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That's a really good suggestion, I appreciate it.
One day in the future, I'd like to add some capacity by digging down deeper, so maybe it's a next year job if all is going well.
Thanks!
***The Pond Discussion Thread****
- Thread starter easyrider
- Start date
That's a really good suggestion, I appreciate it.
One day in the future, I'd like to add some capacity by digging down deeper, so maybe it's a next year job if all is going well.
Thanks!
Got a text today - fibreglassing tomorrow for 2 days. Yay. So spent the day sanding down and clearing up. I thought I would have a little more time
Then can order the window and coping stones, finally sort the pipework and we're good to go. Almost there 
So.. update 
Hot weather and warm temps inside mean that it's been completed
At 1300 - the top coat and everything is now complete. Shiny glossy appearance of wet topcoat:
Just been out a few minutes ago and the shiny top coat is curing nicely under the warm sun we're having:
The dull of cured top coat and it's hard to the finger prod. The pond inside is now mainly dull but with some glossy bits, so curing nicely. The floor still has some wet spots:
People have filled the pond after 24 hours to clean the chemicals off the topcoat and then refilled and put fish in! The fibreglasser has said that it will take 5 days to fully harden so for now wait until the walls have got off (ie dull waxy gloss) and don't kick up any dust etc. Then once their surface has cured give it a little fan blowing to shift the heavier than air vapour that could slow the floor curing.
It's expected to rain tonight and for the next couple of days. So I may need to reinstall the second drop tarp. However I suspect a couple of drops isn't going to cause a problem over the next couple of days..
Hot weather and warm temps inside mean that it's been completed
At 1300 - the top coat and everything is now complete. Shiny glossy appearance of wet topcoat:
Just been out a few minutes ago and the shiny top coat is curing nicely under the warm sun we're having:
The dull of cured top coat and it's hard to the finger prod. The pond inside is now mainly dull but with some glossy bits, so curing nicely. The floor still has some wet spots:
People have filled the pond after 24 hours to clean the chemicals off the topcoat and then refilled and put fish in! The fibreglasser has said that it will take 5 days to fully harden so for now wait until the walls have got off (ie dull waxy gloss) and don't kick up any dust etc. Then once their surface has cured give it a little fan blowing to shift the heavier than air vapour that could slow the floor curing.
It's expected to rain tonight and for the next couple of days. So I may need to reinstall the second drop tarp. However I suspect a couple of drops isn't going to cause a problem over the next couple of days..
struggling to keep on top of the green algae in my pond and the pump keeps getting this algae trapped in the propeller thus actually stopping to work properly.
anyone got any hints or tips on how to control this and prevent me from having to regularly clean the pump up at the bottom of the pond?
anyone got any hints or tips on how to control this and prevent me from having to regularly clean the pump up at the bottom of the pond?
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Blanketweed treatment.
I use Aqua Evolution stuff and it clears it up a treat. The only downside is that the pond water turns opaque for a few days if you let it get really bad.
I let it get bad and by the time I went to add a second treatment a week later, the water barely changed at all indicating that the first got it all.
Finally man'd up and started finishing the filter piping.
Fitted two rather heavy and ungainly 110mm filter returns today - they are a biatch to get into position. Will pressure test tomorrow, then fill in and next will be the upper three 110mm pipes to be done tomorrow. The concrete supports for the valves goes on top, followed by finally filling in and doing a concrete layer on top.
The little 32mm air pipe for the bottom drain looks dinky in comparison.
Fitted two rather heavy and ungainly 110mm filter returns today - they are a biatch to get into position. Will pressure test tomorrow, then fill in and next will be the upper three 110mm pipes to be done tomorrow. The concrete supports for the valves goes on top, followed by finally filling in and doing a concrete layer on top.
The little 32mm air pipe for the bottom drain looks dinky in comparison.
Garage piping almost finished just need a little bit of concrete down under the bends to support the valves. A weed layer and then a concrete layer on top. Should be easy enough todo whilst waiting for the glass/coping stones.
