How best to dam a stream, pump the water back to a man-made pond?
Cary Zackman
3 years ago
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Embothrium
3 years agoanj_p
3 years agoRelated Discussions
newish pics of pond and stream
Comments (8)Thank you for the positive feed back. Brenda,the tree in question is a Red bud called Forest Pansy. I love it, but for some reason it has not bloomed for me yet, and every year I worry that it is dead because it takes so long to leaf out. In spite of this it is still one of my favorite trees. Dear spat72 I built my pond using a kit, which includes the liner and a skimmer and waterfall filter, with a flexible pipe that connects the two. It is an ingenious yet simple design, that makes pond building both easier, and the filtration is far superior to the older styles of pumps and filters. The rocks line the bottom and sides and add to the bio filtration. The skimmer cleans out the leaves and gunk off the surface and the waterfall portion is a large Bo filter as well. I donÂt clean it any more and other ponds, but I did invest last year in a good pond vacuum that has made life even easier. The kit I used was a small one. The link below shows photos of a much larger pond being built. Check out the kits they have for sale. Also look for my first posting in the pond gallery; http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/gal012232314290.html?25041 this is a link to my second posting for more pics http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/ponds/gal061711545355.html?13 large pond kit, how to, pics http://www.lochnesswatergardens.com/articles.asp?id=131 Bog garden design link http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/design/handbooks/watergarden/8.html On your Idea of a Bog garden. You should think about building one on the side of your pond in shallow water. Use the same pond liner as the rest of the pond, Make a underwater burm to separate it from the rest of the pond and use a bed of deep gravel to plant in directly. I donÂt use pots in my pond. I just use gravel, and larger rocks to hold it in place on the slopes....See Morehow long are pond goldfish safe without filtered water?
Comments (17)This is just an example so you won't worry so much. I do not advocate this as a way to raise precious fish. I set up a 500 gallon stocktank last March. I had no electricity available so there is no moving water or filtration. I added a few goldie babies I had wintered over in an aquarium in the house and some extra water lilies that were destined to the compost heap. I have thrown out several inches of ice several times so far this winter. I go to work at 6:30 each morning so I don't open a hole most days. It is still 3 months til spring here so I don't know if they will make it the whole winter. I would never do this with my precious goldfish that are 6 years old now but the few fish in there all summer multiplied and are alive today. I did water changes weekly all summer and replace water when I remove the ice this winter. There are some elm leaves still in there from the fall....See MoreLarge Man Made Pond
Comments (8)Since the pond gets drainage off of the mountain, it isn't strictly speaking a pond the way we talk of a pond. Our ponds are protected as much as possible from drainage since we cannot control what is in that water. Do you have any idea what is on the mountain? We also wouldn't have any outflow from our ponds going anywhere near a drinking water supply. I can't imagine any state's laws allowing it. Until you can get some decent information about your pond you need to take some precautions. The mosquitos do need to be controlled and I am sure there will be some information in that packet that is on it's way to you. Make sure there are no containers that contain water that will allow mosquitos to breed. If there are some you can't drain get some Mosquito Dunks. They can even be used in low spots where there is standing water. They are harmless to humans and pets and insects other than mosquitos and black flies. Ask what fish you can stock in the pond. Bluegills seem to be popular here for larger ponds and a relative of the guppy called the mosquito fish are often given away by your local health department for mosquito control. Fish and the frogs are great natural controls of mosquitos. Mosquitos don't lay eggs in moving water. Look into a pump if at all possible. If the kids and dogs must go out they need protection. Most states recommend products containing Deet but it can be controversial. Check with the Doctor and Vet. Many mosquito bites can cause a nasty allergic reaction. Ask your Doctor if you can give them Benedryl for bad reactions. My sons and I develop hives if there are too many bites. The Vet can give you info on how much Benedryl to give to your dogs and cats. They can be allergic too. If the water smells stagnant, it needs aeration. Circulation will cause the leaves to migrate to lower spots where they can be removed easier. It is not an easy task but buildup will hurt water quality. A pump may sound expensive but it may be your best option. Then think about what kind of plants you can add if your Extension agent recommends it. Any sort of turbulence will add oxygen to the water. It needs to go 24/7 to be effective. I'm sure your local Extension and the DNR will be helpful to you. There are commercial companies out there that can give you advice and even maintain the pond for you. They do cost a lot though. Not all advice for water gardens and fish ponds is the same for a drainage pond....See MorePump, filter, equipment - FROG ponds?
Comments (15)Hi all - wow thank you for the input! For some reason a few of these comments never made it to me via email, so sorry for the delay in response. CHAS: I think I'm going to just go with a shorter stream, which will cut down on the height a great deal. I will wrap it around the pond (instead of going straight up the sloped ground) - which will make the head height less and also keep the flow calmer for froggies. I also decided that I will focus the main pond on fish; and I'm going to put a little, shallower pond tucked along the creek which will be just for frogs - with a pump maybe, but no filter or anything (my current frog pond has just a pump/waterfall, no filter, and the frogs are very happy and healthy there). Hopefully the frogs will natuarlly choose the little pond instead of the bigger pond, and even if they lay eggs in the lower pond, I can just move them up to the froggie pond. I at least will feel like I've done my part to provide a safe haven for them :) RSINGLEY: I had read a similar recommendation elsewhere of putting mesh and other media around the pump - I like the idea, though I do wonder what the negative effect of not filtering the larger particles will be? (seems silly to get a debris handling pump and then restrict the debris from getting in, but alas, the dilemma of tadpole lovers). FROGMAN4: You'd be right on the calculation but it's not all at a 3.5' depth, and it's an oval pond. If you picture an upside down oval wedding cake: the biggest layer is 16x13 but it's only about a half-foot deep (it's a rock shelf). The second layer is 14x11 and is 1 foot deep. The third layer is 11x8 and is 2 feet deep (so total depth at the bottom will be 3.5). I calculated each "layer" out as separate pond volumes; using the oval pond forumla of L x W x D x 6.7, the top layer is 696 gallons, 2nd layer is 1031, 3rd layer is 1179 = 2906 gallons. The third (bottom) layer will have sloped walls, too, which actually will cut down the gallons, but I'm fine with over-estimating. I have wavered back and forth a hundred times about going with a skimmer filter as opposed to an external mechanical filter. I still haven't hit the "place order" button on my pump/filter order, but I made up my mind last night that I was going to go with a Laguna max flow pump (2000 gal), pressurized filter (3200), and also have a waterfall bio filter at the top. Holding off on the drain for now, but I saw some that I can add later if the need warrants. Chose the external filter instead of skimmer because I didn't want to have to do 2 pumps, and I just felt that not having the pump at the bottom (which it wouldn't be if I put the pump in the skimmer) wasn't the best idea... which was my deciding factor. I hope what I'm choosing will be sufficient... weeks of research got me here, and I'm ready to just install all this already! :) MEGANMCA: Thanks for that link - it's very helpful! I did read that pipe diameter is important - I'm going to go with 1.5" and hope that's sufficient. My sister just installed the same pump/filter combo I'm using with 1.5" and it's a beatuful flow. Her waterfall is a little lower than mine, but I think it will suffice... If not, can add a 2nd pump but hoping I don't have to do that. Thank you all so much for the input - and as always open to any other thoughts/suggestions!...See MorePatricia Colwell Consulting
3 years agopls8xx
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3 years agoCary Zackman
3 years agocyn427 (z. 7, N. VA)
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3 years agoChristopher CNC
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3 years agoCary Zackman
3 years agoEmbothrium
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3 years agoPatricia Colwell Consulting
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3 years agoKIBV Inc.
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