# Fish Pond... The build....



## r6paul

Afternoon,

I've recently moved up to Norfolk with my job and in December i purchased my first house (Mortgages SUCK!!! lol). After getting a few jobs done around the house and building a Totoise Enclosure (http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/shelled-turtles-tortoise/286953-build-begins.html) its now time to start on the pond.

So thought i'd stick a thread up for if anyone gets bored and fancies a read lol. 


*Plan:*
Length: 10ft
Width: 6ft
Depth: 4ft

*Fish:*
Koi
Gold Fish
Golden Orfe
Sturgeon

*Filter and pump:*
Filter - Blagdon Midi Pond 10,00
Pump - Blagdon Midi Pond 4,500




So....

*Day 1* (Sat 30th May 09):


Basically the whole garden is just gravel as the previous keeper was lazy so had it gravelled. First step was to clear some of the gravel so i could see the area better. But i soon got bored of that and just started marking the area out lol

This was done with several tent pegs and string. Once it was marked i thought it was a bit big.

I then marked out 9 foot by 5 foot, which looked perfect. HOWEVER i just thought that was a tad small and wanted it bigger. So i took the gamble and though F*ck it, i'll make it the first size. 


Marked out:











Then work out and peg out where to put the shelves:












The next step was to clear it completly ready for the digging:





















Then to get the digging tools out:





















Followed by the first bit of digging:





















Some several hours later and some really bad sunburn on my back/shoulders this is all i managed to get out (about 1 foot in depth):











Mannnnn this is going to take longer than planned! lol.



And here is all the soil that has come out so far :gasp::












I was going to do some digging today (31/05/09) but i've got work at 14.30hrs and my sunburn is still really bad, hurts soooooo much (doesn't help having a 100% Polyester polo shirt on and a stabvest that rubs while working a night shift  )

After todays shift i have a few days off so plan to get it completed then.


Keep an eye out on this space.





Thanks
Paul


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## Marinam2

OMG i know how you feel. I dug a new pond last weekend when it was scorching and due to my heavy clay soil was only getting about 3 inches down at a time. So it took all of two days to manage about 2.5ft down approx 3ft long and 2ft wide, but more circular than rectangle. Also due to not excercising for a year due to baby and asthma and not wearing sun protection i could only stay in the garden for like half an hour at a time before taking a short break and resumming again after.

Marina


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## daftlassieEmma

get a load of friends round to help! then have a wee bbq afterwards


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## stacy

daftlassieEmma said:


> get a load of friends round to help! then have a wee bbq afterwards


 the friends and bbq sounds good not the digging bit tho!!!!!!!!!!!!
good luck we pond i know how you feel


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## owlbassboy

thats too much like hard work in this weather mate. ill take my hat off to you for that one. id jus grab a seat and a ice cold beer


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## sam432

OOOH i love digging soo refreshing. lovely bit of manual labour


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## Esfa

Nice to see a pond that's actually big enough for koi!! :no1::no1::no1:

But I'd miss out the sturgeon:


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## r6paul

Thanks for the comments guys, much appreciated.

Just got back from work and my back is in agony from y'days sunburn. I seem to also have stiffened up and aching a bitl. :bash:






daftlassieEmma said:


> get a load of friends round to help! then have a wee bbq afterwards


I wish it were that easy. I've just moved up from Essex to Norfolk. I've left my family, friends and other half back in Essex (Commute back to Essex every week to see her).

As its mid week mates can't get time off work to come up and help and my work mates from up here will also be at work as i'm on annual leave.





Shall crack on with the digging tomorrow, hmmmmmm great fun. 


Thanks
Paul


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## r6paul

Well day over.

Spent 3-4 hours on and off during the day and only got to this:











It was soooooo hot, just got sweaty and frustrated!



Then a motorbike mate came over and we worked non stop from 1715hrs to 2200hrs.












Doesn't look very deep there but in daylight it does.
Its currently 9ft x 5ft x 2.6ft

Just another 1.6ft to go in depth and to dig the shelves out when its ready.

Did get it down to 2.9ft but when sorting out the sides managed it pushed it back up. 

Only problem is.... at 2.9ft i hit the water table so it gets very wet :gasp:
Sooooooo tomorrow should be interesting lol.


Soil seems to be solid clay one end and just stones and snad/soil the other.



Sooooo much soil....


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## snowgoose

Looks good  could have just hired a lil digger for the day and had it done  will be good once completed  what's next on the list after the pond?


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## r6paul

snowgoose said:


> Looks good  could have just hired a lil digger for the day and had it done  will be good once completed  what's next on the list after the pond?


 
You say that....

I got sooooo fed up at lunch with digging so i rang up my local plant hire company. They said not a problem... £80 for the day for a micro digger (only one i can get into my back garden through the gate)

so waiting for it to arrive so i can crack on and get a phone call saying it has already gone out on loan for the week, he just hadn't been told.

Is annoying as i would have had it completed it today with one.


After the pond is in i've got some decking to put up and once all the soil and stones have gone it'll be turfed.



Paul


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## jack_rep

That makes me so jelous when i see people digging ponds when the soil is as good as that.

When i dug my dads not only was it thick heavy clay soil, but when my house was built the builders put down a 6 inch layer of dolomite (sp?) then instead of removing it once done they just put the top soil over it. the weight of the lorries made it compact like concrete. Getting though it was hell on earth. What should have took 2 days took 2 weeks! :bash:


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## htf666

If that is your house that the soil is piled up against you need to move it away from the wall as it will be over your d.p.c. and could make the inside damp. Apart from that,good job. Don't you get a lot of soil out of a small hole though?Harry


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## snowgoose

r6paul said:


> You say that....
> 
> I got sooooo fed up at lunch with digging so i rang up my local plant hire company. They said not a problem... £80 for the day for a micro digger (only one i can get into my back garden through the gate)
> 
> so waiting for it to arrive so i can crack on and get a phone call saying it has already gone out on loan for the week, he just hadn't been told.
> 
> Is annoying as i would have had it completed it today with one.
> 
> 
> After the pond is in i've got some decking to put up and once all the soil and stones have gone it'll be turfed.
> 
> 
> 
> Paul


Sounds like a man with a plan  Bit of a bugger about the micro digger though.


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## r6paul

jack_rep said:


> That makes me so jelous when i see people digging ponds when the soil is as good as that.
> 
> When i dug my dads not only was it thick heavy clay soil, but when my house was built the builders put down a 6 inch layer of dolomite (sp?) then instead of removing it once done they just put the top soil over it. the weight of the lorries made it compact like concrete. Getting though it was hell on earth. What should have took 2 days took 2 weeks! :bash:


You must be joking! The first 10-12 inches were nice soil. 

Then the next 1 foot 6inchs feet was just stones. Horrible! Couldn't use a spade on them so it was a pick axe and hands job!! Took AGES. Was soooooo horrible and lost the will to live.

Then on the final foot and half it was clay and bit further down is clay/sandy soil. OMG i LOVE clay! Spade in, wobble around and big chunks just slide out. Made it sooooooo much easier! The chucks were just falling out with some pressure.





htf666 said:


> If that is your house that the soil is piled up against you need to move it away from the wall as it will be over your d.p.c. and could make the inside damp. Apart from that,good job. Don't you get a lot of soil out of a small hole though?Harry


Nope, not the house, its my garage.
No idea what d.p.c stands for though.





snowgoose said:


> Sounds like a man with a plan  Bit of a bugger about the micro digger though.


 
Yep a real bugger about the microdigger as it would have been completed by now. Never mind.


