Beginner BACKYARD POND Build - Mistakes were made
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- čas přidán 1. 08. 2020
- First time making a pond and pretty satisfied with the end results. Hopefully in watching this you take away some tips and do it better than I did. Below all the major items I bought off Amazon:
Submersible Pond filter (1180 Gallons) - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Pond Boss Filter - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
API Pondcare Accu-Clear Water Clarifier - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
800 GPH Pump - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
UV Light 11W - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...
Pond Liner Firestone 45mil - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Aquanique Pond liner (first one) - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Pond Underlay - www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00... - Krátké a kreslené filmy
I'd recommend filling the water first before rocks...because the water will pull the liner and conforms to the shape...this way it won't pull or over stretch the liner
I'm a novice pond guy with more fish experience. I know it's 2y since this was posted but a couple notes for you/others to consider:
1. initial mild algae bloom is normal after set up of tanks/ponds (and every spring, for those with snowy winters). I'd stock lightly or not at all until you get things stable and allow for early beneficial bacterial colonization of the rocks/filter. Usually you can just ride it out. Using chemicals too early can start of a vicious cycle ("dead stuff" = more growth = more chemicals = more "dead stuff", and so on).
2. This is a very small pond for bass and even bluegill, I'm wondering how they've done. I'd guess you'd need very frequent water changes or a significantly robust filter system for them to thrive). Even so, more/bigger fish = more algae issues, especially in a small pond. I generally start by stocking light/small and add creatures slowly. You'll see lots of videos online of tanks/ponds getting filled with fish early (because it looks cool) but what you don't see is the algae fight and die off that is likely to come later.
Still love the video and appreciate you leaving in all the mistakes - lots of pearls of wisdom in it. Thank you!
My first pond took me all summer to finish. It was finished, but I kept tinkering with it until I was happy. I was moving things and adding things constantly.
To me it was always a work in progress. Which I loved and enjoyed.
It ended up, being a very relaxing spot for me to enjoy after a long day at work.👍👍
You sound just like me lol. I built a small one with a waterfall. Got some Koi and as they got bigger I decided to put on an addition. So now I’m have 2 ponds right next to each other. Both have waterfalls using Savio skimmers and Aquascape bio falls. I too spent hours upon hours out there. Just love rearranging the rocks . Then doing plantings. There’s nothing better outside than the beauty , the sounds and of course feeding time to your friendly beautiful koi. It did take me time to finally get the eco system just right though. U tube channels REALLY provide useful information.
I used old carpeting as my underlayment. It was free, and extremely durable. When you wet it down it conforms to the curves or the ground nicely. That, coupled with a nice and thick pond liner, and I never experienced a leak in my pond ever. Nice job on your first pond build! What a beautiful piece of property you have. 😊
Thanks for the great advice!
@@TheAmazingVue ngmnnmgnbhngmngnhnmgnmgngnnhmnnnnnhnnhn Bonn bnbnb. Nnnnnm
M oto
Interesting carpet idea. Doors that effect the clarity of the water over time? Or bacteria issue? Just learning all this.
That's what I'm planning to do. Also, I expect to put down regular black plastic, then the carpet underlayment, then another layer of black plastic and then the liner. Yeah. I always overbuild everything, but I want it to last at least another 15 years, then, when I'm dead and someone else has the property, it'll be their problem. 😺
@@milagrosripski7679 The carpet goes underneath the pond liner to protect it from sharp rocks. It shouldn't affect water quality at all.
