A pond

[Kieran F]

Hi, i know this is more of a landscaping question but here goes

if i were to make a smallish fish pond (say, fill it with koi fish, and water plants) how would i go about making a water-tight pond, with a nice rocky/pebble bed?

only way i could think of is if i were to use plastic to hold the water in

[Ben01]

what about coloured concrete/cement???
You;d only need a thin layer so if you decided to remove it at a later date a sledge would have no probs breaking it up.

You can buy additives at hardware stores to make it a certain colour too, so you wouldn't have to rely on rocks etc to cover up the bottom completely?

[Kieran F]

would i need a mould for that?
also, i wanted a nice layer of gravel or something on the bottom, simply looks better than concrete

[Ben01]

Not too sure mate, haven't done it myself so I was just thinking out loud, but i wouldnt have thought so..
I'm sure freehand would be fine???

Look into it, you could also mix it with the pea gravel to give it the textured rocky/gravel look - like you see in some swimming pools, or layer the gravel/stones on top before it dries.
You could try ask someone at the hardware store (dunno if i can mention names here). Some of them are pretty cluey.

I emphasise "SOME"

[Kieran F]

well, we're rebuilding our house soon, thought it might be good to get it done while its being built

also, i dont trust the B shop (if that's the one you're talking about) every time i go there they try to overcharge me for at least 1-2 items

[abwal]

The usual method is to dig the pond and then line it with plastic pool lining which is anchored along the edge with a row of rocks or bricks, etc.

This may help: http://watergarden.com/pages/build_wg.html

[Systema_Naturae]

I agree with abwal, a plastic lining is the way to go. Concrete can easily crack, especially if it's on a reactive clay, and once it does it's troublesome to repair. A plastic lining is flexible and stands less chance of leaking that concrete. Fiberglass is also another alternative.

I'd also be inclined to wait until after the house is built to put the pond in - less chance of dusts and shavings from building materials being blown into your pond and upsetting the balance.

Cheers,
John

[littlegarden]

Hi Kieren do note in that link, if you want Koi you'll need a big pond. If you're imagining something small I'd stick with goldfish which can be just as beautiful. You'll want some kind of fish though, to eat the mosquito larva.

[Kieran F]

Well, i suppose it can wait, you might just say i was PONDering it.

[andi]

Hi Keiran, love a bad pun! Made ours with heavy duty rubber liner over a thick bed of sand and covered the liner with coarse sand/small pebbles. Edge of pond has rocks and pebbles of varying size graduating down into the water, lots of marginal reeds and grasses. Just dig out a shape you like and make sure there's nothing sharp in the soil.

[Kieran F]

thanks andi, what i imagined was a nice long pond with some reeds and koi fish in it, mabey a clay bottom with pebbles on top (that special clay used to grow waterplants)

[andi]

Sounds like a plan. All my plants are still in pots in the water, still not sure if that's the best solution or to plant out into the pond. We have a native nursery in Melbourne which has good advice on aquatic and marginal plants, maybe you can find similar up there. I have to say I even got some good info at Bunnings.


I know this is very much off topic but does anyone keep turtles in their garden ponds?

[Kieran F]

i've lost most of my faith in bunnings, every time i go there they try and overcharge me, seriously, i went to buy some shadecloth, they had about 5 of the exact same thing in a $23 row, i went to the counter and they asked for $47