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## jack_rep

r6paul said:


> Then the next 1 foot 6inchs feet was just stones. Horrible! Couldn't use a spade on them so it was a pick axe and hands job!! Took AGES. Was soooooo horrible and lost the will to live.


Aye i think diggin has got to be the worst job imaginable, its just soul destroying. And it wasnt even my pond :bash: and i didnt get paid. Think parent take the piss sometimes. 

Think your going to regret putting the soil straight on the gravel lol its going to be a bitch to get up


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## t-bo

Good luck with the build, well jealous! I wish I had a garden 

/subscribed


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## r6paul

So this is how it looked after last night:












*Todays progress* (2nd June 09):


Got up and had to pop into work to send a couple of e-mails then nipped into Tesco to see if i could get a cheap gazebo to keep the sun off us. No luck all sold out 

Mate came round at 12.30 and we started digging. Well i say we, it was mainly him as i've got big blisters and pressure marks under the skin on my hands, also a big blister on my baby toe.  They were playing up and i was struggeling to get much done.

Mate on the other hand was like a machine! He was hardcore. Before long on his half he hit 4ft. My side had only got to 2ft 9inch lol.

It wasn't soon that water started to come through. We thought we had hit the water table but as we kept digging water was going and before long the water had gone. BUT then we noticed that the water is acutally coming from the side of the pond. Before long it was filling up! so wet feet, shoes and socks it was (mate standing in some of the water):











Not long after i hit some sort of fabric (that stops weeds growing up) thought it was a dead body that had been wrapped up and burried there (house is only 2 and half years old) but unfortunalty its only from where the builders had dug for foundations, then filled up with stones and crap then top soil.

Once the material was up the clay soil was AMAZING! would stick the spade in to full depth and dig big chucks of clay out! Managed to take big chunks out easily.

It was soon 1700hrs and he had to go home so we called it a day. So currently at:

9ft length
5ft wide
4ft deep one half and 3ft 6 deep the other half.


Here's some pictures:





















The soil:












Tomorrows plans (hopefully):

- Hire a pump to pump out the water so i can see what needs digging
- Dig out the last half foot one end
- dig out the shelves on 2 sides
- Put carpet down
- Liner to go in



Keep an eye on this space.

Thanks
Paul


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## r6paul

jack_rep said:


> Aye i think diggin has got to be the worst job imaginable, its just soul destroying. And it wasnt even my pond :bash: and i didnt get paid. Think parent take the piss sometimes.
> 
> Think your going to regret putting the soil straight on the gravel lol its going to be a bitch to get up


 
Tell me about it. I very nearly gave up y'day. Was contemplating building upwards with breeze blocks so i didn't have to dig anymore! 

When taking the sides off it just filled up the hole, i was soooo dis-heartened. BUT kept at it and glad i have now as its nearly there.

Yep i regret it loads and loads and loads! :lol2: However wasn't paying £140 on a skip that would have filled up and still had some soil left. So i'll get rid of it over time somehow. lol






t-bo said:


> Good luck with the build, well jealous! I wish I had a garden
> 
> /subscribed


 
Thanks! If you are enjoying this write up its worth having a read through my tortoise enclosure build i did the other month. (http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/shelled-turtles-tortoise/286953-build-begins.html)




Thanks
Paul 
(now finally enjoying a nice cold beer on the sofa as i look out into the garden lol)


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## jack_rep

r6paul said:


> Tell me about it. I very nearly gave up y'day. Was contemplating building upwards with breeze blocks so i didn't have to dig anymore!


Yeah we did that with railway sleepers, saved a good foot of digging! Down side was that once we filled it up with water and say the water level relivitive to the railway sleepers it became very apparant i had fitted them level :bash: But no worries, wasnt my pond :whistling2: lol


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## Trillian

Why not keep going and make it a swimming pool? Perfect for this weather...:2thumb:


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## r6paul

Trillian said:


> Why not keep going and make it a swimming pool? Perfect for this weather...:2thumb:


That had crossed my mind several times over the last few days!


Update on the way.



Paul


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## LiamRatSnake

If only I had the space :/ :bash: Looking good so far.


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## r6paul

Right so this is how it looked last evening:











*Wednesday 3rd June 2009:*


So first job. Buy some new wellie boots so i don't get rotting feet today lol. Then hired a pump to pump out the water:




















Then set to work with the digging. Managed to get rid of all the sludge and the floor was perfect!!! Was nice sand and was brilliant!!

But the before long more water started coming in  which ruined it. Before long i'd dug part of it to 5ft deep while trying to get the sludge out. :gasp:

Then the shelves came out. One end was easy as it was clay and it could mould into shelves. However the other side was stones and it didn't go so well, some of it crumbled away 


For the ground i filled it up with soil to just over 4ft. Its abit sludgy atm but should hopefully be ok in the morning.

Would have liked to have put the carpet and liner down tonight but my 2 local koi shop doesn't open on wednesdays  So that will be done tomorrow.


So this is how its looks atm:





















And here is all the soil :gasp: :












*Dimensions:*

Main part:
9ft x 5ft x 4ft

Shelving:
1ft by 1.6ft deep

Making it all:
10ft x 6ft x 4ft



Plan for tomorrow:
- Clear out any sludge/water
- lay carpet
- lay liner
- fill pond


Thanks 
Paul


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## daftlassieEmma

looks good mate, it'll be well worth it once it's completed : victory:

well done! :no1:


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## AshMashMash

This is looking epically good. I have been watching it since you started. Keep up the good work and the pics!


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## t-bo

Coming along well, when you see all that dirt you appreciate just how much digging has gone on 

I hate to bring it up... but isnt rain forcast in the next few days?


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## Marinam2

I'm glad i'm not the only one with heavy clay!!! Only mine is only about a ft down so it makes planting a nightmare!!!

Its looking great you have certainly put in an enormous effort. If you wanna get rid of that top soil quickly and for free put it on free cycle i had over 8 replies for some and luckily three people in total took the lot.

Marina


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## Stew

really nice mate, i have just recently put in a pond. Because i have only a relatively small rear yard i was restricted to size etc, so i opted for a 7 x4 x4 {at the deepest, with a marginal shelf.
Its made out of double skinned 3x2 with 9x2 on the corners and large angle irons supporting the structure, there is still some finishing work to do to give it a nice touch.


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## hillzi

Wow Paul, you must really love your animals!

The wicked tort enclosure and sweating and burning and working your nuts of for a pond; I can see it will be wicked 

good luck!


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## r6paul

Thanks for the replys people.




t-bo said:


> .....I hate to bring it up... but isnt rain forcast in the next few days?


Its teased us a couple of times today but luckily its held off.





Marinam2 said:


> ....Its looking great you have certainly put in an enormous effort. If you wanna get rid of that top soil quickly and for free put it on free cycle i had over 8 replies for some and luckily three people in total took the lot......


 
Cheers for the tip. Theres only a tiny bit of clay/sand/soil, Don't think many people will want builders rubble, as thats what most of it is 






Stew said:


> really nice mate, i have just recently put in a pond. Because i have only a relatively small rear yard i was restricted to size etc, so i opted for a 7 x4 x4 {at the deepest, with a marginal shelf.
> Its made out of double skinned 3x2 with 9x2 on the corners and large angle irons supporting the structure, there is still some finishing work to do to give it a nice touch.


Nice Pind stew, looking good! What do you have in it?





hillzi said:


> Wow Paul, you must really love your animals!
> 
> The wicked tort enclosure and sweating and burning and working your nuts of for a pond; I can see it will be wicked
> 
> good luck!


Yer they are alright lol.




Will update todays progress soon.