Your "mistakes" will be our success. Thank you for your honesty in this video
Mine had a leak everytime I used thick mil plastic or even an actual pond liner. So I went with a semi-pernmant alternative route. Start with depending on your size pond a Queen size bed sheet. Grab a wheel barrow, 1 bag of cement/concrete/mortar and 2 bags of sand.( 1 bag of sand was thrown in the pond before the next part).Once you have everything mixed up in the wheel barrow,you want it really watered down a little thin than pancake mix. Take your sheet put it in the wheel barrow, soak the sheet real good and then just lay it out like a pond liner. And if you have mix left in the wheel barrow...pour it down the sides of the pond. Let it dry, for a day. And your done. 👍 And he's absolutely right dont be cheap when buying your pump. I also threw in some white sponges for extra filtering. My Waterfall/Pond looks great and relatively cheap too. I ran into all the same problems during my build. 🤘🍻🤠🇺🇸🏴☠️ Great video.
Is the cement on the sheet supposed to be on the underside? Or on top?
That actually works? If so, I imagine you could use multiple sheets to cover a larger area, right? Seems like they should seal fairly well
The sheet is used as the liner. No need for anything else. It works amazingly. And cheaper than pond liners.
Just the one impregnated sheet holds water? That is awesome if it does. I want to build a pond in a very rocky area and this might be the trick.
The merkiness in the water from the dirt from the rocks would have settled over time. For anyone reading this that doesn't want to fill, drain, and fill their pool again, you can just leave it completely unbothered overnight and by morning it should be pretty clear
Pickaxe is something I've come to love with my ground being full of red clay haha
Just commented the same. Tools are invented for a reason and it helps to have the correct ones
Nice 1st attempt. Just some recommendations. After digging your hole tamp the bottom and sides so they are firm. Then spread about a half inch of sand in the bottom. Then place your liner and then wash your gravel of choice and spread it along the bottom.
Great advice thank you!
Great video! Informational and I loved to see how you troubleshoot. Projects always have hiccups, but it's easy to forget when you see the videos where everything is edited to look perfect from start to finish. Also, we the audience get to learn a lot from your experience. This gives me more courage to try adding a water feature to my yard!
Thanks! 🙏
From what I've seen and from my experience, there are certain basics of building a pond/waterfall to prevent leaks etc, but for the most part, a waterfall is a work of art. It really is an expression of the person building it, so there isnt really a right and wrong way to build it, just do what you like and make adjustments until you are satisfied with your own work!
I really appreciate you talking through the process and the mistakes and successes! It was so encouraging to me. Failure is not trying. You didn't quit! Thank you for this video!!
I suppose making mistakes and rectifying even though it seems to turn into a full time job at times is all part of the hobby. The best thing I ever did was to build a bog filter from a water butt . Water clears dramatically. Thanks 🙏
You did a great job, I’m 3 ponds in now and have learned a lot from these videos.
I think posting the mistakes helps more than anything . Thank you!
For public knowledge since I've built dozens of these... newspaper underlayment = free. And use roofing rubber mat for lining. Sometimes roofing companies will even give them away
I think y'all did a great job! I'm redoing my pond for the 3rd time myself. Glad to know I'm not the only one who's made mistakes in the past😁🤘
Haha thanks! Good luck it’s kinda addicting
My wife and I accidentally found this post...
(she won't let me leave the video). Now I can't stop watching with her. Gud Job!
Watching your video made me feel better knowing I’m not the only one that made the same mistakes
I feel your pain while you are working on that pond. This is very helpful to learn from the mistakes so when we start with our pond we will know what not to do. Thanks for sharing and I love the end result.
Thanks 🙏
You may not want to hear this - but putting rocks and gravels in the bottom is a really bad idea - the pond may look really nice and natural for the first season, but soon detritus will accumulate in nooks and crannies which will cause proliferation of anaerobic bacteria - which once accumulated to a high enough level will cause fin rot, ulcer to fish due to bacterial infection. To take care of this you'll either need to drain the pond on an annual basis to wash off detritus (or hover/siphon), or better still, take out all the rocks and gravels... In a few months time in summer the liner will grow a layer of green algae which will completely cover the black rubber - giving you a nice natural look. Only rock the edge of the pond and potentially the top shelf to help hold the liner in place. I speak from regrettable experience which killed multiple fish, until I took out all the gravel. Namo Amituofo
I have a fish tank with grave, is that gonna be a problem? just askin . - .
