I dug a big hole

[beerfish]

So after a lot of planning, and a lot more digging, I finally got water in the hole and made myself a pond! There's a ton of work left, but it's getting there. Tomorrow I'm hoping to add the aquaponics bed and waterfall, then there's a lot of rock work to do. The bees finally have a proper water bowl!

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Wow that's awesome , how long to dig that hole! When I get my house I am gonna get a pond but refuse to pay someone , rather do it myself

 

[beerfish]

Wow that's awesome , how long to dig that hole! When I get my house I am gonna get a pond but refuse to pay someone , rather do it myself

It's 14'x9' and it took a long time to dig. I enlisted some help from friends, but if I were going to do it again, I'd consider renting a bobcat or at least grabbing some day laborers to get it done. It was a lot more work than I expected.

 

[oh207]

Nice! I've always wanted a pond. Are you going to put Kois inside? When I was in high school I had a 125g long with about 12 Kois inside. One of these days I hope to have a pond so I can keep them again.

 

[beerfish]

Nice! I've always wanted a pond. Are you going to put Kois inside? When I was in high school I had a 125g long with about 12 Kois inside. One of these days I hope to have a pond so I can keep them again.

The pond is only 2' deep. If I went to 4' I'd need a fence, so I'm going to do shubunkins and comets, but no koi.

 

[oh207]

The pond is only 2' deep. If I went to 4' I'd need a fence, so I'm going to do shubunkins and comets, but no koi.

Bummer. Is that a county law that it needs to be fenced in if its 4'? Will the 2' of water freeze all the way to the bottom in the winter?

 

[beerfish]

Most areas around here require anything deeper than 2' be treated like a pool, which means fences. I'm going to use a deicer and air pumps to keep it from freezing through, so I should be fine.

 

[cmantis]

Cool! I built a pond in back of my row home in Philly when I was in college. I completely leveled, terraced and scaped the back yard only to move not long after. Landlord probably made out like a bandit.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

County regulations are nutty that way, I would go for 4ft and use the fence to keep EVERYBODY out!!! However , please keep the pics coming , I am into do it yourself projects and this one is up my alley , great job and good luck with it looks like it's gonna be a wonderful pond.

 

[beerfish]

County regulations are nutty that way, I would go for 4ft and use the fence to keep EVERYBODY out!!! However , please keep the pics coming , I am into do it yourself projects and this one is up my alley , great job and good luck with it looks like it's gonna be a wonderful pond.

The problem with the fence is that it has to have really small spaces in between, and it would block the view of the pond from the rest of the yard, which would completely defeat the purpose.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Ok I gotcha yeah I didn't think of that , I had a friend who had a pond out in east meadow and he had issues with heron eating his fish , it drove him nuts lol

 

[beerfish]

Yeah, I'm worried about heron and bears. Between the bee hives and the pond, we're basically putting out a bear buffet.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

Between the bee hives and the pond, we're basically putting out a bear buffet.

I was going to say something like that, lol. Cause I've done work up that neck of the woods and I know bears are very common there.

I've always admired ponds and would love to see the progress being done on the build. Thanks for sharing

 

[CleanYourTank11]

Looking good! Did you happen to put any sort of carpet padding or lining underneath your pond liner? Not necessarily needed but I've done a ton of ponds and eventually with erosion and all you will have some rocks and earthy material poking thru that bad boy, no matter what millimeter it is. Sure you already know but a correctly sized uv is a must for clear water and bead filters are amazing for any large system especially ponds (IMO). Good luck with the rest of the build

 

[beerfish]

I used a 15'x20' underlayment that I bought specifically for the rocks and roots.

Since the aquaponics bed is basically going to be a 4'x2' filter, I'm not planning on an additional filter, but I may consider a UV filter down the line if I need one. This year I'm planning on planting peas and beans in the aquaponics bed, since it's late in the growing season. Next year it's going to be edible flowers.

 

[CleanYourTank11]

Perfect. Yeah see how it goes, usually if the ponds getting sunlight it'll be the only way to keep the water column clear. Who knows maybe the peas and beans can do it. Lol
Can't wait to see the progress

 

[Zuska]

nice pond lets see more pics when its done and has fish in it

 

[Ponyboy]

At 2 feet deep with a ledge the heron will enjoy everything you put in there

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I believe peas and beans will put nitrogen(or nitrate) into the water as I grow peas and bean to fertilize soil for next season.

 

[beerfish]

I believe peas and beans will put nitrogen(or nitrate) into the water as I grow peas and bean to fertilize soil for next season.

I'm guessing you let them die and compost into the soil?