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  1. #1

    Help with first pond

    Hi guys. I’m new here and this is my first post.
    Hoping for a little help from some people with experience.

    I have finally convinced the mrs to let me build a pond in the garden, this has probably been harder and took longer than the pond is going to be.

    I have room for a 2.5m x 1.5m footprint, thinking of 1.8m-2m deep 1m of which will be below ground.

    The main questions I have are:

    Will 20cm x10cm sleepers be strong enough to build the above ground part? (I will lay the first layer below ground to give extra strength) or would a block build be better?

    I am hoping to fit a small window on the side, 90cm x 120cm. Will 12mm acrylic be strong enough for this as I can get a piece free from work.

    Will an all in one filter be ok at the bottom of the pond or would a bottom drain be better with a filter unit outside the pond?

    I haven’t decided on sticking yet. Would this pond be too small for koi? If so I will probably stick with goldfish and shubs until I have room for a larger pond.

    Any help is greatly appreciated



  2. #2
    Senior Member Rank = Kyusai hippo's Avatar
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    Hi Tombsy and welcome to the forum

    I`d say most of us have started off with similar concepts to yours and working within budgets and keeping the rest of the family happy . Everything`s a compromise when it comes to pond building - for most of us !

    The big question you need to ask is do you want koi in the pond ?

    These questions and compromises are the reason most people end up building 2 or 3 ponds rather than 1 . The very fact that your on this forum suggests that your interested in koi , so I`d suggest you progress your design along those lines , and save yourself at least 1 extra pond build further down the line

    The footprint you have available is fairly small for a koi pond , but as long as you have adequate filtration you should be ok . All in one type filters are no good for koi ponds , so you`ll have to factor in space for your filters outside the pond , if you go down the koi route .

    As for construction , it comes down to budget and personal choice . For me , the best option would be block built with fibre glass liner and a bottom drain . Just depends how permanent you want the build to be .

    I`m no expert on windows , maybe someone else will advise , but I cant recall seeing too many sleeper built ponds with windows included . Thinking sealing and maintaining strength may be an issue ?

    Hope this helps , and good luck with whatever you decide to do !
    Colin

    2500 Gallon Fibreglass Pond
    Draco Solum 16 , 400l Bio Chamber

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  4. #3
    i have to agree with the above,it seems all Koi keepers build three ponds,The third one is the one you should have built in the first place.Ours went from a 300 gallon goldfish pond and over the years,turned into a 2,500 gallon pond.My feeling these days,the Koi are pretty cheap,it`s the cost of the equipment to keep them healthy and happy.

    Good luck with what you intend to do,Koi keeping is a hell of a hobby.

    Ray.

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  6. #4
    Morning Tombsy

    I built my first pond this year so I’m no expert. Mine is half sunk and half above ground raised with the same size sleepers you’ve mentioned.

    The size you are thinking of making means there will be no joints in the sleepers except the corners. The will make it easier to strengthen. I’m happy to offer tips on how I did mine. As said it’s my first build but I’m a joiner by trade and have worked in construction all my life so have a good understanding of the materials and how they will stand up to the job.

    Please do not use 12mm acrylic, it’s no where near strong enough. I would suggest at least 25mm laminated glass (but seek professional advice) as for the build there’s loads of good threads on here. I wish I’d joined before I built mine because I’d of done things differently.

    As already mentioned, it’s slightly on the small side, could you go to 2.4 x 2.4? Even that’s not massive but every little helps Help with first pond

    Anyway, good luck with it all


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  8. #5
    Senior Member Rank = Rokusai Simon Fish's Avatar
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    The depth makes a big difference in total volume.
    The measurements you listed give a workable size for some koi.
    But it would only be a very short time before you were working out that an extra foot on this side and 2 foot on the other side would be a decent increase in the volume.

