| The Pond |
| The original pond that we installed, 13 years ago was about 4000 gallons. We used a piece of re-enforced vinyl membrane. That was a mistake as it punctured quite easily. Three years ago the ice ripped the liner, resulting in a major water and fish loss. The current pond is approx.5000 gallons and has a 45 mil. EPDM liner.This is a piece of roofing membrane, distributed by Lexcan Systems. There has been a lot of discussion about the use of roofing membranes for ponds, but I have not seen any problems with their use once the Talc Powder has been scrubbed off. This is a must...use a heavy scouring pad and clean the entire liner and rinse well.. |
| The pond has a surface area of about 15' x 25' and an average depth of 34''. The sides are bowled to prevent any cave-ins. The liner sits on a cushion of old carpet and carpet underlay to protect it from any sharp rocks or tree roots. There is a 15" wide coping shelf about 14'' below the surface to sit rocks on...hiding the liner. We used the largest rocks that Larry, Gavin and myself could carry.This gives the pond somewhat a natural look, from the surface up. Below the surface though, there is nothing that will collect or trap crud. The pond bottom is regularly vacumed to keep it as clean as possible. The liner has developed a nice growth of fuzz green algae on it, which looks good and is healthy for the fish. The few lilies that are in the pond are are re-potted every year to keep their soil as healthy as possible. |
 |
| All water, approx, 3000 gals., coming from the filters and UV is returned via the waterfall. In the opposite corner from this there is a surface skimmer and the return from this keeps the pond water moving all the time. Note: a new filter and bottom drains have now been installed |
 |
 |
 |
| NOTE: As with most peoples ponds, mine was and probably still is overstocked. What I found was that I wasn't getting the growth that I wanted and what I was getting didn't have a good body shape. Between last year and this year I have dropped the population down to 17 of the best fish...there has been good growth and better water quality since then. Try an work at about 300 gallons per fish |
 |
| My Pond is home to about 17 fish with about half being decent show quality...My best fish won Young Champion at the Orlando show, while the others have recieved a number of 1st's and 2nd's in different shows. Along with a few Friendship awards. |
 |