Hey there, 101. There are pictures in the gallery. Check it out. How are you planning to filter it and hide the filter and pump? There are building plans for bridges that are reasonably easy. A bridge will need firm and steady footings. Cement blocks outside the pond come to mind. Waterfall? Fountain? Other? A waterfall with a stream calls for a hill that can be formed with that dirt you dug out. Most use a basin of some sort and the stream needs to be lined. Lots of ways to go about it. I would think of using a skippy in the back of the dirt pile. You have a way to go. Give us more info. No two ponds are alike. Sandy

Hey and thanks! I don't have much room for a big waterfall, and what I do is under some tall pine trees. I want to keep fish and lots of plants, but don't know what to do yet about the pump or filter... are they the same thing? I want to keep my budget low. The pond isnt really big enough to go over the pond, but maybe in back of it. I stained it with a clear waterproofer and am planning on maybe putting cement blocks like you said underneath! I would love a waterfall, and was thinking of maybe a trellis made of copper piping that would carry the water hose inside the pipping and there would holes at the top of the trellis that would create a waterfall. What kind of (climbing) plants could grow in a set up that they would be constantly wet? Thanks so much!

I'm interested in what people will have to say about the bridge. I've seen similar ones that are decorative and wondered how support could be added to them. I would think there is some way to add metal brackets or more wood to it??? IDK... I'm not too handy with that sort of thing;)

Good luck!

Lol thanks! I thought I was getting a bargain... but don't want it to collapse either! For some reason bricks seem unstable, and would packing dirt underneath look un-bridgeish? I don't know how to add metal brackets but that sounds like a great idea!

I think the strength of the bridge is determined by the type of wood and its thickness. Some wood is strong to start with but that makes it more expensive and it costs a lot to ship it, too. Light weight wood like Luan Mahogany is often used and I would not trust it enough to walk on it. It also warps.
Bricks would be unstable because of the smaller footprint and because the soil is not packed firmly enough. To be sure of a solid base the bridge ends should really be tied into a poured concrete footing.
As an additional problem, the waterproofing you put on the bridge needs to be tested as safe for the fishies by the manufacturer. You might check for their 1-800 service number.
Metal brackets could rust and I would consider decking screws in pre-drilled holes.
Next topic, copper trellis. We have gone over this a number of times and you would think a search would bring up at least one of those discussions but there is no pond forum listing out of 234 mentions of copper trellis. Some of the opinions were pretty strong and there was never a consensus. One side says that copper in any form is harmful to the fish. The other side says it is not the copper used in the pipes, it is copper sulphate, which is a different kettle of ..., well, you know. A trellis of the type you mention is entirely possible and can be very attractive. With a bit of extra work it could be built as an illusion of being part of the pond but never actually mixing with it. You might look at the emitter holes on a sprinkler to see how to make the flow even. Even a tiny bit of corrosion can make the whole thing a flop if it plugs up the hole.
There are a number of climbing plants that will tolerate wet feet such as sweet peas. Is this for sun or shade?Sandy

A pump and filter are an absolute necessity. Especially if you want fish and plants. They are not the same thing. There are lots of adequate pumps for 125 gallons and many types of filters. The filters can be relatively easy to construct DIY. I once made a filter from a Tupperware canister for a 100 gallon pond as a demonstration of cheap but effective ways to build a water garden or pond. Almost everyone has an old piece of Tupperware or Rubbermaid around. Sandy

Sounds interesting! It looks like I have alot of work ahead! The waterproofer wont be over the pond, just next to it... could it still pose a problem? I guess I'd better call! The front of the pond is in the sun, but in the back where the waterfall would be is shade.

I never knew that the copper trellis was such a hot topic! I thought it sounded interesting in a picture I once saw, and thought it could be cool. I just bought lavendar to put around the rocky areas of the pond, and already have some thyme to creep into the edges. I'm thinking about a wildflower mix, impatiens, daisies, zinnias, and marigolds in the surrounding areas. For the actual edging I was considering ferns, elephant ear, palms, canna, and and a bird of paradise. Thats tropical so I guess I'd have to take it in or treat as seasonals??

I think some creeping junipers next to the pond edge will hide the edge and give great year round appeal to your pond. I used evergreens to landscape my last pond build and never looked back. Looks good all year round. Sleeplessinftwayne gives great advice about the pump and filter. You will be glad if you take her advice. Your choice of annuals are great. You can dry the elephant ear bulbs, and canna tubers, and store in a cool place in the fall.

Regards,
Lisa

Welcome to the forum.

I never thought about juniper: great idea!Thanks for the welcoming... this place is so great for advice!

