blueyz75,

FRUSTRATED ! At 5 feet deep and 18 feet wide (not knowing how long...) you have a start to a wonderful pond. It just takes patience; and good planning. Good planning to make sure you get your pond close to:

"just have put in and then they dont have to do much at all! "

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When I actually started the construction of my pond it was after many months of planning it out in my head and on paper.
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Even after all that, I still had "complications"
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I came across pipes and conduit that ran every which way but right.
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I stopped, took a breath, took on a new look, and worked it out. And that's what you will do.
Half the fun of ponding is having the ability to state:
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I made that; and it's a work in progress...
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Relax, take your time, and do a pond that's right for you. We don't always have to "follow the Jones"

enough said...

LP

LP, WOW!

I know I don't have the most beautiful or most impressive pond, but I like it well enough! And I refuse to pay people to do work that I can do for free (education is also free) with a bit of effort. I'm probably one of the biggest penny pinchers you're likely to come across on this board!

Check out my 50$ pond:

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This is what it used to look like 3 years ago:

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And yes, I did say 50$. But I admit a lot of that was pure luck, brought on by good planning. Meaning that if I didn't already have so many materials on hand, if my yard wasn't built the way it is, I wouldn't have bothered.
Before I go on, let me say that I am a small girl. Healthy, but small and pretty darn weak lol.

I pulled those railroad ties out myself. That took a few hours. I can't imagine why anyone put that hideous thing there in the first place!

I dug that hole in two days. Originally, I was going to do a ninety gallon preform (outlined in the second pic), as an accent to a rock and flower garden. So that was day one of the hole. And that wasn't the easiest place to dig, either. Hard clay soil with many rocks, and directly under a large oak tree who's poor roots were mangled in my efforts. I found digging is more of an art that requires good use of leverage, rather than brute strength. A fair amount of patience is also required. Pace yourself!
Many of those rocks you see were dug up right out of the hole. To lift them, I made use of my teenage brother who could lift three times as much as I could with much less effort. The rest of the rocks were brought up out of the lower half of my backyard which is given over to steep slopping woods, followed by a creek. I dug them up myself. I'd do just about anything for a bargain like that! Most of my neighbors have bought rocks just like this to make their flower beds in front because they're so pretty. But of course, where they paid hundreds of dollars, I paid nothing at all.
I had sand to fill the bottom and sides from a previous home when we'd sand bags them around the back side of the house for insulation. I'm guilty of saving things when I should probably throw them out. But I couldn't toss away perfectly usable sand!

I didn't have to bother with a bottom drain. Because the yard is sloped in such a way (the pond area is level until about 5 feet out) I can simply stick a hose into the pond, fill it with water from the spickett and kink it, walk down to the woods and throw it on the ground. Drains the pond in about 45 minutes with no more effort than that.

My 90 gal preform quickly turned into a (approximately) 500 gal, when I went to the store and found the liner cheaper than I ever could have guessed. A 20 foot peice cost 11$. I found out after I got it home, that it was only because it had been mislabeled as weed barrier in the rush of Springtime garden store frenzy and I was being helped by a very new and flustered employee. That was my first (and luckiest) purchase!
I brought up even more rocks to decorate the landscaping around the pond, leveled and tilled the soil by hand and a sturdy shovel. The plants mostly came from other parts of the yard as well as from the woods and creek. Plant hunting is one of my favorite past times! Some were donated from friends, family and neighbors who were separating their bulbs or wanting to replace some of their existing plants. I got some Walmart bareroot roses for 2$ each. You can see them in their second year in the top photo.

The pump was the most expensive purchase, got it on the clearance rack at Walmart at the end of the season. 35$ and turns the water over twice an hour. Last year the spinner shaft broke (or whatever it's called) and I replaced it with part of a coat hanger wrapped in duct tape. Now even I admit that's a bit too cheap lol. But it worked. :)
A five dollar water lilly and a couple packets of seeds, free mulch from the city dump over recycled weed barrier (taken from the front yard when DH ripped up the flower beds), a tree stump from the neighbors yard waste pile - and I have myself a pond!
It's home to bullfrong and two feeder gold fish that cost about $0.12 each and are now over seven inches long.
Not bad eh? I add to it a little more each year, even if it's just a packet of seeds, or a new plant hunting find.
Last year I took a water bottle (the kind that go in office watercoolers) that used to hold change for my grandmother, drilled some 1/2 inch holes all over it and cut off the top; stuffed it with recycled (from old pillows) stuffing and lava rock (found in creek) and popped that onto the end of my pump for a very effective filter!
I'm sure your pond will come together in the end, I know it's easy to get frustrated and discouraged. But you can do it!

On this big a project patience is a must. One thing I found was I could cheaply hire out some of the heavy work by getting day laborers. My sons and I did the rest but it did take several months to complete. One thing, are you sure you want your pond that deep? My oldest wants his that deep but it will be a swimming pond as well. I am designing one for him that will be at least 40,000 gallons. He intends to snorkel in it with the kids etc. I put a link to some of the photos of my construction. I hope it gives you some encouragement. One of the last is of me just enjoying our achievement.

Here is a link that might be useful: My pond under during construction.

I like that little in the woods pond. I only wish I had woods around my house and natural streams etc. I live in town. I'm a townie girl.