@@gwintran8929 added to comment above, don't stir gravel up as it will cause all ammonia to release in to the water and can kill your fish. Get as above commented a hand siphon vaccum so the ammonia in the gravel will go up the vaccum and not in to the tank water. Stiring up gravel can wipe out your entire tank. Plenty of CZcams videos on how to do it safely.
Bruh i cant translate it
@@kenapadenganchannelsaya1692 learn english
I was thinking the same thing. I used a liner, then I added a layer of chicken wire on top of the liner, then a mix of Portland cement and sand and finished our a half inch layer of concrete over everything. It’s much easier to clean and looks much better.
Appreciate others showing their triumphs as well as failures. Really want a pond but not confident enough in my knowledge to go for it yet.
Best way to work it out id trial and error
I'm just about to start on a little pond at my new property. I really appreciate you showing the mistakes you made to help others avoid doing the same. I admire your perseverance to come up with an amazing work of art in the end .. I hope mine will be 1/2 as good! 👏
Good luck
Love your video...I just started digging for a pond, thanks for all the good advice...it will save me alot of trouble later!
I absolutely love your video. Thanks for all the tips along the way. 😊
For that kind of compacted clay, rock and soil you should be using a large rock pick axe ⛏ tool combined with shovels, it will make the digging go much faster. I know because I have the same crappy soil 😂 way to go on the pond btw, it looks great!💜
Haha thanks good to know!
I love this. Im going to try to build something next spring. I love your honesty.
Bootifull pond, I realy want a koi pond in my back yard thanks for the tips!
Awesome job! Love the wild fish in there!
This pond is beautiful; I admire your perseverance and attention to detail! You created an absolute piece of art. And it was done with help from your loved ones. Don't beat yourself up about things that didn't quite go right because it turned out amazing.
P.s. You definitely had something going with the water fall
Thank you for your words! 🙏
thanks for including your mistakes, that really added to the video. Great work!
Nice work! I think you saved many of us a lot of money by showing your mistakes. This was a very helpful video, good job on the project.
Thank you! Glad to hear!
Word of advice. Never use thick black plastic for the liner. I had to redo mine several times before I figured out it was not going to work. But a liner made for ponds or a above ground swimming pool liner will work as well. That is what I used and it has held up for years. Also wash your rocks before putting them in your pond.
EPDM 45 mil is pretty much the best thing you can use. There's other high quality stuff but you really wanna be sure it's safe for the fish you want and that it won't break down from uv. The more I learn, the more I consider hiring someone to do all of it lol
Why can’t I use thick black plastic?
@@consueloamortegui3099 you can but I had to redo mine three times before I changed to something else. All the neighbor cats and the hawks kept trying to get my fish and they kept puncturing holes in the plastic with their claws which in turn let my water go under the black plastic liner and it floated to the top. When I bought a used swimming pool liner it solved that problem. I guess it was thick enough that it would not puncture it.
@@dionbarber7077 Ohh ok
Well, there goes my idea of building a backyard pond!
Lol don't let this scare you- learn from it to make yours better!
Nah you should go for it!! Another's mistakes are a wise man's lesson!
Thanks, I'm building right now and this helps very much! 🐟🐟🐟
Good job, learned the hard way but but you saved some others your mistakes. Thanks!
this video was really helpful man, me and my dad are getting close to finishing our pond. thanks for the advice :)
Awesome glad to hear!! Good luck!
How did it turn out?
Nice job on the pond. And between your amazing video and the comments left I've gotten a lot of great ideas. Thank you for the video and the links.
My favourite part of this video is how many times you messed up, I mean this in a genuine way. It's brave to do something that's not your expertise and come out with something beautiful. Congratulations, seriously.