I have had a lot of sucess with impatiens, especially where they get misted by the water fall. New Guinea Impatiens are best for less shaded areas. Lantana, canna, dwarf colocasia (taro), and small grasses do well in combination pots and will last all season. The splash of colorful flowers really stands out and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Spider plants spread dramaticly. Peace lilies and ornamental, butterfly gingers grown for their foliage here, are spectacular. These are grown on the edges, not directly in the pond. Most of my pond plants go in double sided containers so they can tolerate more turbulance. I could spend an hour but I'll stop here for now. Sandy

Thanks so much! I never knew that you could plant spider plants in the ground? Do you treat them as annuals?

No reason why it can't go in the ground. Although I put the main plant in a pot, the babys take root anywhere. One of my favorite Wandering Jews, Setcreasea Purpurea, makes a spectacular ground cover. A plant considered a weed in one location can be well valued elsewhere. Don't get stuck thinking a plant is only grown in one way. Use your imagination. Sandy

Thats such a great idea! Has anyone ever grown hydroponic veggies and herbs that are seen at the grocery store in their ponds? I just saw some recently, roots and all!

There are a good many reasons why it isn't done much. Growing in a hydroponic system is only successful under strict controls. Contamination is entirely too easy. While I have seen mention of it, I have never seen it actually done. Remember the mulm on the pond bottom is fish waste and esssentually it is a sewer. Subjecting such waste to composting is one way to reduce the danger of disease. Another way is to aerate the waste water to break down waste the way sewage treatment plants do.
Jpinnard has a current thread here that asks for input on the subject:Crazy idea... I made some comments there. I don't think it is something you want to take chances with but there are some methods that are supposed to be marginally safe.
I think one of the Storey books (you know, the series of small paperbacks that aims for those who want to go back to the soil or who want to raise rabbits for fun and profit, or building compost heaps or wood piles or build a root cellar or cold frame, etc.) has one that shows how it is done. Sandy

Here is a link that might be useful: Books for country living

Ohh yeah that doenst sound like such a great idea now lol! I am very puzzled over the waterfall... there just isnt that much room! What I would have to do would be to have it opposite the bridge, then have a stream or pipe undeneath the bridge connecting them. I want it to be very natural, and have rarely seen a natual looking waterfall made. Any suggestions? The pond is small, so just a small waterfall would be just fine. Or maybe a really big one would make a nice effect? Thanks for all your help so far! I really appreciate it! I DO have a TON of slate, but I dont really like it, I dont think it looks natural. Any ways to make it look natural? Any examples? Also, I am not frostfree yet, in zone 7, could i still sow the poppy seeds now? What about the others?

Believe me, I understand. You are trying to visualise a thing in three dimentions and that is not something everyone does every day.
I envy you the slate. I would love a supply of slate or almost any stone that has a good lateral split. It is usually good to work with on a project like a waterfall. I'll get back to you on this. No time right now.
Spread those poppy seeds now. I have done it on top of an inch of snow. The others have to wait or be done inside. Sandy

You have been so helpful! Thanks so much! This is all so new to me, and your right, has many levels to it, more so than just a typical bed. All my other beds are surrounded by slate, so its just that I'm tired of it lol. The former owners must have been obsessed! I will spread the poppy seeds now, thanks, I was'nt sure.

The filter for this can be done easily and cheap. I have read on filters made for going around a pump such as two colanders with quilting batting or nylon scrubbie inside. These will filter and add area for beneficial bacteria to grow. I have one that came with my set up and have altered it to my own needs. It's a 300 gallon setup that I put a bigger pump into since I went to a 1000 gallon pond. I also have made a skippy filter that is the waterfall. This is a rubbermaid storage tote that has a pipe put in the side for an outflow. I placed rocks around and over it to hide it although many people actual use the bin to grow plants in that will give you more room for growing. The pipe that comes out of mine is just pvc but since it extends out and over the pond I have cut up bamboo pieces only a quarter inch wide by 7-10inches long and glued them to the pipe to give it a better look. In doing this I made the bottom pieces in and extended and uneven manner to get the water broken up more and give a better sound to the waterfall rather than the faucet sound that I first had with all at the same length. You can find a info on the skippy filter hopefully attached, but if not a search on it will direct you to it. I follow the basic design but scaled it down from the directions. I ended up using the clear totes you can get for storage and a shower drain connection for the out flow connection then the pvc as said before. I will warn you that trying to make a clean and precise cut was much harder than thought. The container started to cut then ran a crack out about an inch some aquarium silicone and the fact that the drain kind of pulls it back together have kept it from leaking.

