Building a pond

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about instead of using liner
or fibreglass, using bricks (nice ones... :-) and concrete to build a
garden pond with (in the ground, not raised). Would it even be water
proof?

Cheers

Richard.

I thought this method had been around for a long time. It's good for medium
sized ornamental ponds but the concrete can crack in the frosts etc
wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about instead of using liner
or fibreglass, using bricks (nice ones... :-) and concrete to build a
garden pond with (in the ground, not raised). Would it even be water
proof?

Cheers

Richard.

Richard,

Check your local libarary for a book on building ponds. It explains
how to dig the hole with two layers so that you can have plants that
thrive in shallow and deep water.

You right about the rock bottom, I think that's best. You will still
need a liner, but it's thick plastic instead of the fiberglass. You
buy it in a big sheet and cut it to size. You'll need plan your pond
according to the amount of liner you can afford.

If you just use rock the water will eventually seep out. So I'm afraid
you'll still need the plastic liner.

You can price it out at Home Depot, Lowes or a Garden Specialty store.

My pond is made this way, and so is the waterfall. You get a much more
custom look to it. I would take a photo of the pond but right now it's
frozen. hehe. it's 18 degrees outside.

John Patrick,
http://www.birdoasis.com

In article .com,
wrote:

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about instead of using liner
or fibreglass, using bricks (nice ones... :-) and concrete to build a
garden pond with (in the ground, not raised). Would it even be water
proof?

Cheers

Richard.

I built a concrete pond and it worked fine. You can build in planting
shelves, get enough depth for cold climates and create places for the
fish to hide from predators. I didn't use bricks, as they would be
wasted below water, but you could use bricks or stones for the top cap.

You should use a strong dry mix and reinforcing mesh shaped to suit.
This will avoid the cracking, at least it did for me. You will also need
to complete the shell at one time or build in a waterproof joint. With a
concrete pond you will also have to remove the alkalinity or the fish
won't survive. I used a chemical agent.

Have fun.

"brickbat" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
wrote:

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about instead of using liner
or fibreglass, using bricks (nice ones... :-) and concrete to build a
garden pond with (in the ground, not raised). Would it even be water
proof?

Cheers

Richard.

I built a concrete pond and it worked fine. You can build in planting
shelves, get enough depth for cold climates and create places for the
fish to hide from predators. I didn't use bricks, as they would be
wasted below water, but you could use bricks or stones for the top cap.

You should use a strong dry mix and reinforcing mesh shaped to suit.
This will avoid the cracking, at least it did for me. You will also need
to complete the shell at one time or build in a waterproof joint. With a
concrete pond you will also have to remove the alkalinity or the fish
won't survive. I used a chemical agent.

Have fun.



First some of my background, I was a service tech for one of the nations
largest water park/residential pool/hot tub builders. They built them
entirely of gunnite and plastered walls. The alkilinity is mainly a problem
just for the first thirty days. Concrete is 98-99% cured in 30 days.
Alkilinity is controled with the addition of muriatic acid to keep in a
7.3 - 7.6 ph range for bather comfort. I dont know what levels are ok for
fish though. When you test your water whether with ph strips or liquid kit
(much more accurate) take your water sample from as deep as you can get it.
Dip your container in upside down then turn over to fill. The water/air
interface is where a lot of chemical reactions are taking place and you tend
not to get accurate results. Thats why homeowners who used the strips (at
the surface) invariably had more water chemistry problems.


This was posted through www.goliathnews.com

Primal1 Wrote:[color=blue]
"brickbat" wrote in message
...[color=blue]
In article ,
wrote:



I built a concrete pond ...

....You should use a strong dry mix and reinforcing mesh shaped to
suit.
This will avoid the cracking, at least it did for me. You will also
need
to complete the shell at one time or build in a waterproof joint. With
a
concrete pond you will also have to remove the alkalinity or the fish
won't survive. I used a chemical agent.




I'm planning to build a RAISED pond, probably in brieze blocks, and
lined with CONCRETE. Should there be a double thickness of blocks?
Should I use a reinforcing mesh (as suggested in pevious post) inside
before applying concrete? How thick should the concrete be? Is it
different to cement from the D.I.Y. shops (in U.K.) ? What size is
adequate - if I only want it 2' wide and 2'6"-3' high, 6' long 'L'
shape in corner of yard, will this be good enough for 17 largish 7"-10"
fantail goldfish. They are currently making do in a half filled bath
for past 5 years! Is there a better way for a raised pond?


--
Amelia

I built a 30 foot oval pond of concrete. Has worked great for thirty years.
Three of the koi are still original homeowners. Great place to daydream.
Three flat levels: one-foot for plant pots, two-foot for walking when I do
an annual clean out, and a three-foot level where the fish hang out when a
heron walks in. Also they like the deep in cold weather. Each level is
about equal in area. Make sure all concrete is made with the special pond
cement. Otherwise, you will never be able to keep it filled. Regular
concrete is very porous. I understand that the pond paint for regular
concrete doesn't last but a few years and then you will have to transfer the
fish somehow and drain the pond. I used pond paint in my concrete block
filter and that worked ok. Good luck.

You appropriate about the bedrock bottom, I anticipate that's best. You will still need a liner, but it's blubbery artificial instead of the fiberglass. You buy it in a big area and cut it to size. You'll charge plan your pond according to the bulk of liner you can afford.

Hello to the group...

I'm in the final phase of constructing a 11' X 9' X 2.5' concrete and brick
pond as detailed on my website at http://www.k4qky.com/home/pond.htm .
Added water this morning along with a few floaters...fish will be introduced
next week.

This is the third masonry pond I've built. Admitedly, I disregarded the
conventional wisdom of a pond liner. Instead, I used high strength fiber
imbeded quickcrete with lots of rebar. The mason's mix I used was for the
brickwork was also commercial grade. Interior of pond is coated with black
fish safe pool paint. My design has no bottom drain due to flat terain.
In any event, I'm not sure I'd ever go to the trouble to include one in a
pond design. Instead, I fashioned a sump (shown on website) so as to inable
the pond pump to drain the pond effeciently. The pond floor is 4 inches of
reinforced concrete which ought to be sufficient. The walls use concrete
block for footers with walls consisting of double rows of brick.

Best wishes,

Don


Don and Pat Snodgrass 2000 Melrose Drive Murray, KY 42071 270-759-1820
Email: Website: www.k4qky.com



"brickbat" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
wrote:

Hi,

Was wondering if anyone had any thoughts about instead of using liner
or fibreglass, using bricks (nice ones... :-) and concrete to build a
garden pond with (in the ground, not raised). Would it even be water
proof?

Cheers

Richard.

I built a concrete pond and it worked fine. You can build in planting
shelves, get enough depth for cold climates and create places for the
fish to hide from predators. I didn't use bricks, as they would be
wasted below water, but you could use bricks or stones for the top cap.

You should use a strong dry mix and reinforcing mesh shaped to suit.
This will avoid the cracking, at least it did for me. You will also need
to complete the shell at one time or build in a waterproof joint. With a
concrete pond you will also have to remove the alkalinity or the fish
won't survive. I used a chemical agent.

Have fun.

I built a concrete pond, it works very well. You can create a cultivated Shelves, access to sufficient depth to the cold climate, and create places for the Fish to avoid predators. I did not use bricks because they will the following water wasted, but you can cover with a brick or stone.