Don't worry about murky water once you have running long enough it will get clear. Best way to learn by your mistakes and you get better. I have three water feature around my garden
Pond looks so great
Man this reminds me of my struggle with my pond haha... I gotta cover my liner too... Great job sticking with it dude, shows a lot of character. Love from Toronto ✌🏾
Hey thanks appreciate it!!
Love your confidence
These are really great tips you give, will save me lots of trouble!
Glad to hear!
Beautiful backyard pond..wish you success and be healthy always
your backyard is amazing!
I did all the mistakes you made with my first one had to redo it 3xs lol. This one will def dig deeper but awesome job on the pond. I don't think I can go without one ever again.👌
Glad to hear!!! It’s not ask work, good luck 🙏🙏
Good video and good first build, my only concern is the closeness to the house and foundation.
Hmm.. He put a teflon liner in... Should help prevent erosion for sure! Hopefully that sucker doesn't develop too many leaks lol
That's what I was thinking!
My first though as well
Honestly second pond liner looks really high texture and the first looks like a trash bag. Amazing video bro and i’m glad you kept the mistakes in. Makes it true to life🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Lol, I dig you man...digging, that's what friends and family are for :D
So good of you for sharing.
Your explaining the mistakes you made, and the various suggestions, really helped me as I'm building my pond. You can cut down on algae build up by including more plants, especially waterlilies or lotus which will cover the water area and cut down on the light that helps algae grow.
Buy EPDM 45 mil liner not a cheap pvc liner.
@@michaelgarcia2440 The liner I purchased about 8+ years ago (and still in the box!) was off of Craigslist. It's 17 feet by 40 feet and I plan to use half that length for the pond I'm building. Not sure what to do with the other half. At the time, I only paid $100 for it and, at the time, I believe it was worth about $500. Now the price would be about $1,000, plus or minus. Hmmm... maybe I'll just double it.
The reason its so hard for you to hide the liner is because that top edge where it goes from vertical to horizontal should be like at least 6 inches below grade . the bottom of those bolders you have sitting on the top should be sitting in water
@Ash Friday its kind of hard to explain in text but the stone around the pond should be below grade so when they sit on top of the liner the stone is in tge water . the liner will go under and not be seen then you fold it up along the edge of where you dug out to hold the water in and youll never see it . plus you can plant right up against it so you dont just have a puddle and rocks. If you want to follow me on social media i can show pictures of what i mean
@Ash Friday larrylopez3529
Brilliant thanks
It looks wonderful!! Thanks for the pointers!! ❤️
Thank you!
Just a couple of thoughts,usually you dont want water that close to your house as it will overflow and cause rising damp,also in Australia atleast you need a fence around it just like a pool if you go to deep,thats all,nice vid
Great video, thanks for posting!
Key to clean up is, touch it once! Easy to say after right. Looks great and good job :-)
Great video man, I'm glad you got help in digging it. I'm currently digging a 3000> gallon pond alone.
Wow that’s a lot good luck
Such an awesome pond, very creative, good job bro
Props for digging it all out with a shovel, a pickaxe would have broken all that up and be easier to shovel out
Good to know I will keep that in mind next time. Also thanks!
great job dudes 2nd pond looks far too better...weldone guys enjoy
You did an amazing job
I been thinking of diy my fish pond. Thanks for the video. I subscribed.
Nice, watching for your tips and experience. Hacking through a large pond build now 🤣 probably 80,000 to 90,000 gallon. Just starting to really take shape. Obviously I have some equipment.
Good luck!
All that digging is worth it….. we dug ours 3 ft …. 2ft and 1ft…. Went on a tour of homes and we got busy.Really enjoyed the pond for years here in rocky Tennessee.
I'ma huge pond and goldfish guy! I enjoy your videos, I'm from Connecticut in the United States and we have a load of places to build a pond
Always call 811 before you dig!!! Don't forget to call!! You bust a line to a gas pipe not good!! Be safe and always call!! That's 811....!!!
Good advice, great content.