If you do a search in this forum for colander filter you can also find the type of filter for building around the pump.

As for the bridge I have looked at a few online and it seems that they are for decorative use only due to wood type or sizes. If possible you could cut some pieces and attach to the underside so they are hidden but are still reinforcing the actual structure. If this is not an option you could cut pieces to attach to the bottom but set back from the side and use it to contain soil under the bridge which should give you the support needed, but give the illusion of a void under the bridge. As my last suggest on the bridge you can fill the area under the bridge and use creeping jenny or some other very low growing plant to hide the dirt.

One last thing I will mention is to test the amount of water you can push through any waterfall you might come up with. The higher the water has to go (head heigth) the less water flow you will get, and you want the entire pond to travel through the pump at least once and hour but twice an hour is best. You may want to do a test of this before getting everything setup. You can do this just by setting up a simulated heigth and timing it while it fills an old milk jug and doing the math that follows.

Keep on reading on this forum and you will find a wealth of knowledge as I have, not to say that I am a pro at all but I'm much better off now than I used to be.

Here is a link that might be useful: skippy filter

Thanks for the info on the filter, as well as your great ideas concerning the bridge. I hope that it works out, but what I'm imagining now will probably be much better than what it we really look like lol. I just got a chinese fan palm for like 8 dollars, and I set it out in the pond site and it looks really neat. I also hope to get an elephant ear and bird of paradise or canna to make it look very tropical. The problem is that there is VERY few pond stores around me! I think I'm going to have to be inventive with normal plants, although I did really want some water lilies :(. Anyone know of some good online retailers?

I have had to go about things the same way as here in WV there are no pond stores near me. I have seen a few plants at lowe's before but it's still 30 minutes away. I have scouted around and located some ponds. I found one that had lillies galore and duckweed. I asked the owner if they would be interested in selling a few and they said if I wanted a couple of lillies just to go ahead and get them and the floating duckweed they said to please take as much as I could. I have also kept an eye on drainage ditches and river edges and have found yellow flag iris which I will collect soon and what I believe to be an arrow plant which I potted up late last year and hopefully it will come back. I have also started several lotus from seed. I got them from dried pods used in flower arrangements I have seen these even sold at walmart. They started out great but the half day of sun I get was not enough for them. If you want to try these from seed you can google starting lotus from seed for the process it was very easy. The key to finding plants is to keep you eyes and mind open to where they might be. Keep in mind to get permission where needed and that bringing a plant to your pond might just bring other unwanted things with it. So far I have been alright but that is not to say it can't happen. One last place I go to look is a greenhouse. I have found dwarf papyrus and other plants here as well but have washed the potting soil of of them and put them in stadard pots with holes drilled around them lined with filter fabric, filled with clay and topped off with small river rock.

Good luck and keep looking around

Thats a great idea! Was it hard getting lillies from a deep pond? It seems like it would without getting soaked lol. I will have to check walmart too, they do seem to have everything! Thanks, I have a ton of work to do!

Also: regarding the bridge: I put two cinder blocks in the midpoint of the bridge, and packed dirt on the two ends, and it seems very sturdy! I have my fingers crossed, but it seems very reliable!

This former West-by-god Virginian drives nowhere without a plant rescue kit in the trunk. It includes waders, giant plastic bags and a 10 inch Buck knife just to start. Knowing some states frown on knives in the car I checked with local law enforcement. I was told a knife of that sort was seriously frowned on but I would be ok if it was in it's case in a container with other gardening tools and not openly displayed. Sandy

Hahaha thats so funny! There is some bamboo growing along a local hughway, maybe I'll see if I can dig up a clump! I am going to just put it in a pot so it doesnt take over my yard!

Update: I'll give the details of my new plan, tell me what you think...

I got a small preformed cascade that has a hole in the bottom of it, to connect the pump hose to. From that, it will spill into a small waterfall which will be the stream. The stream will go under the bridge, in perhaps a tube?, and into the pond. Any information on how I can build such a stream? I did some searches, but everything seems confusing/on a much bigger scale. I want this to look like a small forest creek, with tropical ferns all around it? I also picked up a Chinese fan palm to go around the pond! It looks really nice. It isnt cold hardy, so it will have t come in during the winter/treat it as an annual.

Any suggestions?

Where are you located?

Southern Pennsylvania region, zone 7??

The bridge is installed and secure! If you see an "ornamental" bridge... it can be quickly converted to a useful one in no time! (provided it doesnt actually cross a pond!! I'd be scared to try that! I just used 2 cinder blocks in the center and boards on the ends! Try it! Now... how do I make that stream lol