Thanks
Paul


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## r6paul

*Thursday 4th June 2009:*


Right so this morning i get up and wander outside to see what the water damage has done. GREAT, its sooooooo wet in there! small pond again but not as bad as the night before.

Popped down to my local Koi shop and buy the liner and some protector to go under it (As well as carpet)

Back to the base and get 3 buckets out and i began to bail it out. 1 hour later most accesable water is out. But still soooooooooooooo sludgy!










Didn't really want to dig it all out as it was already at 4ft and the liner wouldn't fit for anything deeper than 4ft 5inchs. BUT it was farrrrr to wet. So mate came round and we dug most of the wet sludge out. Left it so that it was still abit wet but not so when you put your feed in you stick to the floor :lol:











Next job was to quickly get everything down before the water started coming back in  So first went in the carpet:




















Next went in the 'special pond protector stuff'. 25mx2m roll went in :lol:












Then to get the pond liner in the pond!











But some of it wasn't sealed  So back to the Koi shop to get it replaced. Back to base and in it went:











Was really hard to get it in the right position, and we both thought of several ways to do it. But in the end decided to get it level then just fill it up with water and sort it out bit by bit while it was filling up:






































I spent most of the evening inside the pond in my swimming trunks, music up loud and several beers near me lol. But it started to get cold by 2100hrs so i got out and dried myself. 

I've turned off the water now as its getting late and its near the top. Still need to sort out the shelving liner before its full. 



This morning the pump arrived. However i'm sending it back and bought a new one. Reason behind this is i worked my sums out wrong. The 4500 pump is fine for the pond if i just want to run a filter. HOWEVER want to run a waterfall too. SOOOOooooo i've purchased the 6500, which can cope with filter, waterfall and fountain. Was only an extra £14 - Score. That should arrive tomorrow.



*Tomorrows plan:*

- Sort out lining on the shelves.
- Finish filling it up
- Stick a couple of goldfish in it, just to get things going. 

No other fish will go in it for a week or 2, until its all seatled down and running well.



Watch this space.

Thanks
Paul


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## Vase

Awesome thread :2thumb:....and pond obviously.

One of the first things I did when I moved into this house was dig a pond. I hit clay (and a dog!) before 3ft down and gave up.

I have no staying power :bash:


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## AshMashMash

Awesome stuff paul! Always looks so much better with water in 

My claim to fame is that I managed to re-line my 1800 litre pond (yeh, I know, not mahoosive), by myself, removal of plants and fish included in the time, in a one day stretch :2thumb: 

1. Fish/plants out, and into anything big I could find
2. Water out
3. Old liner out
4. New liner in
5. Re-fill using 3 hoses :whistling2: + dechlorinator
6. Get filters running again, put plants in, sort out edging of liner
7. Fish in. Job done!


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## edgley

ah if only i could drive id come give you a hand, i helped build quite a few ponds and its also quite a laugh!

hope it all goess well mate, look forward to seeing the end result, ill try and get some pics of the ones i helped do if you would like


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## spider_duck

Vase said:


> Awesome thread :2thumb:....and pond obviously.
> 
> One of the first things I did when I moved into this house was dig a pond. I hit clay (*and a dog!*) before 3ft down and gave up.
> 
> I have no staying power :bash:


EEEWWW!!!


That pond looks awesome, cant wait to see it finished :notworthy:


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## r6paul

AshMashMash said:


> Awesome stuff paul! Always looks so much better with water in
> 
> My claim to fame is that I managed to re-line my 1800 litre pond (yeh, I know, not mahoosive), by myself, removal of plants and fish included in the time, in a one day stretch :2thumb:
> 
> 1. Fish/plants out, and into anything big I could find
> 2. Water out
> 3. Old liner out
> 4. New liner in
> 5. Re-fill using 3 hoses :whistling2: + dechlorinator
> 6. Get filters running again, put plants in, sort out edging of liner
> 7. Fish in. Job done!


 
Ah good work!






edgley said:


> ah if only i could drive id come give you a hand, i helped build quite a few ponds and its also quite a laugh!
> 
> hope it all goess well mate, look forward to seeing the end result, ill try and get some pics of the ones i helped do if you would like


 
Ttoo late now 

Yer go for it, the more pics the better IMO



Update on its way.


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## _jake_

r6paul said:


> *Thursday 4th June 2009:*
> 
> 
> Right so this morning i get up and wander outside to see what the water damage has done. GREAT, its sooooooo wet in there! small pond again but not as bad as the night before.
> 
> Popped down to my local Koi shop and buy the liner and some protector to go under it (As well as carpet)
> 
> Back to the base and get 3 buckets out and i began to bail it out. 1 hour later most accesable water is out. But still soooooooooooooo sludgy!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Didn't really want to dig it all out as it was already at 4ft and the liner wouldn't fit for anything deeper than 4ft 5inchs. BUT it was farrrrr to wet. So mate came round and we dug most of the wet sludge out. Left it so that it was still abit wet but not so when you put your feed in you stick to the floor :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Next job was to quickly get everything down before the water started coming back in  So first went in the carpet:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Next went in the 'special pond protector stuff'. 25mx2m roll went in :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Then to get the pond liner in the pond!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But some of it wasn't sealed  So back to the Koi shop to get it replaced. Back to base and in it went:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Was really hard to get it in the right position, and we both thought of several ways to do it. But in the end decided to get it level then just fill it up with water and sort it out bit by bit while it was filling up:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I spent most of the evening inside the pond in my swimming trunks, music up loud and several beers near me lol. But it started to get cold by 2100hrs so i got out and dried myself.
> 
> I've turned off the water now as its getting late and its near the top. Still need to sort out the shelving liner before its full.
> 
> 
> 
> This morning the pump arrived. However i'm sending it back and bought a new one. Reason behind this is i worked my sums out wrong. The 4500 pump is fine for the pond if i just want to run a filter. HOWEVER want to run a waterfall too. SOOOOooooo i've purchased the 6500, which can cope with filter, waterfall and fountain. Was only an extra £14 - Score. That should arrive tomorrow.
> 
> 
> 
> *Tomorrows plan:*
> 
> - Sort out lining on the shelves.
> - Finish filling it up
> - Stick a couple of goldfish in it, just to get things going.
> 
> No other fish will go in it for a week or 2, until its all seatled down and running well.
> 
> 
> 
> Watch this space.
> 
> Thanks
> Paul


Oh no you didn't.


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## r6paul

*Friday 5th June 2009:*


Got up, put abit more water in the pond. Not right to the top though as still need to sort the liner out at the top.

Popped to my local fish shop - Kings Lynn Koi - and picked up a couple of bits:
- 4 gold fish 
- Tap water chlorine remover


Got back home, chucked the chlorine remover in and let the goldfish/bag float in their new home.

New pump had arrived that morning too (LOVE next day delivery!!!) so got that out and started playing with it lol. Before long i decided just to put it in the bottom of the pond with no adapter for the time being just to get some oxygen in the pond. All wired up and was shooting out shed loads of water!!!












Then released the gold fish into their new home! They seemed to love it! Where swimming all over the place!



Then popped down to B&Q and picked up some slabs to have around 3/4 of the sides:











This is how it looks currently:











Slabs are just there for the time being to keep liner in place. Plan is to have slabs around the 2 sides and closest to the house. The end by the fence will have some sort of rockery/waterfall feature there eventually.

Once again overspent and gone well into my overdraft.... Just like every other project i do :lol2:


Gold fish are in there as a 'tester'. Sounds a bit evil but need to test the water to make sure its alright. They are all still alive (Sun 7th June 09), and seem to be having fun.

