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  1. #1

    Rhys' First Koi Pond Sleeper Build!

    Hi Everyone,

    I am new to the site, signed up over a month ago and have just spent the time reading through all the threads and taking in as much information as possible! What a great source for a newbie like me!

    So I have always had a strong interest in fish, having kept Marines and Tropical for many years. Now I have finally flew the nest and brought myself a house, I can now have a Koi pond (which I have always wanted since a kid). So now the hard work starts...

    The plan is to build a semi-raised sleeper pond 12ft x 8ftx 4ft pond gravity fed filter system into either a Nexus or Multibay (haven't worked that one out yet so advice will be much appreciated). The plan is for it to be submerged 3ft down and 1ft above ground level.

    Looking at the picture below, I plan to locate the pond at the top tier of my garden.

    IMG_0711.jpg



    So here come start of the million questions I am going to ask ...

    1) When creating the concrete collar, what width and depth would be suitable?
    2) Is there any particular type of sleeper I should avoid?

    Any other advice is welcomed, please fire away!

    Many thanks!



  2. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    \Welcome to the forum

    I'll not be much help I'm afraid, my pond is concrete and blocks, If you look through the pond build diaries you should find quite a few sleeper ponds, I think they use a 100mm strip footing under the sleepers and always avoid bent sleepers

    There will be plenty of advise coming once they all wake up
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

  3. #3
    Ha! Thanks Roy, definitely will try and avoid bent ones!

    Hopefully they wake up soon because I’m itching to go! Rhys' First Koi Pond Sleeper Build!


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  4. #4
    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai Rayman's Avatar
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    Welcome to the forum. There are several good sleeper pond build threads on here. Have think about maybe raising rhe pond a little higher. If you have little ones in your future plans it may be prudent to consider their safety. Good luck with the build. Oh and we like pictures of everything. 🤪

  5. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Or fabricate a cover for it.

    Admittedly, its not as pretty as I hoped, but will take the weight of an adult and adds security once padlocked down.

    Powder coated heavy duty steel mesh sections that slot into each other.

    IMG_20180627_213923.jpg

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Rayman View Post
    Welcome to the forum. There are several good sleeper pond build threads on here. Have think about maybe raising rhe pond a little higher. If you have little ones in your future plans it may be prudent to consider their safety. Good luck with the build. Oh and we like pictures of everything. 🤪
    Thanks mate. The only little ones I plan on having soon are the ones that will be going in the pond! Rhys' First Koi Pond Sleeper Build!

    Thanks mate and yes pictures are definitely in the pipeline! (Once I get going obviously)


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  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Or fabricate a cover for it.

    Admittedly, its not as pretty as I hoped, but will take the weight of an adult and adds security once padlocked down.

    Powder coated heavy duty steel mesh sections that slot into each other.

    IMG_20180627_213923.jpg
    That’s a quality idea I will definitely consider doing something like that for mine. Extra security would definitely help keep my mind at ease!

    Lovely pond by the way mate, that’s a exactly what I am hoping to archive from mine 🤞🏽


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  9. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bonzorhys View Post
    Lovely pond by the way mate, that’s a exactly what I am hoping to archive from mine 爛


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    Thanks for the comment.

    Only recently built it, build thread is here:

    https://www.koiforum.uk/pond-constru...ond-build.html

  10. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by RS2OOO View Post
    Or fabricate a cover for it.

    Admittedly, its not as pretty as I hoped, but will take the weight of an adult and adds security once padlocked down.

    Powder coated heavy duty steel mesh sections that slot into each other.

    IMG_20180627_213923.jpg
    Now that should keep the herons out
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

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  12. #10
    So operating koi pond has officially started tonight!

    Came home from work and started clearing the area in which the pond will be located. Once it is completely cleared, I will begin marking out the area and being digging the trench for the concrete to be poured for the collar.





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  13. #11
    Senior Member Rank = Grand Champion RoyLittle0's Avatar
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    And so the hard work begins
    4600 Gallon Concrete Block and Fiberglass
    2100 mm x 710 mm Infinity Window 32mm thick glass
    2 x Aerated Bottom Drains and Skimmer
    Filtreau HiFlow 30 Drum Filter
    Bio Chamber - 140 litres K1
    Bakki Shower - 30 KG Sakura Far Infrared Media
    2 x 18,000 lh pumps
    Heated from house boiler through a heat exchanger
    Idealseal MS290

    My Pond Build

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  15. #12
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Rapleyr's Avatar
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    Looking at starting my build soon which will be a 2.4 x 2.4 x 1.5. Will be going on an exiting patio and looking to go down 0.5 (probably more as will have a diggger) and up with the sleepers from ground level.

    Thoughts on the need for a concrete collar or just slabs cut to the width of the sleepers?

    I assume that going down 0.5 - 1m below the collar/slab foundation is supported by the weight/pressure of the water as a retainer?

  16. #13
    Hi Mate. Your design sounds very similar to mine, only difference being mine is not going over an existing patio.

    regarding the concrete collar, I don't know the answer to that. The main reason I am putting one in is because I have read through lots of builds and it seems that everyone has done it that way. Plus I have read what could go wrong without them (whether it can actually happen or not is another question). But interested to here peoples thoughts on this...

  17. #14
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai Rapleyr's Avatar
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    Same here but the reason seems to be both support and not having the sleepers sitting and getting wet. The slab would sort out issue two. My throughts are that if I make the collar and then dig down alongside the inside edge of the collar 0.5 - 1m will the sides be stable enough without collapsing. Depends on the ground below I suppose and only one way to find out

    I am looking at a pump fed filter and with the dimensions looking at a Kockney koi 10000v vortex...any alternatives as this is around £800 new and feel that for the same or slightly more could get better. Not confident on the bottom drain and not concreting the base anyway
    Last edited by Rapleyr; 19-07-2018 at 03:45 PM.

  18. #15
    Yeah I am not sure, think I am going to go with the collar would rather be safe than sorry as they say!

    I agree, is more of a nightmare putting a bottom drain in but having spoken to a load of people the bottom drain makes a HUGE difference in both filteration and maintenance time.

    I was looking at the kockey koi too but then found a similar but cheaper alternative being KLK. However looks like for a little extra the Nexus 220 is the way forward.


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  19. #16
    Senior Member Rank = Supreme Champion RS2OOO's Avatar
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    Bottom Drain is a must.... So pleased that I fitted one and mine was harder than most to install due to the design of my setup meaning I couldn't dig down from the surface but had to tunnel 6 foot through rock and clay! It took 2 Weeks to tunnel by hand, you wouldn't believe that from the pictures which make it look easy!

    As for the collar, I had no problems with support,I just dug straight down the sides. I did leave the shuttering on most of the way through the dig not that it really made any difference:

    MVIMG_20180225_161648.jpgIMG_20180408_133932.jpg
    Last edited by RS2OOO; 19-07-2018 at 11:03 PM.

 

 

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