Pond building questions

[mandelyn]

The step by step thread REALLY got me thinking, and I've gotten inspired beyond the blue baby pool out there now. We have a 10 by 10 run, with the baby pool in that. We dug this hole outside of it to aid in draining and we also needed the dirt to build up a garden area. So now there is this hole.

Our land lady is taking down her big giant pool, that has a liner in it, quite similar to a pond liner. She's going to throw it out. We're thinking we'll cut a big chunk off the bottom before she does so, and make that hole a lot bigger, build a filter box, and actually have something legitimate going on.

Questions though, I've never had a pond with ducks, but growing up we had a 16x20x3 concrete pond with natural plant filtration and some koi. We're thinking this pond would be 8x8 or so. Half dug in, half exposed. I was thinking of sinking some planters in it with plants, surrounded by a plastic mesh of sorts to protect them from the ducks. Or something.

The filter, I was looking at DIY filters. We can have a ground level filter box and waterfall system? Even if the pond itself is another 2 ft deeper than ground level and about a foot above the ground? or do we need to finagle some other kind of idea? I'm hoping the care of it will be easier with filtration coming from both "artificial" means and plants.

Do we need to line the above ground and below ground areas with the land scape timbers, or can we do only what is to be above ground?

I was going to put a pop door into the run, and incorporate a run around this pond too. A "porch" area at the pop door, but basically the pond will be surrounded by fencing and a roof, so that their play area no longer takes up a portion of the run. I can shut them out of it then as well, for cleaning or winter. Or heat it. I haven't decided yet how we're going to manage winter.

With the need to dump it every couple of days removed by filtration, what keeps mosquitoes at bay?

 

[secuono]

You should get something soft under the pool liner so nothing punctures it.
They sell these odd hay cubes at pet stores in the fish section to keep them away, or online.
I'm not sure why you are lining the pond, but the ducks poo a lot in the pond, so you will need to suck out the poo every now and then. Even with a filter and all, unless it will be really strong and good media changed often to keep it clean.

 

[mandelyn]

Thanks for the info.

We were thinking that the filter and cleaning would be less water "waste" than the complete dumping of the baby pool we're doing now, and the addition of a pump and a hose feature could get the water to the garden area so that we see some further use to it.

Treating it more like our fish tank, sucking the muck from the bottom and doing partial water changes, so long as we have the mosquitoes under control. We really don't want to promote the bugs, they're bad enough as it is.

We are going to put sand down, but for the below ground sides, that's what I was wondering about lining them too with the landscape timbers, or if a sand base and dirt sides would be ok for the below ground part. Tree roots getting to it would be a concern. If that possibility will be a reality quickly, maybe we want the whole thing above ground. I don't know. It's a shaded area with 3 large trees near by. If we go digging, there will be roots to cut out of the way. I was just thinking it would be neat to get added depth by going down as apposed to up. Same height as a baby pool but deeper into the ground.

My "job" is basically to maintain the house and critters, so I'm always out there cleaning or doing something. But this baby pool thing is getting old. There has to be a better way to get more enjoyment and easier care out of the water situation. Specially if a drought happens later in the year. We've gotten a TON of rain, but it can't last forever. We need to look at water management for when the rain runs out.