I will put more fish in over time but several reasons why i won't atm:
- Filter still hasn't arrived!  want that up and running before adding anymore fish.
- Koi are expensive lol
- Want the slabs/liner in place before adding anything




I didn't get anything done over the weekend as went back to Essex to see the O/H. Back in Lynn now, but on a course next week so won't get anything done.

But on a plus side the land owner of the field opposite my house said i could dump my soil there so thats a good way to get rid of it 



Thanks
Paul


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## r6paul

_jake_ said:


> Oh no you didn't.


 
Oh yes i did. 4 infact. Why? Is there a problem you can think of?


Thanks
Paul


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## _jake_

Isn't it alot like cycling with fish?. Surely the nitrite, ammonia and the temperature of the water would possibly kill the goldies?


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## reptile_man_08

_jake_ said:


> Isn't it alot like cycling with fish?. Surely the nitrite, ammonia and the temperature of the water would possibly kill the goldies?


Ponds are a lot different to aquariums.Anyway have you never heard of fish cycling?
It can be done, even in tiny aqauriums.


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## _jake_

But its cruel. Anyhow, i've never had a pond or researched about them, so just ignore me lol


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## r6paul

_jake_ said:


> Isn't it alot like cycling with fish?. Surely the nitrite, ammonia and the temperature of the water would possibly kill the goldies?


 
With my very limited knowledge....

Ponds are very different to tanks and gold fish are very hardy! Think how many lived while being given as prizes at fairs.

Temperature isn't a problem. Think how cold it is over the winter..... Cruel is sticking loads of fish in a tiny tank. These guys have a MASSIVE house. lol

There are just 4 little goldies in there, and they are as happy as larry. But don't worry nothing else is going in there until the filter is sorted and the ponds had some 'weathering'.

Plus i'm on a course for a week and don't get paid till friday so nothing can happen pond wise.



Thanks
Paul


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## daftlassieEmma

r6paul said:


> Ponds are very different to tanks and gold fish are very hardy! Think how many lived while being given as prizes at fairs.


 agreed, ponds are have a larger volume of water compared to aquariums

one thing i would say though, just cause goldies are hardy and live as fair prizes doesn't mean they're thriving or happy...


----------



## r6paul

daftlassieEmma said:


> agreed, ponds are have a larger volume of water compared to aquariums
> 
> one thing i would say though, just cause goldies are hardy and live as fair prizes doesn't mean they're thriving or happy...


 
Agreed. Was just using that point to prove that they are hardy fish.
Hopefully they are as hapy as larry in my pond. They seem to be. 


Thanks
Paul


----------



## reptile_man_08

_jake_ said:


> But its cruel. Anyhow, i've never had a pond or researched about them, so just ignore me lol


Its not, if you do it right. Although fishless cycling is much less stessful lol.Ponds have to be cycled the same, going through the same cycling process.Ammonia>Nitrite>nitrate, but do they have weekly water changes?


----------



## JotnJosie

Very nice pond so far keep up the good work


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Do you really think that four little goldfish will pollute the massive amount water enough to affect them? Anyway looking good mate, liking it, can I see a tort enclosure in the background too?


----------



## TUBBS

Most filter bacteria in ponds die off over winter from being turned off to prevent messing with the 4C water layer at the bottom or through the temperature just getting too cold in the filter for the bacteria to survive in any decent number. So unless its heated (stupidly expensive and not natural to koi and goldfish...) then every spring the filter has to re-cycle anyway, so it's unavoidable, that and the fact that 4 goldfish couldn't pollute the water anywhere near enough to cause a spike of measureable levels in that pond

it's getting there though mate

one question, why didn't you build up the sides? save digging as much, or to just add more depth?


----------



## snake rescuer

i would build the sides up too. i did it with mine using old railway sleepers then decking top and sides. give a bit more depth and looks great. also helps provent thing falling into the pond. 
just an idea...


----------



## r6paul

LiamRatSnake said:


> ....Anyway looking good mate, liking it, can I see a tort enclosure in the background too?


Your right, it is the tortoise enclosure 






TUBBS said:


> ....it's getting there though mate
> 
> one question, why didn't you build up the sides? save digging as much, or to just add more depth?


Thanks,

Got a picture i can see of yours?

The plan to start with was to have a natural level pond, with the intention of possibly building up the sides in a couple of years when the koi grow. However i'm having second thoughts atm and might build up soon.





snake rescuer said:


> i would build the sides up too. i did it with mine using old railway sleepers then decking top and sides. give a bit more depth and looks great. also helps provent thing falling into the pond.
> just an idea...


Got a picture i can see?

Its an idea i've been thinking of, and do love railway sleepers. I would raise it another 1.6ft - 2ft but would railway sleepers be heavy enough to withstand an extra 3398 litres? Plus would also have to get some more liner and would somehow have to get that sealed to the old liner.



The filter has arrived, but as already stated, i am on a training course away from home this week so no pictures or updates as yet. Will write them up when i get home.



Thanks
Paul


----------



## redshazzy

we have railway sleepers edging our pond and they hold our liner perfect ,they are more stable than slabs ,we had slabs originaly until one gave way on hubby when he was sorting some thing in the pond,
looking good by the way i can remember back to hubby digging out ours he now wants to make it even bigger ,to me its big enough but the sturgeon are getting huge lol,


----------



## TUBBS

railway sleepers are great for building sides up, faster and easier than blocks as you just use the massive timber screws to bolt them all together and they are strong enough from ones i've seen mate  just lay them flat and secure them in an overlapping frame like u would blocks

this is my pond from 08 after clean









and drained to clean with a 10L bucket at the bottom


----------



## r6paul

redshazzy said:


> we have railway sleepers edging our pond and they hold our liner perfect ,they are more stable than slabs ,we had slabs originaly until one gave way on hubby when he was sorting some thing in the pond....


Yer? How big is your pond? Any pics i can see?
Is your pond raised? Or do the sleepers just hold the liner in place?





TUBBS said:


> railway sleepers are great for building sides up, faster and easier than blocks as you just use the massive timber screws to bolt them all together and they are strong enough from ones i've seen mate  just lay them flat and secure them in an overlapping frame like u would blocks....


Some good pics! Nice work! Bet that was a mission with just 1 bucket!

With reguards to building up with sleepers... Does the bottom one need to be concreted down like slabs/blocks? Or can it just rest on top?



Thanks
Paul


----------



## r6paul

TUBBS said:


>


 
What plant is that in the middle to the right? the spikey one.


Thanks
Paul


----------



## CornSnakeLover

We done this. Me and the family and we were aching for ages after wards. I hope it turns out how you want it to. Ours gave us hell with fitting plants and doing the water full part. 

its look nice so far


----------



## TUBBS

plant is an iris

if its sleepers or blocs it dont need a concrete base, just a concreat "ring" where they are going to provide a solid level base


----------



## r6paul

CornSnakeLover said:


> We done this. Me and the family and we were aching for ages after wards. I hope it turns out how you want it to. Ours gave us hell with fitting plants and doing the water full part.
> 
> its look nice so far


Tell me about it! I still have the blisters!!! Got a picture of yours?





TUBBS said:


> plant is an iris
> 
> if its sleepers or blocs it dont need a concrete base, just a concreat "ring" where they are going to provide a solid level base


 
Ah cheers thanks. I picked an Iris up this evening. Update on the way.


----------



## r6paul

Well this week i've been the other side of Norfolk on a training course. I managed to get home monday night for a couple of hours and luckily the filter had arrived an was with the neighbours. So picked that up and put it together:


































































Then went back to training course and was there until this afternoon. When i got back home this evening i went on a little shopping spree lol.

