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They say a picture tells a thousand words.....

CALAM: What a disappointment this must be. When a couple stopped by last week wanting to see my gardens and technique for building my front fountain, he had the same problem - caving in of all his hard work. My suggestion to him, and now you - why doncha line the hole in three layers of the lath, and concrete it in. Doncha think that w/hold up better than what's there now? I put three layers of lath for my basin for my front fountain, and when we plugged it in full of water, there were no leaks. You could try it out on a small version to see if it w/work, but I'm pretty sure it would.

Oh Thanks for the idea!!! I am inspired now to get it fixed!!! I just need about a 2ft wall/base area at the end of the pond and that will do the job! Just gotta clean it out behind there and do as you are suggesting!I could see it working with some building blocks behind it for the semi support(for the lath)...I'm hauling out my cement mixer for this job!!! :-)

If the fish are gone without a trace the likeliest culprit is a bird. Herons, kingfishers etc. take the fish whole and they do come back over and over usually at dawn when you are asleep.

Im gonna figure out a net system! Eat my babies!!! NO WAY!

Nothing to offer just wanted to say
I'm cheerin ya on back here!!

~digger

OMG CalamityJ what a disaster. I would be so discouraged, but, if you are like most ponders (and it sounds like you are), after the discouragement, you dust off your britches, get back to work and make it better than ever!!!
Good Luck!
Anne

so an update: Today was the first blazing hot day...so HAD to do the pond! Yup down in there cooking with the muck!ha! Rented a pond vac(Oase)$35, well worth the money!!!! Refilled to 3/4 so far, gonna rebuild the wall hopefully tomorrow, and rescued 7 baby fish. And an interesting part of the day...went to a neighboors and they told me of how they spotted a otter on the road right near my place! So now I KNOW who the culprit is!!! It makes me wonder about last year...I had one plant in the middle of my pond and had it tipped over about a week straight....but with the basket system in...I think that the fish could hide from the otter? maybe. The neighboors also offered me some babies from their pond to help me out too. we're talking just goldfish. I'm repotting my waterlilies and will get them back in there...whew, well worth the effort!

Good to hear you're up & running and your pond following close on your heels:) Knew when I saw slow's suggestion you'd jump all over it. Glad you were able to rescue the grand-fishes!

Here is what I did to give my fish a hiding spot. I took an old milk crate (the kind with big holes on all sides) and tipped it upside down on the second shelf of my pond. Then I put a big flagstone rock on the top of the milk crate. It looks like an island in the middle of the pond. When the pond is at the highest level this rock is covered slightly with water but as the water evaporates the rock gets uncovered more. I also have a pond decoration on top of the rock. The fish love swimming in and out of the crate.

Good idea, Heather

I made an island support stand out of ABS pipe (2" and set a flat rock on top for an island - size to suite your pond. You can fill the ABS stand with concrete slurry, (the ABS pipe will float, but the slurry will keep it from floating) let dry and cap the legs of the ABS with pipe caps and then it's up to your creativity to create the island.

ABS is black pipe used for home sewage/drains, I get it at Lowe's, most hardware stores should have it. I like it beause it is black, not white like PVC

Here is some pics of the crate I built that was in the pond...I had taken it out to clean the pond and thats when the otter got all the fish! ARG! I am just waiting for the rain to quit so I can pour a cement slab, as the base for my retaining wall for the waterfall end. Then will build a wall with building blocks and redo the stonework. I always knew I'd have to redo the waterfall area cuz I was so excited to finish the pond, that I just put it up temporary and got it running....But now it will be finished/complete...and will be better too!!!

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After seeing "pecan's post, skippy filter using the foam insulation board for a floating island - that sounds like the way to go