gravel on bottom?

I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how deep?

Robin
The Poconos, PA

no, dont use gravel it makes cleaning the pond difficult. Ingrid

"powlus" powlusr at ptd dot net wrote:

I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how deep?

Robin
The Poconos, PA





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List at
http://weloveteaching.com/puregold/
sign up: http://list.lovemyoldhome.com/web/wa.cgi?REPORT&z=3
www.drsolo.com
Solve the problem, dont waste energy finding who's to blame
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I receive no money, gifts, discounts or other
compensation for all the damn work I do, nor for
any of the recommendations I make.
AND I DID NOT AUTHORIZE ADS AT THE OLD PUREGOLD SITE

"powlus" powlusr at ptd dot net wrote in message
...
I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how
deep?
========================================
My first pond, an 800 gallon inground liner pond had a layer of pea gravel
and looked great. The problem arose when it was time to remove the muck on
the bottom the following year. The vac sucked all the gravel out - we never
replaced it. Gravel catches too much crud in a pond making it harder to
keep clean. Others wouldn't have a pond without gravel. They love the
natural look. You can try it and see if it works ok for you.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }((((o ~~~ }{{{{o ~~~ }(((((o

"powlus" powlusr at ptd dot net wrote:

I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how deep?

Besides making it hard to clean, unless the gravel is nice round river
rock, it can easily cut the preform or liner. The same goes under the
liner or preform. Only use sand underneath. Even cinder blocks have
edges and can eventually cause problem on the bottom where you walk over
them.
--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
18,000 gallon (17'x 47'x 2-4') lily pond garden in Zone 6
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA

and leave the water to get nice and mature before introducing fish. It's not
a weekend project. I always say leave it a year but others in this group
think that's ott. It's better than a day though!

V wise to avoid koi


"powlus" powlusr at ptd dot net wrote in message
...
I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how
deep?

Robin
The Poconos, PA

Smoother is easier!

If you have a slope and a lowest-point filter pick-up, the circulation and
fish will move the muck to your filter when you have a smooth bottom. Rocks
hold muck.

Good luck.

Jim

"powlus" powlusr at ptd dot net wrote in message
...
I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how
deep?

Robin
The Poconos, PA

Skip the gravel or rocks. They will only cause you grief in the short
and long run. VERY difficult to clean. Even the very large, smooth,
round river stones make things difficult when it comes to cleaning. the
only place I have stones in my bog and stream. Even then, only a few to
hold down certain plants.
W. Dale
powlus wrote:

I'm building my first pond next spring---10'X10'X3' kidney shape for
goldfish, no Koi. Should I put gravel on the bottom or leave it clear. I
have heard conflicting information on this. If yes, what size and how deep?

Robin
The Poconos, PA