Really neat. I live in Flour Bluff on the east side of Corpus Christi, and I am wanting to build a natural pond in my sandy backyard using clay and then lining the bottom with white rock and limestone. I want to make the pond look like the Comal River in New Braunfels ( a natural spring fed river) and plant it and stock it with plants and fish from the river. I live in a Zone 10A climate (nearly tropical) with an average annual low of about 31F. I have a tropically landscaped backyard, and I think having a natural spring looking pond would be awesome underneath my jungle canopy I am starting to grow in the backyard. I would like to make the pond about 10 - 12 feet long, about 8 ft. wide and about 4. 5 - 5 ft. deep. with a small waterfall and filtration for the fish and aquatic life. I would like to power this with a small solar panel attached to the fence or the roof of the house (where it can get some sunlight). Any suggestions? Thanks, John

Photos show the 'before' and 'after' our pool equipment was covered. Covering is lightweight, maintenance free and a filter motor noise reducer. The metal frame was found in a dumpster, coincidentally the shape of the equipment group. The 'adobe house' pieces and windows are cut with a saber saw from 2" styrofoam 4'x8' panels from Home Depot and stucco-finished troweled with a single mixture of Joint Compound, white exterior acrylic paint and TiteBond III wood glue. House sections are positioned together and connected to the frame with pieces of 'Industrial Strength" self-stick velcro so that they can be removed for servicing the equipment. Log beams deco are cut from foam pool 'noodles' & painted. The light weight and durability of the styrofoam are perfect for this kind of project.

Oakie: I had the same dilemma last year and ended up going with the BADU jet. This was especially difficult due to the fact that, while there are alot of these installed, most of them seem to be outside the US and product reviews in English were nonexistent. I did as much research as I could and made my decision based on the long history of the Speck company that makes the pump and because our PB gave me a good deal on the installation because he had never done one before and wanted the experience. The BADU is a worthwhile addition to the pool. For exercise it would be considered too easy for a competitive swimmer. I.e., it is easy to defeat the jet if you sprint. On the other hand, staying in one spot for a half hour or more is fairly challenging. It takes a while to adjust your cadence to that of the current. From an entertainment perspective, the kids love jumping on a boogie board and "riding the river." Other things to consider are power consumption (pump has a sizeable electric motor) and noise (it's not real quiet.) There are better systems available, but cost alot more. Hope this helps.

I am in between these same two colors for hydrazzo and have kids that will be swimming too. How did your pool come out? We were just told the hydrazzo is a $10K upgrade as well. Is it worth it?