Marial,
Sounds like you have a hole somewhere at the edge of the plant shelf, or "step". Since the pond isn't that big, you should be able to find the leak, and seal it with silicone, if its small enough...how fast are you losing water?
~Kevin

Hmmmm....sounds like you have to have a crack right at, or just under, where the water levels off. You might try draining more of the water and inspecting the insert at a lower level. The crack could be below the current water line.

I havent really timed the water loss but a day or two or a few days at most. I have looked closely and ran my fingers all around the plant shelf. Cant find anything. Once I remove the water I actually get inside and bend down on my knees, I just cant find any leaks. I use a scrub brush to get it real clean first. Should the leak be obvious?

Maybe I should load the silicone on to a height of 3 inches to cover all possible grounds. What kind of container can I find the silicone in? Tubes or paint-size cans?

I need more info please.

How much would a new insert cost? What about running a liner inside the existing one? Would that be tacky?

Sure wish I could find that leak. It doesnt sound that difficult yet I just cant find it.

Put the preform out with the garbage and buy the rubber liner. Otherwise this is probably just the first of many cracks you'll have to deal with. The rubber liner can be placed into the existing hole and take the same exact shape as the preform, but it'll last much much longer.

Is it easy to place the liner? I assume it's purchased by the foot or yard like fabric is purchased.

Is there a way to do it? Is it easy? There are rocks so I guess we remove them, then pull out the insert. Lay the fabric then put back the rocks. Did I miss anything? What kind of surprises will I have?

Thanks, Maria in PA

Hi marial,
Is your pond something like 50-90 gallons? I have a small kidney-shaped one that sounds just like your's. I got mine at Lowe's, I think.
I forget how much it cost, but was under $100. You could try to buy another one and see if it fits right over your old one, but your old one has probably warped a bit, and you might have the lip sticking too far up. I think I would just pull the old one out and replace it with the same thing. Does it have soil all around it?
Another possibility is to pull it out and then you could really find the leak, fix it, and put it back in.
I wonder what caused the leak? You probably shouldn't be standing in it. Those little ones aren't that strong.

Catherinet, it is a small one. Seems to be about 4 feet across. Hubby was conccerned that if and when we pull it out of the earth (yes it is surrounded by dirt and grass plants), the earth will cave in. That's our biggest concern. And if we cant find the exact same shape...well, we're not that handy but we sure have alot of time on our hands to undertake the project one of these days.

It did have a lilly or iris pot in there which bloomed the first year we moved in. Like an idiot, I threw it in the trash, I think it was supposed to stay in there year after year. Well we can get another pot. I didnt know they were that expensive though so now I can kick myself in the but for chucking the one we had.

Marial, there are a lot of places that sell the rubber liner. They will also help you figure which size you need. Do a Google search and check around for the best prices. I just ordered one after comparing prices, and it only took 2 days to get here. Do get a 45 mil for the best results. Don't forget to check the shipping costs!!!! Some offer free shipping but I think it is included in the price of the liner. Shipping is not exactly cheap. Best of luck. BT

Good news. We filled the pond a week ago and it is holding its water pretty well. I'd say that it lost about 2-3 inches overall and that appears to be evaporation to me. This is good news because so far since we lived here that pond has lost water so quickly that I was SURE it had a leak. Hubby thinks that he placed a rock over a leak and that's why it stopped losing water but that sounds ridiculous to me. If this continues we wont have to line it with the fabric.

If the leak comes back you could put a rubber line inside the plastic tub to seal it. You might have to glue it around the shelf.

I feel more confident now about putting a rubber liner in there if I need to.

Good news is that my neighbor who has 20 fish is willing to give me 3 of them to try this afternoon. He says for the winter I could just dump them back into his pond. He's bringing me some food to get started with too. He doesnt know what kind of fish they are, he bought the house and the fish came along in the pond. I am going to try to ID them, maybe I could post a photo of them. We're thinking of fish names right now.

I have the pump that makes the water go up the waterfall then trickle into the pond. I hope that's all the equipment I need and I hope that pump is sufficient to make oxygen, cuz I think they need that, not sure. Will I have to run it 24 hours a day?

I started a new thread today (May 30, 2007) called "Help! Today I got 4 baby Koi and a skinny frog & fat tadpole."

Please go to that post. Thanks.