- Took the slabs back to B&Q as i've decided to go with railway sleepers around the side.
- While at B&Q picked up a weatherproof RCD protected outdoor power kit.




















At the local fish shop i bought:


- An Iris:











- A Koi:











- 16ft of tube stuff to connect pump to filter.












Currently looks like this:













Filter is on running but is on a wet test atm, will wire the UVC light tomorrow.

All 4 goldfish were still having fun swimming around.

Added 1 koi tonight, no more fish will go in for 3-4 weeks, as the filter needs to do its job and build up the good bacteria.

Iris is in the corner on the shelf, however need to get some bricks or something for it to sit on as shelf is too deep. 

Still looks crap and will continue to do so until the sleepers are here and in place. But it shall do for now.




Paul


----------



## owlbassboy

great stuff mate id love to stick a pond in the garden but with rented accomodation(sp) its not going to happen


----------



## Esfa

Looking good! 

Do any of your neighbours/mates have ponds?
If so, just ask them for a tiny bit of the media in their filter and put it in yours - instant maturity. :no1:


----------



## daftlassieEmma

r6paul said:


>


 braw wee fish :no1:


----------



## t-bo

Yay a Koi 

All coming a long nicely!


----------



## CWD

Well looking good !! keep up the good work


----------



## johne.ev

TUBBS said:


> Most filter bacteria in ponds die off over winter from being turned off to prevent messing with the 4C water layer at the bottom or through the temperature just getting too cold in the filter for the bacteria to survive in any decent number. So unless its heated (stupidly expensive and not natural to koi and goldfish...) then every spring the filter has to re-cycle anyway, so it's unavoidable, that and the fact that 4 goldfish couldn't pollute the water anywhere near enough to cause a spike of measureable levels in that pond
> 
> Filters should run 24/7, only turn them off for short periods while cleaning.


----------



## TUBBS

tanks and heated ponds yes, but out door ponds here get that cold that most bacteria in the filter die anyway, and seeing as the fish are not active and not feeding over winter i know a fair few that go off and are no worse than others

ours stay on but its personal choice


----------



## r6paul

owlbassboy said:


> great stuff mate id love to stick a pond in the garden but with rented accomodation(sp) its not going to happen


Yer i know how you feel on that one! Has taken ages to finally get my own shin dig, now i have it, its great to have one.




Esfa said:


> ....
> Do any of your neighbours/mates have ponds?
> If so, just ask them for a tiny bit of the media in their filter and put it in yours - instant maturity. :no1:


 
Good idea.... but no, no-one around here does.






daftlassieEmma said:


> braw wee fish :no1:





t-bo said:


> Yay a Koi
> 
> All coming a long nicely!


Yep a baby Koi, 5-6". The blighter cost £20!! Why are they sooooo expensive?!





CWD said:


> Well looking good !! keep up the good work


Thanks, yer its getting there. But still looks ugly and will do until complete which is a fair bit away.



Thanks
Paul


----------



## daftlassieEmma

r6paul said:


> Yep a baby Koi, 5-6". The blighter cost £20!! Why are they sooooo expensive?!


 he looks like a good quality fish 

price varies wildly for koi, just depends what you want


----------



## TUBBS

is it from isreal? or british bred?


----------



## Vase

That Koi is a little stunner. I'd say it was a Sanke : victory:


----------



## AshMashMash

Looking good Paul  Watch when you're putting the paving stones on, the cement is amazingly alkaline, as I am sure you know. 

Loving the pics.


----------



## funky1

Lookinf fantastic already - keep up the good work. Just imagine how sweet it`s gonna be sitting by your pond on a lovely sunny day, beer in hand and listening to the sound of running water - it`ll make it all worthwhile!!!


----------



## r6paul

Vase said:


> ... I'd say it was a Sanke : victory:


No its definatly a fish 





AshMashMash said:


> Looking good Paul  Watch when you're putting the paving stones on, the cement is amazingly alkaline, as I am sure you know.
> 
> Loving the pics.


Cheers. Thanks for the tip and concern about the paving stones however they have gone back, i'm having railway sleepers there now instead to hold the liner down.





funky1 said:


> Lookinf fantastic already - keep up the good work. Just imagine how sweet it`s gonna be sitting by your pond on a lovely sunny day, beer in hand and listening to the sound of running water - it`ll make it all worthwhile!!!


Thanks.

Tell me about it! Can't WAIT till its complete!!! All i can think of is getting the pond and garden finished so its not a building site and i can just sit down out there and chillax with a beer.



Thanks
Paul


----------



## r6paul

Update:

*Sunday 14th June 2009:*


This is how you might remember it:




















Don't be fooled, that makes my garden look MASSIVE, but its really not! Its quite small in honesty. Looks tiny from my living room.




And this is how it looks now:





















Hahahaha, no real difference other than i put some nice rocks in on the shelves. Not sure if i like them down the left hand side TBH. They might come back out, but the ones at the back will stay.

Its suprisingly clear when the pump is turned off!!! (not that you can tell in the pics. And when the pumps on you can still see to the bottom but its hard as the waters moving. 

The wirings not long enough atm for filter to stay where it was, thats why its been moved for the time being until i buy some wire.

Going to order the railway sleepers tomorrow so hopefully will get the lining down in place this week (wishful thinking lol)



Thanks 
Paul


----------



## reptile_man_08

Looks good, those rocks will go nice and green soon:lol2:


----------



## AshMashMash

r6paul said:


> No its definatly a fish


I wondered about doing this joke :blush:



r6paul said:


> Cheers. Thanks for the tip and concern about the paving stones however they have gone back, i'm having railway sleepers there now instead to hold the liner down.


Awesome


----------



## r6paul

Railway sleepers ordered. Expensive! lol.

There were 2 types.... 8ft6 or 10ft. Wanted the 10ft ones as the lengh is 10ft but they were just too expensive so have ordered:

5x 8ft6 sleepers = £86 inc delivery.

Will have to cut them into the correct size myself....



Paul.


----------



## AshMashMash

The fish better appreciate it :whistling2:


----------



## natho8

looks gd m8


----------



## mariekni

its looking really good. i've been following the thread all the way and WOW. cant wait to see how it improves more. ( altho its looking amazing already) well done hun


----------



## r6paul

Sleepers arrived this morning. Put 4 of them into place this evening. Although haven't cut them yet. They look alright and take my eye away from the ugly liner.

Pond is still clearish but the green algee has now built up due to the stones  And its getting murkey 


Can't wait to get the sleepers cut and into their final place.


Will take some pics in the daylight.



Thanks
Paul


----------



## r6paul

Afternoon,

Quick update....




So atm it looks like this:











Although some of the railway sleepers are in place i'm sending them back. Reason for this is the ones there atm have butaine and tar on/in them and i'm worried about it running into the pond when it rains heavily etc. Sooooo some newly made ones have been ordered and the old ones will go back. Should be at the end of the week the new ones come.


Today i also bought 3 more Koi (Couldn't get any decent pictures of them though  ):




















And off into the pond they went:





















I was worried about the first Koi i put in as he wasn't doing much but it turns out he was just lonely. As soon as the 3 new Koi went in he was swimming with them and alot more active!


So hopefully the new sleepers will be in at the end of the week and i can finish sorting out the liner.

Thanks
Paul.


----------



## daftlassieEmma

you have excellent taste in koi, love the ogon :no1:


----------



## snowgoose

that white koi is lovely  definitely coming along nicely


----------



## rugbystar55

very nice mate


----------



## Tomcat

Looking good Bud  Cant wait to see it al finished, ive been following this thread, and it coming along nicely mate!


