Pond Build

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I did some measuring last night...even with the rocks there is still 4' between the sides. Not at the very bottom, but from about middle on up. So the cats should still have plenty of room to turn around.

The problem may come when they all get to be full grown. But, there's plenty of room in the backyard for another pond!
 
Looking good! A lot of rock in the bottom, but hopefully it looks more natural when the pond is finally done. Can't wait to see it filled (with cats and water).
 
Looks real nice. Should be a fine growout;)
 
Conner;4228813; said:
Looking good! A lot of rock in the bottom, but hopefully it looks more natural when the pond is finally done. Can't wait to see it filled (with cats and water).
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Agreed!

Way more rock than I expected, but I think it'll look nice in the end. I may put some sand on the bottom too, to fill up the cracks in the rocks make it softer on the bellies.
 
Is it filled already?

I was thinking the rocks on the bottom might be a little on the large size. It leaves many large voids between them that are going to collect detritus. If possible, a smaller gravel would create less voids and be softer on the kitties. Smaller gravel would allow the waste to sit on top of the gravel fro you to remove manually, or it would get stirred up and collected by the skimmer.

Either way it looks good and can't wait to see it w/the residents.

Jump start that filter by squeezing as much old media into the pond (when the temps. are the same of course) and any plants you might have. Goldfish make for good starters/cycling fish and can be left in there for food.
 
Looks Good! Just one suggestion. I've learned the hard way that its so much more efficient cleaning the bottom when there's nothing on it. I didn't see a bottom drain so I assume that the crap and debris will just settle into the rocks. This will create more of an anaerobic environment for the bad bacteria to grow. I would leave a row of large rocks bordering each side and holding up the rocks on the sides leaving the bottom clear. Maybe even v the bottom a little so everything settles in the middle. This would allow you to sweep clean the bottom with a pool net a couple times per month without any real hassle. Just my two cents.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure what to do about the bottom and the poop. I'm going to throw some sand in the bottom to fill in the cracks in the rocks and make life easier.

Can you put a powerhead in a pond? Perhaps I could do something like that and keep the water moving on the bottom to stir up the junk.

They've actually already put water in it, however, I may drain it as this water is awfully murky and rather than wait for it to clear, I could just restart with cleaner water.

They tossed some baby goldfish in it as well to help cycle it...I thought it was nice of them as they're concerned for my fish, but 5 small goldfish aren't going to cycle the pond nearly enough for a 2' catfish. I actually have all of the bioballs hanging out in my sump for my 450g. So I'll be moving those into the filter and I think we'll be good.

I think they will be finishing up today, if not this weekend. Before any fish go into it, I'll be fixing some few minor details...like the bottom rocks, for example, as well as loading the filter with media, making the skimmer better, etc.

More pictures coming soon!
 
Powerheads work just fine in ponds. A Mag Drive w/a pre-filter and placed above the substrate should keep ot the sand and keep some movement in the bottom.

The dirty water is just from the boulders. It will settle in a few days or drain it w/a pump in the bottom and hose off the rocks. Might need to hose offf the rocks couple of times, but worth getting out as much as poss. before final filling.
 
Muske;4246298; said:
Powerheads work just fine in ponds. A Mag Drive w/a pre-filter and placed above the substrate should keep ot the sand and keep some movement in the bottom.

The dirty water is just from the boulders. It will settle in a few days or drain it w/a pump in the bottom and hose off the rocks. Might need to hose offf the rocks couple of times, but worth getting out as much as poss. before final filling.
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Thanks for the tips, Muske. I didn't do anything this weekend. The murkiness has cleared up, tho the water is slightly greenish.

Will have to work on it some this week. It's definitely getting there.
 
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