Thanks for the video I'm about to do one for my ducks goin to bury a water trouff for now but want to do something like you did in the future thanks again
Super cool pond
love your pond . i’m going to build a pond soon.
Thank you- good Luck!
Try renting a jackhammer with a flat shovel connector. Given your clay and decomposed granite ground, you could have eliminated a lot of back-breaking work.
Very kool! Thanks for sharing!👍🔥
No problem
Great videos, thanks for your sharing with this video
9:04 you should try to take all sharp stones out, spread about 1" sand or use an old carpet as a base. Water is heavy and if you use a cheap liner it will tear, try to buy a liner with a 25 year guarantee. one good thing was having clay, this is a great smoother over rocky places.
Thank you for an HONEST how-to 😅 I have definitely learned from your mistakes
I agree, this is EXACTLY what I needed to watch! thanks for filming your experience :)
Sand is good before laying liner as it is softer and fills in areas
A pickaxe is your best friend for hard soil/clay
Just dug a pond and that is facts
Where would I even buy one? lol
@@TheAmazingVue same place you'd get anything you need to dig with
I really recommend plants and you know why? Plants eat the fishdirt (their pooh) out of the water, it is fertilizer for them and give oxigyn in return. I have a very little pond with an extra tub with water and plants next to it that acts like an extra filter. I barely have any algae in my pond. Fish happy, plants happy and you get to enjoy them both!! 😃
Thank you!
Nice Build!!
Don't repeat my mistake. Please recess your pond area away from the concrete wall because you will have difficulty in maintenance later.
Thanks for letting me know, what kind of maintenance issues did you run into?
Thank you
We need an update of the pond!!!!
👀
Beautiful backyard pond dude, salam from Indonesia
Great video for what" Not" to do in building a Pond....Bless your heart for trying...."Savio"Water Feature Institute has a couple of "how to build a pond"videos that will show you the correct way to get it right without problems building & maintaining it...also no chemicals....its the right amount of (1) Fish(koi) eat plants..then they poop which fertilizers plants to grow and as plants grow they pull high levels of H2O out to keep Algee down and you have a full circle eco system DON'T BUY UV LIGHTS OR CHEMICALS....
💪🏽 Love your attitude !
Damn wide-neck!!
Good job
Keep going brother I made my own too... was supposed to be 1000 gallon or under but I got alittle dig happy with the excavator ... so 3000
Lol damn
How long did you have to rent it to dig that out?
Thanks for video
Will follow your advice ..
When working with hard soil or clay a pickaxe is your best friend. They're cheap and the work is significantly easier
Perseverance 🏅found this motivating.
Amazing! You inspired me man
I have an old front tine rototiller, anytime I have a digging job I use it to bust up the dirt.
That’s a great suggestion actually, thanks!
4:30 depending on your location, you don't need to go deep, I live Southern England and my average summer temperature is 75⁰C, winter -10⁰C and my pond was only 18" at its deepest and all above ground, I had 80cm koi, 75cm common carp, 112cm blue Orf, goldfish and tench, all lived over 15 years.
Not really ideal, your electrical won't last next to the downspout, (the location of the downspout may also spill woodchips and other debris into your pond negatively impacting the health of your fish) and I'd be worried about potential foundation damage if it leaks next to the wall of your house.
It’s lined people run ponds all the way up to the foundation as long as there is a liner. You can had the black pipe to the down spout and problems you mentioned solved!!
Overall, great job king 🤎
Thanks King 🙏
Looks great
I like your video buddy I learned from it thank you for sharing your mistakes I like the end result and I'm going to ask you a question what should I charge to make to build a pond
I have been struggling with a clay line pond I started as a test. I used 6 inch's of clay and then added 500 lbs or sodium bentonite and lose 12 inch's of water per day. I have a solar water pump keeping the pond 90% full my sunset.
I helped dig out a koi pond when I was a teenager and watching the digging makes my back hurt XD
Good for you... I like it!