----------



## AshMashMash

Looking good! What nice koi


----------



## Captainmatt29

Looks great, what are you doing to combat the nightmare they call the algae and the pond weed?


----------



## r6paul

Thanks everyone 


Started on removing the dirt from the garden this afternoon. Where i am living they are still building and there is a field opposite me which has plans to be built on next year. I popped into the show room and got a written note saying i could dump the soil in the field.... score!




messengermatt said:


> Looks great, what are you doing to combat the nightmare they call the algae and the pond weed?


There isn't any pond weed in there, just 1 plant atm.

With regards to the algae.... NOOOoooooo idea yet. Its already started to build up and the liner has gone green  Any one have any ideas? lol



Thanks
Paul


----------



## Marinam2

Mine did within days, despite having two fully mature plants in the water. I dont have to worry too much though no fish in mine just one lonely frog.

Marina


----------



## Captainmatt29

Well it still looks great, the fish are fantastic


----------



## r6paul

It stayed clear for ages, only went green after adding the rocks 

Want more fish but need more money and need to let the filter catch up with the ones i've just added.




Thanks
Paul


----------



## Darth_Vandal87

ive bin following the thread eagerly and am very impressed its coming along great, i dont no anything at all about ponds except if they are done right they can look fab, cant wait to see more pics and your progress, keep up the gud work.

Dan


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Could you not add some lily pads to add some cover and shade? Looking good as ever!


----------



## r6paul

ive bin following the thread eagerly and am very impressed its coming along great, i dont no anything at all about ponds except if they are done right they can look fab, cant wait to see more pics and your progress, keep up the gud work.

Dan 


Thanks, still a bit of time till it will be complete though. Won't look amazing like other Koi ponds i've seen but it'll do the job lol.




LiamRatSnake said:


> Could you not add some lily pads to add some cover and shade? Looking good as ever!


Yer had thought about a lily but they do grow big and wanted a clear pond tbh. Was thinking of sticking a few bricks in the bottom with a slate resting on top, so they could hide/get out the sun. Don't know yet, we shall see where this goes. 


Thanks
Paul


----------



## natho8

slate works well we but some over our bottom shelve does the trick


----------



## natho8

or put some bog wood in


----------



## LiamRatSnake

r6paul said:


> ive bin following the thread eagerly and am very impressed its coming along great, i dont no anything at all about ponds except if they are done right they can look fab, cant wait to see more pics and your progress, keep up the gud work.
> 
> Dan
> 
> 
> Thanks, still a bit of time till it will be complete though. Won't look amazing like other Koi ponds i've seen but it'll do the job lol.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yer had thought about a lily but they do grow big and wanted a clear pond tbh. Was thinking of sticking a few bricks in the bottom with a slate resting on top, so they could hide/get out the sun. Don't know yet, we shall see where this goes.
> 
> 
> Thanks
> Paul


I was thinking that it will keep the algae at bay. We have to cover ours to stop the water turning green as it's too small for lilies.


----------



## funky1

To stop the water turning green there are a few courses of action to take - none though, will work for the first few weeks poss months of the pond`s life, it`s just a natural process that the pond has to go through whilst it settles down and reaches a natural equilibrium.
Anything that puts a lot of oxygen into the water willl help to stop the algae from growing (what makes the water green) - be that a fountain, anything that makes the water move like a waterfall etc - or best of all oxygenating plants that literally pour oxygen into the water 24/7, whilst at the same time sucking up all the CO2 which the algae needs to flourish. Best bet is to get loads of Canadian Pondweed from an aquatics shop (the stuff that comes with lead around it`s base) - it comes in little bunches for about £2 - and the more the merrier. A good thing to do is split the bunches, plant up each individual piece in aquatic compost and cover surface with gravel to stop the Koi ruffaging. Then just let each little pot sink to the bottom, it will have grown 10 fold by this time next year, and if it starts to get rampant (which it shouldn`t) then just take some out!!!
The other thing algae needs to flourish (besides CO2 and nutrient rich water) is sunlight. The recommendation is to cover at least 2/3rds of the water surface with something - best bet is a few lillies. They come in loads of different varietys and there are ones suitable for all shape, sizes and depths of ponds - just do a bit of research or ask. The actual lilly pads will cover the water for you come this time next year. Another massive bonus of plants for oxygenating, is that as well as releasing oxygen, covering the surface, and giving the fiush somewher to hide - is that they soak up/flourish using the natural nutrients in a pond (think fish poo!!!) - another aid to prevente algae bloom.
You could always go to your local pond as well and `relocate` some Ramshorn Snails - these are excellent at removing all the algae that builds up along the walls and sides of the pond liner.
The thing to remember as well, is that having a `green pond` can actually be a good thing - fish love it as long as it`s not too thick as it offers them security and extra cover from birds - herons. The real danger opposed to algae id blanket weed. Get the balance of your pond right though mate, and neither of these will be a problem - promise!


----------



## alexoos

r6paul said:


> It stayed clear for ages, only went green after adding the rocks
> 
> Want more fish but need more money and need to let the filter catch up with the ones i've just added.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks
> Paul


Hi paul have been looking at the job you have been doing and enjoyed the posts, i have a pond that i am looking at winding up as new addition on way.I have about 30 fish,3 koi, several fantail goldfish etc,dont want a lot for them more interested in them going to good home. If you interested please contact me. Keep the posts up


----------



## r6paul

Thanks for all the comments.




Sorry i've not updated for a while been ooooober busy with work and serious lack of money. (Although the 15hr shift on double bubble i did 2 days ago should stock the pond with loads of fish! lol)


Heres a pic of what the old sleepers looked like when half lined up:











However due to the tar and butaine they went back and new ones arrived. These where cut up and put into place:




















Most of the soil has been shifted now, however there is still a tiny bit left to shift:





















The pond has cleared itself. The water is completly clear and can see the floor and the rocks have started to clean up too. However there is still a fair bit of green on the liner and rocks.

The Iris is slowly growing and the fishies are becoming more friendly and settling down.



Still need to finish sorting out the sleepers and liner aswell as getting rid of the soil.

I've also sorted out how i'm going to have the waterfall. Its not really going to be a waterfull but more like a seperate water section behind the pond and the have it running over the rear sleeper into the pond. Hard to explain atm, but time will tell lol.






alexoos said:


> Hi paul have been looking at the job you have been doing and enjoyed the posts, i have a pond that i am looking at winding up as new addition on way.I have about 30 fish,3 koi, several fantail goldfish etc,dont want a lot for them more interested in them going to good home. If you interested please contact me. Keep the posts up


Thanks, however i shall have to decline the offer. Other than the 4 goldfish in there atm, i plan on just having Koi.





Thanks
Paul


----------



## OliWilding

I just spent the past hour reading this and the tortoise area thread. Looking really rather swell, I wish i had the patients to do something like that tbh. Your tortoise outside enclosure was also to die for.


----------



## r6paul

A few more Koi have been introduced to the pond:


1st one - Wanted 2 of these in the pond, and now i have:











2nd and 3rd ones:











4th one - This guy isn't the best looking fish in the world and is hard to spot. HOWEVER he will grow massive and i was recommended to put on in as they are the most friendly type and are not scared easily. Soooo he will always come to the surface and the others should follow:












On the wildlife side of things there are loads of little flugs/bugs/beetles that are falling into the pond that the Koi are gobbeling up.