So the 115Kg window is due here on Wednesday I've since backfilled and washed down the walls. The 12 tubes of PU adhesive/sealant that's pond safe has arrived and I just cleaned up some areas in the bottom drain with some before it rained overnight. The bottom of the pond is filling up but as I'm using that to wash the pond walls - that will have to be pumped out. I will make a shim to smooth out some of the bumps I left stupidly in the window frame before it was fibreglassed. No biggie, just an additional step but will make a flat surface for the glass to sit against.
I've also selected Riven blue slate for the coping stones on the top of the pond. about 280Kg in total. This on the top of the walls will make those waterproof so they need doing soon as the old tarp cover is starting to leak. I want the final sealing and wash down before filling in October. So I can get the fish moved before the winter sets in.
That complete means the outside would only need the airlifts building and the final bits in the garage. It will take a few days for the pond to be filled anyway and for the dechlorination thiosulphate to do it's work.
So the 115Kg window is due here on Wednesday
I've since backfilled and washed down the walls. The 12 tubes of PU adhesive/sealant that's pond safe has arrived and I just cleaned up some areas in the bottom drain with some before it rained overnight. The bottom of the pond is filling up but as I'm using that to wash the pond walls - that will have to be pumped out. I will make a shim to smooth out some of the bumps I left stupidly in the window frame before it was fibreglassed. No biggie, just an additional step but will make a flat surface for the glass to sit against.I've also selected Riven blue slate for the coping stones on the top of the pond. about 280Kg in total. This on the top of the walls will make those waterproof so they need doing soon as the old tarp cover is starting to leak. I want the final sealing and wash down before filling in October. So I can get the fish moved before the winter sets in.
That complete means the outside would only need the airlifts building and the final bits in the garage. It will take a few days for the pond to be filled anyway and for the dechlorination thiosulphate to do it's work.
Sounds like blanketweed. Blanketweed loves sun and nutrients (ie both decomposing food and fish waste). So remove those to starve it but but you can use something like Blanket Answer which will kill the blanketweed.
I get it in my impeller but a clear every couple of weeks is usually good enough. The new pond doesn't have a pump, so the blanketweed is likely to grow across the bottom drain or the returns in the flow of water in sunlight.
Lastly - the fish eat some of the blanketweed on the walls.
So window arrived today.. as expected the driver called way earlier than I was told.. so luckily it's *just* movable with 2-3 people. The builder+son arrived and we got to work installing the window.
I'm thankful I hired a glass trolley.. we could then wheel the glass right up next to the space.
Don't worry about the mess on the white paint - there's going to be blue-black slate on top and once I've redone the garden area I'll give it all two more coats of paint.
I started demolition on the tarp cover but the hawthorn was fighting back.. and the window arrived. So tomorrow will be a tidy up the remainders you can see hanging at the back.
I'm thankful I hired a glass trolley.. we could then wheel the glass right up next to the space.
Don't worry about the mess on the white paint - there's going to be blue-black slate on top and once I've redone the garden area I'll give it all two more coats of paint.
I started demolition on the tarp cover but the hawthorn was fighting back.. and the window arrived. So tomorrow will be a tidy up the remainders you can see hanging at the back.
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How many gallons per hour are you looking at though the filter and is there any calculations for the perfect rate for the bacteria to thrive though the media?
Depends on the type of filter. For aerobic filtration - where it’s pushes ammonia through the nitrogen cycle to nitrate then the plants take nitrogen out.
Typically it’s a multiplier of pond volume per hour. The smaller the pond the faster the rate. The bio is sized in surface area, so varies with media. The media works out at about a 50l of media for the size of the pond. I could add more as the bio tank will take more.
For my small pond it’s ~1500l so I run the pump between 6-8,000lph. This presents the waste to the bacteria that grows on the media.
the new pond has a different filtration system. Called Anoxic filtration it uses bacteria that works in very low oxygen. They convert ammonia to nitrogen gas without going to the nitrites/nitrates. In that filter one basket per fish. The water passes slowly past the filter. With this I don’t need the bio, as the two filters will compete. The benefit of anoxic is I don’t need to remove the nitrates.
Max flow per 110mm pipe is about 15-18,000lph. So 30-36,000lph however as it’s gravity fed and airlift so it needs a low restriction. However easing off the air will slow the flow rate.
