PVC structure. The ends are supported by rebar driven into the ground at an angle.


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

Absolutely Gorgeous!!! How many gallons is it?


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Dale W on 27 Oct 2010 07:31 PM 
... And you don't want to go into the winter with a bottom layer of decaying leaves. Ask me how I know! You have some nice sized fish and you want to have them next spring. 

Dale 


Yes it is a very nice pond, but you may regret putting those rocks on the bottom when you go to clean it next year, and the year after that. It will take a vacuum system to do the job for sure.


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## Bill4373 (Jan 3, 2008)

RON BROWN MEMORIAL BRIDGE


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

In 1:29 scale that is a lake. A beautiful lake at that. The local gentry look happy. You did a great job. 


PS What's a feeder fish?


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## rhyman (Apr 19, 2009)

Thanks everyone for the kind words about the new pond and the suggestions. I'll try to respond to the questions and comments.

As to size, the total is approximately 5000 gallons. Most of this is in the large pond. The small pond at the head of the stream is 165 gallons and the small pond above the waterfall is about 500 gallons. There are about 100 gallons in the stream at any given time. The two biological filters, the two skimmers, and the eighty feet of 2 inch pipe that connects them probably hold another 100 gallons or so.


As for the leaf net, I usually put up the pond netting around Thanksgiving and take it down in late March or early April. I use the cheap "bird netting" from HD or Lowe's that is designed to keep birds away from fruit trees. I use 20-foot long pieces of 1" diameter PVC pipe set in parabolic curves over the pond spaced about 4 feet apart. The ends of the pipe slip over pieces of #3 rebar driven into the ground. Here in Oklahoma, most of the oak leaves normally hang onto the trees until late Winter or early Spring. 
"Feeder fish" are the small inch-long cheap goldfish that people buy just to feed to larger fish and turtles.

As for rocks in the bottom of the pond, you should read the debates on the various pond and water garden forums. There are folks who feel strongly both ways. In fact, some of their discussions make our "track power vs. battery power" wars look like child's play. I've built and maintained ponds both ways. Yes, a pond without rocks in the bottom is easier to maintain, but I like the look and am willing to do the extra cleaning necessary. I modified a large shop-vac into a pond vacuum and have used it for several years on my previous ponds.


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