Also spotted my first Dragon Fly buzzing around the pond this afternoon. Was a nice blue one. lol 





OliWilding said:


> I just spent the past hour reading this and the tortoise area thread. Looking really rather swell, I wish i had the patients to do something like that tbh. Your tortoise outside enclosure was also to die for.


Thanks for your kind words.




Thanks
Paul


----------



## Mirf

That koi is utterly gorgeous!! :flrt:I love these guys.

I am amazed at the progress you have made on the pond so far, a fantastic job. I much prefer the new sleepers, they should age beautifully.

I really need to start nagging my other half about getting a pond dug!:mf_dribble:


r6paul said:


> A few more Koi have been introduced to the pond:
> 
> 1st one - Wanted 2 of these in the pond, and now i have:


----------



## freekygeeky

i really like the koi you dont! lol


----------



## daftlassieEmma

r6paul said:


> 4th one - This guy isn't the best looking fish in the world and is hard to spot. HOWEVER he will grow massive and i was recommended to put on in as they are the most friendly type and are not scared easily. Soooo he will always come to the surface and the others should follow:
> 
> Also spotted my first Dragon Fly buzzing around the pond this afternoon. Was a nice blue one. lol


they (chagoi) look a lot better when they're bigger, nice big defined scales, and definately friendly 











chances are it was a blue damselfly, best way to distinguish the two is to look at their wings when they land: dragonflies hold theirs out to the side wheras damsels fold theirs : victory:


----------



## Mirf

Is that yours? :mf_dribble:


daftlassieEmma said:


> they (chagoi) look a lot better when they're bigger, nice big defined scales, and definately friendly


----------



## daftlassieEmma

Mirf said:


> Is that yours? :mf_dribble:


 i wish :lol2:


----------



## r6paul

daftlassieEmma said:


> they (chagoi) look a lot better when they're bigger, nice big defined scales, and definately friendly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> chances are it was a blue damselfly, best way to distinguish the two is to look at their wings when they land: dragonflies hold theirs out to the side wheras damsels fold theirs : victory:


 
Yer you're right they do look better when bigger and apparently they do get big quickly. They had a few bigguns at the shop. He is hard to spot atm as he is only 4inch lol.

If thats the case i think it was a damsel 

Right off to work 


Thanks
Paul


----------



## r6paul

Not updated in a while.

TBH not much has actually changed with the pond in the last few weeks.
What has changed is:

- All of the soil has been shifted
- Rocks have been taken off the left shelf and built up on the rear shelf so they come up and out of the water.
- Got someone coming to turf the garden next week
- Bought and put in a Superfish Koi Flow 30 air pump.
- Re-wired everything into 1 little box:




















- Added these 2 little'uns:


----------



## Reptile-newb

Beautiful sturgeon. I have 2 diamondbacks, 1 siberian, 2 sterlets, 1 albino sterlet and 3 stellates myself.

You have a beautiful pond and some really nice koi. Good work!


----------



## r6paul

Reptile-newb said:


> Beautiful sturgeon. I have 2 diamondbacks, 1 siberian, 2 sterlets, 1 albino sterlet and 3 stellates myself.
> 
> You have a beautiful pond and some really nice koi. Good work!


 
Thanks for the kind words!

Unfortunatly they have to go back 

They where sold as Sterlets, but as you prob know they are Siberians. Being a Koi and Sturgeon Newb i was blissfully unaware of this. Pond just isn't big enough for them so they will have to go back. Going to try and get some Sterlets.

Where did you get your albino sterlet from and for how much?

Your pond must be huge!

Paul


----------



## AshMashMash

I love sturgeons. You'll never see them again though! Black bottom dwelling fish against a black bottom 

Also... I thought that all-in-one wire thing was a thermostat at first! :lol2: 

Personally, I didn't like them my self, because you cant isolate just one elecitracl things from the mains to play with it, you need everything off... but, in a pond, as apposed to a fish tank, I dont think that will be a major problem.


----------



## Patmufc

nice sturgeon. Watch out for the herons though. The flippin thing has had bout 4 of our sturgeon, to big to get now though! : victory:


----------



## Jonathan85

The ponds looking fantastic,well worth all the time and effort put into it.I hope I can have one one day,wanted one for like 8 years now.


----------



## Reptile-newb

r6paul said:


> Thanks for the kind words!
> 
> Unfortunatly they have to go back
> 
> They where sold as Sterlets, but as you prob know they are Siberians. Being a Koi and Sturgeon Newb i was blissfully unaware of this. Pond just isn't big enough for them so they will have to go back. Going to try and get some Sterlets.
> 
> Where did you get your albino sterlet from and for how much?
> 
> Your pond must be huge!
> 
> Paul


I got my albino sterlet from a local fish store.
My pond is 5000 US gallons, so pretty big, but not massive.


----------



## Captainmatt29

Its come on so well, i love it when i get a house with a garden i would love to have something like this.

Your fish are lovely and it looks so appealing, you done a great job mate.


----------



## Gutted2BLeaving

That install is absolutely shocking :naughty: 

Have you used twin and earth to wire directly into the RCD? 

(If so that's not what that cable was designed for).


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## MontyPython

Gutted2BLeaving said:


> That install is absolutely shocking :naughty:
> 
> Have you used twin and earth to wire directly into the RCD?
> 
> (If so that's not what that cable was designed for).


jasus
thats a bit harsh lad


excellent job on the pond paul, i wish i had a garden and wasnt so lazy so i could do something similar


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## r6paul

Gutted2BLeaving said:


> That install is absolutely shocking :naughty:
> 
> Have you used twin and earth to wire directly into the RCD?
> 
> (If so that's not what that cable was designed for).


 
The instal is perfectly fine.

It is internal 3 core wire and i am well aware it is not the correct wire. However it is all i had at the time and will do as a temp measure until i get the correct wire in. It will last and do the trick until then.

But thank you for your concern.



*Update:*

- The 2 Siberians went back to the shop, and i got hold of 2 18" Sterlets (From a fish farm - for the same price of the 2 12" Siberians) Which was a result!

- Had some turf laid y'day so it now looks a bit more like a garden!

- Waiting for my Koi shop to have another delivery so i can get a couple more baby Koi.

- Have just ordered a Velda Floating Skimmer which should hoefully arrive soon.


Will get some pictures tomorrow. 

Can't complete the pond until the lawn has settled and the waterfall comes either.



Thanks
Paul


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## r6paul

I've also just ordered a Blagdon Powersafe 5 outlet switchbox from eBay.

This is due to the fact that i've ordered the Velda Floating Skimmer. The 3 way switchbox as suggests only has 3 switches. So picked up a 5 way switchbox so the skimmer can be wired in and then also have a spare slot incase i decide to add lighting to the pond.


Thanks
Paul


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## MontyPython

any more updates??

this is the most interesting thread on rfuk:2thumb:

cant wait to see your final results paulr6

ps. kwak 636 is miles cooler than an r6:lol2:


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## funky1

r6paul said:


> Can't complete the pond until the lawn has settled and the waterfall comes either.


Be careful about what you have to do around the pond ie anything that `needs` doing - once the lawn is laid, you`re not meant to walk on it for a few week at least!!!

keep the pics and updates coming pal.


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## r6paul

The grass has taken, i left it for over 2 weeks before walking on it and looks good.

Pond wise:
- Velda Floating Skimmer has been wired in
- 5 Way Blagdon switch box has been wired up
- Bought and wired up 5x Blagdon Pond lights

Sleepers have been dug in and levelled. 

Decided not to buy a trough, going to build my own waterfall out of rocks and make a rock garden around the side of the pond.

Will get some pictures once i've finished.