Got the little pond water free and sucked out. PU I stink now. There were snails who took up residence in it over the summer. Lovely little creatures. I had slimy globs all over. I think when I fill it with fresh water I'm just dumping bleach in since I'm not putting fish or plants in for a while. The chlorine will disappate some just circulating and I can always hit it with the dechlorinator when it comes time for plants.

Right guys! ?????

Now if only the guy who said he'd dig it would let me know if he found any cheaper prices then I did on the stuff I want.

Eventually your pond will look the way you want it to.No 2 ponds are excatly alike.I think it is wise of you to get a lot of ideas from the look of other ponds.Yours will be unique.Mine also is not the most beautiful,there are many more beautiful than mine.My husband and son are do it yourselfers so it was not professionally done.The most important thing is it is mine.

destany - way to go!!!!

My pond has given me much satisfaction knowing that I did it myself. This is certainly NOT for everyone, but I like the challenge :)

IMO all the ponds I see are beautiful. Each in its own way. Just do your thing and enjoy. You will not be sorry you did.

Here is a link that might be useful: My pond the way it was before the freeze.

Hey Loma, that Koi you have with the peachy flesh colored head and black spotted body looks like my Whitey only Whitey don't have much black!

You know those commercials where they do the $ 5 dollars for scrubbies, $ 10 for a fish, completed project $ 10,000
and for moments when you hit things like pipes, priceless.

The conduit was for the power in the garage ran out there 80 years ago. So picture me standing there, after exposing the conduit whole length, to see that it ran right down the middle for 3/4 of my future pond (at only 1 foot deep)thus reducing my future pond volume by 40%. Image the cuss words as I continued to pace back and forth. Then my DW made a call to an electrician friend to come over.

He calm me down, explain that wiring was wrapped in lead (bendable) break a few connector joints, push this end of the pipe down, push that end of the pipe down, re-wrap whole length in electrical/waterproof tape, pad (carpet pieces) over piping, and BAM no more problem. - Priceless

About the fish; it's a Shiro Bekko, I just got it a few weeks ago. He likes to swim into the waterfalls to entertain himself. I'm expecting another Bekko. It's been delayed; but you'll have to read about that on another thread.

LP

I know just how you feel. We did our pond ourselves. And I am always trying to revamp it. But I really do like it. It is worth the work when everything comes into bloom and I can sit on my patio and think....I MUST BE CRAZY!!! We redid the waterfall 4 times. But really it is worth it. I am glad we did it ourselves. (that way when I really decide to revamp we can remember what all we did wrong!!) It was fun and my hubby helped(he wasnt all that happy about it either)
But remember...if its going to be that deep put in some plant shelves!! (we didnt) and its funny the things I come up with to get a plant in there!!

Five foot is kinda of deep for a pond. Most plants go in only about three feet deep or less. Also can make it difficult to clean the pond.

I can understand if you are going with Koi as they do need the space. And they love to mess with the plants.

Blueyzy75,

{{gwi:191165}}

This is why I ponded.. first one of the season. started opening @ 10 AM today. Sold to me as a white lily... ok..

tomkaren,

With the proper planning (sloped bottom to direct debris to BD) the depth isn't an issue for cleaning.Regarding the plants, I'm using a lot of left-over PVC to make plant stands or 99 cent stackable crates to get the plants to right depth. With the proper "figuring", it's do-able.

{{gwi:191166}}

Regarding koi and plants; yes there are very few plants that can withstand the koi attack (especially the big lugs). I hear water lettuce isn't on the koi menu. Some ponds are split by barrier (plants one side, koi other) I don't know the answer. But you can bet I'll keep figuring...

LP

I don't want the shelves not nec b/c I don't want plants but b/c my first pond is little preformed and I have lost mysteriously several fish that I cared for dearly. Just lost two this fall before bringing them in, one was my very first pond inhabitant and had been with me for three years now. Just gone! and they aren't the first. I don't want to worry for the safety of my guys in the new one. There will be two shallower areas I can stand in, one just for me to wade in and in case of babies and the other to allow me to work on water fall if necessary. I am putting in what I call alcoves. I plan on placing rocks to edge them off then I can set plants in pots in there and the guys can't get to them (in theory). It will leave little openings for fry to get in and hide too.
Will it limit what I can plant, yes, but from what I hear, plants are more like food for koi. :)
Maybe my little pond will become planted now. However need to get plant "weeds" away from sides first, if weather cooperates. I was on a roll weeding and had to come in or get stormed on.

Kel

Oh no, you are not alone. We started our 4th & LAST pond in 2002, and looks like we will finally finish it this year. The waterfall never was finished the way we wanted & neither was the the edge of the upper pond.

Doing it yourself when it's as big as your isn't easy. But the satisfaction you will have is tremendous.

Here is a link that might be useful: Construction of our pond

HEY Marti, we have other hobby in common too, quilting.
Neither hobby is cheap, ponding or quilting.
I can't say I've gotten much of either done!

I did spray out the filter media from little pond today and weeded the big hole I've managed in my yard, isn't that depressing. I did get to stand on top of my hill and watch the jets from Scott fly over a few times before they appeared on the opening ceremony at Bush for the start of the season. At least the hill is good for something.

You can say that again. Since we're trying to finish the pond, I've sworn off trips to the quilt shop. Have way too much in my stash anyway.