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  10. #6
    Senior Member Rank = Hassai Mike Bass's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matsuba View Post
    i have to agree with the above,it seems all Koi keepers build three ponds,The third one is the one you should have built in the first place.Ours went from a 300 gallon goldfish pond and over the years,turned into a 2,500 gallon pond.My feeling these days,the Koi are pretty cheap,it`s the cost of the equipment to keep them healthy and happy.

    Good luck with what you intend to do,Koi keeping is a hell of a hobby.

    Ray.
    exactly right....my first garden pond was 400 gallon pre formed Fibreglass goldfish pond, then 2yr later pre formed 1000 gallon fibreglass tub then finally removed the first pond to dig out a 3200 Gallon block & fibreglass pond, whilst still keeping the 2nd 1000 gallon pond too.......Third time lucky
    1kGal BD/Skim RDF/UV/k1 2.3kGal 2windows 2airBD/skim Sieve/Eazypod RDFcombi+bakki 3xVP/UV,ASHP

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  12. #7
    Thanks for the replies guys.

    Yes Hippo I do want Koi, I have wanted a koi pond for a while now. I know the footprint is quite small that’s why I was planning on digging down quite a bit to increase volume.

    How much room would I need for external filtration with a bottom drain? I could build a box next to house in the corner, I have an area about 90cm square I could use.

    I will be working to quite a tight budget but will be doing all the work myself. I am quite happy that I can build a block pond myself if it will be stronger, I can then clad it externally to make it look nicer.

    Do block ponds have to be fiberglassed? Could I cellotex board it then add a liner instead?

    If I do it this way, would I need to cut into the blocks to set the window in? Or could I cut the cellotex short of my window gap in the blocks and silicone it in? I could then stick the liner to the edge of the glass and seal around the edges.

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  14. #8
    Senior Member Rank = Hassai Mike Bass's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tombsy View Post
    Thanks for the replies guys.

    Yes Hippo I do want Koi, I have wanted a koi pond for a while now. I know the footprint is quite small that’s why I was planning on digging down quite a bit to increase volume.

    How much room would I need for external filtration with a bottom drain? I could build a box next to house in the corner, I have an area about 90cm square I could use.

    I will be working to quite a tight budget but will be doing all the work myself. I am quite happy that I can build a block pond myself if it will be stronger, I can then clad it externally to make it look nicer.

    Do block ponds have to be fiberglassed? Could I cellotex board it then add a liner instead?

    If I do it this way, would I need to cut into the blocks to set the window in? Or could I cut the cellotex short of my window gap in the blocks and silicone it in? I could then stick the liner to the edge of the glass and seal around the edges.
    90cm for filterbay seems very tight to me but a couple of upright diy water butt type containers might be possible. Liner within block is possible with insulation up to the window then seal to the window although I have never done this myself & advice for this would be better from those on the forum that have 1st hand experience
    1kGal BD/Skim RDF/UV/k1 2.3kGal 2windows 2airBD/skim Sieve/Eazypod RDFcombi+bakki 3xVP/UV,ASHP

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  16. #9
    Senior Member Rank = Hassai Mike Bass's Avatar
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    Tombsy where about are you in the country ? Maybe you could visit a forum members pond nearby or possibly a forum member can help. Any photos / sketch’s of the pond & filter design you have Share with the forum & see if we can help further.
    1kGal BD/Skim RDF/UV/k1 2.3kGal 2windows 2airBD/skim Sieve/Eazypod RDFcombi+bakki 3xVP/UV,ASHP

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  18. #10
    Me, rs2000 and Harveycairns have all done sleeper pond builds. If you click on our profiles then search for pond build you can view them. They are excellent way of seeing the process of building as especially Harvey’s and rs are done like a diary. So they are great. I think all of us would strongly recommend a concrete collar with rebar (foundations first) and think about your filter layout! Even draw out on the lawn where the pond will be and the filters etc give you a idea of space and size etc. Best of luck Help with first pond


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  20. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Bass View Post
    90cm for filterbay seems very tight to me but a couple of upright diy water butt type containers might be possible. Liner within block is possible with insulation up to the window then seal to the window although I have never done this myself & advice for this would be better from those on the forum that have 1st hand experience
    I have worked out that my internal dimension of the pond will be 220cm x 120cm x 160cm deep. Will this be too small for koi? I don’t have room for a bigger pond and don’t want o get rid of my fish if they outgrow it.