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## f1001

bui;d is looking great!!

and i know its a bit late but i have a chagoi and was a small one like yours when we got it and noow is a stunning HUGE fish and is really great for making all the other fish much more freindly


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## knotism037

any more updates?


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## a1dzcannon

nice work  we built a pond in out back garden a few months ago, turned out great! Got a few koi carp in there work £400+ and a variety of others  Koi carp are buetys though there massive to! Only took us 3 days to build which was ok, it's about 4ft deep to so was alot of digging, filled up the bigeest skip we could get. The skip was brimming we were worried we might of had to get another but we kept pileing it on and it was a little mound in the end ust sitting there almost toppling over haha. Worth it though


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## ruby

when we gettin too see end result ?


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## r6paul

ruby said:


> when we gettin too see end result ?


When i finish it lol.

Been really busy so not had chance to do much work on it. 

Update so far: 
- sleepers have been dug in and screwed together.
- Another Iris has been added
- Performed waterfall has been bought to put in place when i get time


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## reptile boy

yer i cant wait ether to see the finishin product, check out our up date on our pond build still no were nere finished have some more kio comin very soon http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/aquatics-pictures/336511-new-pond-build.html : victory:


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## Natonstan

Hey Check out this video of my pond: YouTube - Pond Tour Its been going for a good 6 years now and is fully developed, I no longer feed the fish as I had tons of worms, bigs etc growing in there, I have 3 sections, 2 waterfalls and lot's of plants.


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## reptile boy

Natonstan said:


> Hey Check out this video of my pond: YouTube - Pond Tour Its been going for a good 6 years now and is fully developed, I no longer feed the fish as I had tons of worms, bigs etc growing in there, I have 3 sections, 2 waterfalls and lot's of plants.


awsome natural pond i bet that took a while to get fully developed plants ect, five stars ***** well look some think like stars :lol2:


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## Natonstan

reptile boy said:


> awsome natural pond i bet that took a while to get fully developed plants ect, five stars ***** well look some think like stars :lol2:


Thanks! Yeah I think the first few years the plants never actually grew but for some reason they suddenly shot up, it's good when its sunny and all the Lilly pad flowers open up :2thumb:


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## RankinsDragons12

wow its really nice


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## funky1

Come on bud - it`s gonna be Autumn soon!, have you got any final pics mate?


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## Marinam2

Can we have some more pics i've been dying to see what it looks like now.

Marina


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## russm

This loks like an amazing project mate. i would love a big pond in my garden but it is just not big enough. The soil in the first photo looks pretty compact so dont envy you doing the digging.


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## redlion

cant wait for the end result


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## r6paul

I am ashamed to say there isn't really an update atm. I've been really busy with work. I'm curently on a 3 week driving course the other side of Norfolk so can't even work on it atm.

Basically the pond is pretty much there, the only things left to do are:
- re-wire everything and put it in place
- Get the pre-formed waterfall into place and rocked in
- Plant plants around the pond

Another reason i've not really done much is i'm seriously contemplating a new filter. I've been looking at Bakki Showers. My local Koi shop has the cheaper fibreglass 3 teir ones. Looking at a 3 teir one with media, but even with a good discount i'm looking at spending £500'ish and then adding UV on top is another £100ish. 

Funds don't really allow me to do that atm, so will have to wait until next year.

When i get home thursday/friday i'll get a picture up of how it looks atm, however doesn't look that great and won't until its complete.


Thanks
Paul


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## adam151082

Cool Project.


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## Captainmatt29

Cool cant wait to see how its going!


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## r6paul

As promised here is a more up to date picture:





























Still looks pretty crappy and still have loads to do but thats how it is now.

The Koi addicition has taken over and i'm buying more and wanting more. Already planing on buying a Bakki Shower and seive.

Today i picked up one of these:




















I know its much bigger than i need for my sized pond but hey, will do the job well and when i build a bigger pond can be used there too. Also the fact that i got it for £75 instead of £124.99


Thanks
Paul


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## reptile boy

*hi paul*

now then paul let me know how ya new uv light works out as i was lookin at them for my new build seing them on swell uk, me dads got a 36watt blagdon uv they work a treat, so let me know pal how it gets on as i am tempted me self:2thumb:


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## funky1

Looking great pal - the gravel and grass make such a difference already. Gonna look immense with a few plants/reed/grasses along the back to hide the fence and pump. Can`t believe it`s come so far from the big `hole` it was at the beginning!


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## r6paul

It's been quite a few months since I’ve been on this forum and I’ve had a few PMs asking for updates on the pond so thought I’d oblige...

Well it’s now April 2010... Pond build started just under a year ago. I'm still not a happy bunny. It’s changed several times and to be honest I just want to fill it in and start from scratch.


This is how it currently looks:













These are the changes over time...

The UV was installed, before the water went in to the filter. I then added a compact sieve between the UV and filter to make cleaning easier.

This lasted a few months and the Koi seemed happy. I also purchased 2 Sterlets and an Albino Sterlet (Sturgeon) (Pic of the Albino to come)


Unknown - 17cm 












Chagoi - 18cm












Platinum Ogon -19cm 












Unknown – 20cm












Unknown – 20cm












Unknown - 21cm












Unknown – 23cm












Unknown – 24cm












Sterlet:












2nd Sterlet:














These guys where happy and my water levels where good but I just wasn’t as happy as I thought I should be. I then decided to add a Bakki Shower with BHM media. Best money I’ve ever spent on the pond! Currently only running 3 of the 4 tiers as I don’t have enough media (£140 a box and the thing takes 7-8 boxes!!) This is being run by an Aquamax Eco 16000.






















I also managed to get a good deal on a new Nexus 310 and an EA 120L airpump. So I disconnected the Blagdon Filter and the compact sieve and routed the pond pump to the UV to the Nexus and back to the pond.

This has been installed where my last year’s tortoise enclosure was. Unfortunately the harsh winter and snow ruined the enclosure and broke it L






















Yep that’s right I’m filtering a 1200 UK gallons (approx) pond with enough filtration for approx 8-10,000 gallons

The plan behind this is to buy now, so that when I come to plan and build my next pond I already have the filtration. (Planning on a 6-7,000 UK gallon pond)


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## r6paul

I then decided on advice to get rid of the sturgeon. Reasoning behind this is now I’m really getting into the Koi keeping hobby I want to get ‘real’ Koi. Sturgeon are always moving and bump into everything. I didn’t want to run the risk of the sturgeon hurting the Koi. It also makes it harder to administer products into the pond if the koi need treatment as the sturgeon are delicate and wouldn’t cope. So they where sold.


Today I purchased an 80cm measuring bowl, a Koi sock and 3 of my first ‘real’ Koi…


*47cm Female Takigawa Kujaku:*












*44cm Female Matsue Gin Rin Ochiba Shigure:*












*50cm Male Chagoi:*













So that’s it really. The misses and I are looking at moving in the next 6months – year so can’t work on the new build until we move…. However I’ll be planning: 6-7 feet deep; around 6-7,000 UK gallons; in and out of the ground; Airated bottom drain; tommy drain; skimmer; fibre glassed; and 1 or 2 windows. 


Oh and all of the smaller Koi are for sale other than the Goromo. All bought from Kings Lynn Koi (£30-40 each) last year. I’m looking for £10-15 each (depending on size). So if you’re interested, let me know.



Thanks
Paul


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## Tommy123

Hey Paul, long time no see.
The pond is looking amazing, hows the turf? :lol: Sorry to hear about your tortoises. We should catch up sometime. PM me.
Cheers.


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## ginna

LOOKS AWESOMEEE:flrt::flrt:


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