Brave man!
Dont get me wrong, I understand the science behind it having spoken with Syd when he first mentioned it years ago, but could never bring myself to try it
An eventful day
First the lovely coping 'stones' (slate) arrived:
Next up I finished my Sushi Bongs
Those are the airlifts for the pond.
And here's some photos in situ:
That big-assed chamber is the anoxic filter chamber. The space between the divider and the airlifts can hold stacked anoxic baskets.
First the lovely coping 'stones' (slate) arrived:
Next up I finished my Sushi Bongs
Those are the airlifts for the pond.
And here's some photos in situ:
That big-assed chamber is the anoxic filter chamber. The space between the divider and the airlifts can hold stacked anoxic baskets.
The slates have been cut and have now been G4 sealed. Those should be laid next weekend and then we're onto filling. There's a trade off with the slate - in sealing you gain stain, water and frost resistance but the sealant is a little browny-yellow so the slates are now a darker colour and shiny. It should look really good.
The slates will be laid on a bed of levelled cement with SBR to stick the epoxy G4'd state down onto the bed. Then marine sealant (same as the window) will be used in the joint between the slates.
It's taken a while as the slates needed fitting and cutting (30mm thick!). Washing (5 days of drying), sealing top and sides (1d) then 3 days curing before sealing the remaining side (1d) and 3 days of curing again. If there's any water in the slate the sealant will react and you get marks like water/rings which you can't remove.
I now have a water meter and about 1kg of sodium thiosulphate to declorinate/chloromide the fill. Thiosulphate is not toxic to fish so you simply throw it in and away you go - I should need 700-800g but I will probably put the entire lot in.
The slates will be laid on a bed of levelled cement with SBR to stick the epoxy G4'd state down onto the bed. Then marine sealant (same as the window) will be used in the joint between the slates.
It's taken a while as the slates needed fitting and cutting (30mm thick!). Washing (5 days of drying), sealing top and sides (1d) then 3 days curing before sealing the remaining side (1d) and 3 days of curing again. If there's any water in the slate the sealant will react and you get marks like water/rings which you can't remove.
I now have a water meter and about 1kg of sodium thiosulphate to declorinate/chloromide the fill. Thiosulphate is not toxic to fish so you simply throw it in and away you go - I should need 700-800g but I will probably put the entire lot in.
How many gallons you estimated NickK?
On a sad note I have lost nearly all my fish to a heron, not been around the property much and they have all disappeared in the last two weeks. Last Thursday the builder sad he saw it.
All netted up now but no clue just what is left, gutted.
On a sad note I have lost nearly all my fish to a heron, not been around the property much and they have all disappeared in the last two weeks. Last Thursday the builder sad he saw it.
All netted up now but no clue just what is left, gutted.
It'll be washed down and drained first before the fill. In the end the lime really only affects the pH balance and the grit wont make it past the drum filter. After it's laid the concrete will be sealed away.
The expected total size estimate from the design is ~14000l which 3080 UK gallons. Won't know completely until it's filled. The pond is split into two - hence there's given 1.85x0.9x0.9 approx chamber it will be about 12500 front and 1500l back (1m^3 = 1000 litres).
Ok, the slates were sealed a couple of weeks ago so today was a decent day without rain.. enough for us to put them on the pond:
The pond is below the height required for planning permission
So now the pond is wrapped up in silver thermal blankets to protect against the -1 degC tonight forecast. It should be on and then over the next few days it should be warmer. Not ideal putting cement down but it should be fine.
The pond is below the height required for planning permission
So now the pond is wrapped up in silver thermal blankets to protect against the -1 degC tonight forecast. It should be on and then over the next few days it should be warmer. Not ideal putting cement down but it should be fine.
Im surprised that you need anywhere near as much as that thiosulphate to neutralise fresh water. I use it at work if I'm trying to sort out a customer's swimming pool/spa that they've overdosed with chlorine and rarely would use that much, even on much bigger swimming pools with free chlorine readings over 10ppm. I would have thought 100g would be more than enough, and not have as much of a negative effect on the pH levels