    If this will be acceptable, what size water butts would be needed for DIY filters? I think it works out to just over 1000gallons in water volume.

    I’m also thinking of now having 120cm of the depth above ground as the mrs wants it higher. We have 2 children and she doesn’t want them going swimming in there.

    This will mean I will looking to fit a larger viewing window so we can see more of the fish. I’m thinking 180cm by 100cm tuffex glass.

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  22. #12
    Senior Member Rank = Hassai Mike Bass's Avatar
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    A631C92D-605B-4DE5-86BC-33272F78C190.jpg
    Quote Originally Posted by Tombsy View Post
    I have worked out that my internal dimension of the pond will be 220cm x 120cm x 160cm deep. Will this be too small for koi? I don’t have room for a bigger pond and don’t want o get rid of my fish if they outgrow it.

    If this will be acceptable, what size water butts would be needed for DIY filters? I think it works out to just over 1000gallons in water volume.

    I’m also thinking of now having 120cm of the depth above ground as the mrs wants it higher. We have 2 children and she doesn’t want them going swimming in there.

    This will mean I will looking to fit a larger viewing window so we can see more of the fish. I’m thinking 180cm by 100cm tuffex glass.
    My current pond is also 1000 gallons but my filter system (originally a vortex now a drum) from the High Flow Drum filter goes into an 8ft long chamber with brushes/ matting/ 2 huge containers of alfagrog & 2 huge moving beds of K1. Added to that off the skimmer I have a 30watt UV an additional mini chamber of brushes/matting/ k1 then into 6 anoxic baskets.
    this has matured for nearly 4 years .....I have a large stocking level which is not something I would recommend & the only fish that were added recently were the fry from 2 years ago of which there are about 45 of Now between 4 inches & 8 inches (10 to 25cm) I have about 5 koi over 35cm ,Another 5 over 25cm, 4 Orfe over 30cm, 3 grass Carp over 25cm ( in total about 60 fish) WAY OVER STOCKED but possible. I currently am still able to feed about 6 times a day with some steady growth of the Nisai. Just throw as much filtration at it as you can & don’t overstock like me hence new pond buildA631C92D-605B-4DE5-86BC-33272F78C190.jpg
    Last edited by Mike Bass; 15-08-2020 at 10:07 PM.
    1kGal BD/Skim RDF/UV/k1 2.3kGal 2windows 2airBD/skim Sieve/Eazypod RDFcombi+bakki 3xVP/UV,ASHP

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  24. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Bass View Post
    A631C92D-605B-4DE5-86BC-33272F78C190.jpg

    My current pond is also 1000 gallons but my filter system (originally a vortex now a drum) from the High Flow Drum filter goes into an 8ft long chamber with brushes/ matting/ 2 huge containers of alfagrog & 2 huge moving beds of K1. Added to that off the skimmer I have a 30watt UV an additional mini chamber of brushes/matting/ k1 then into 6 anoxic baskets.
    this has matured for nearly 4 years .....I have a large stocking level which is not something I would recommend & the only fish that were added recently were the fry from 2 years ago of which there are about 45 of Now between 4 inches & 8 inches (10 to 25cm) I have about 5 koi over 35cm ,Another 5 over 25cm, 4 Orfe over 30cm, 3 grass Carp over 25cm ( in total about 60 fish) WAY OVER STOCKED but possible. I currently am still able to feed about 6 times a day with some steady growth of the Nisai. Just throw as much filtration at it as you can & don’t overstock like me hence new pond buildA631C92D-605B-4DE5-86BC-33272F78C190.jpg
    60 lol I thought I was over stocked at 14 Help with first pond


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