I want a pond!

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thebrandon

I like fish
Jan 29, 2009
1,846
0
36
Tucson, AZ
I've been playing with the idea of building a larger pond in my backyard. I'm not sure what I want to put in it yet. All I know is that I would like it to be a few hundred to 1000 gallons. I'll be digging the hole with some help from my buddies, but how would you create a seal and make sure a pond this big does not leak? I've looked at pond liners, but I'm not sure if they make one big enough for what I want to do.

What is the cheapest way to seal a pond?

Also I live in AZ. Summers can get 115+ and winters can drop down below 20 degrees at night. What would be a good depth to make sure any critters in there don't cook or freeze in the harshest of the seasons?
 

fishyjeff

Registered Member
Aug 14, 2011
4
0
0
72
The synthetic rubber EPDM is probably what you want. It is rated for very hot water and is tough stuff.

As far as being able to get it in your size. The first Google hit I came across was this:

http://www.justliners.com/pondgardepdm4.htm

Which has them up to 50' x 200' if you need larger you would have to join it.

I have a friend who put in a large pond and has the liner short of the top so he will have some muddy section to plant. I think it is better to have it lap outside the hole and have a lip to keep the yard runoff out. I put a bit of old carpet underneath and sprinkled in some copper sulphate root killer.
 

dbosman

AC Members
Dec 5, 2010
1,481
0
0
East Lansing, MI USA
Consult your local municipality before you start digging. Find out if back yard ponds are legal in your neighborhood. Next, call your insurance agent and find out how much your insurance is going to go up. As to the depth, consult your county extension agent. They are there to help.
A liner of some kind is usually necessary. That can be a pond liner or a clay. Pool liners are quite often tainted with alga-cides, so skip the free leaker from the guy down the block.

Also, before you start digging, figure out how you're going to pay for the filtration.

And, yes, I've been there. I hand dug for a 32,000 gallon pool. I was younger then and working (shoveling and sweeping) at a steel mill at the time so I was in good shape for the task. If anyone wants to compare shoveling stories, lets start with a 30' x 50' room six inches deep in sinter dust. That didn't stop building up as I cleaned it up.
 

fshfanatic

AC Members
Apr 7, 2006
1,340
0
0
Arizona
Real Name
Mike
Have you ever kept a pond before? If not I would recommend an above ground pond to start. Cinderblocks and a pond liner is simple and cost effective. I have one in my backyard (phoenix) and it has been up for a few yrs without a problem. The pond I am running is 6 blocks by 4 blocks, 2 blocks deep.
 

garyfla

AC Members
Apr 23, 2010
427
0
0
81
Hi
My suggestion would be to first consider what you want the pond for. There are gazillions of choices
A fish pond needs an entirely different design than a water garden. They certainly can be combined.
A lily pond is the easiest and cheapest to not only build but to maintain. Size constraints naturally .
Certainly wouldn't hurt to check on your building codes as dbosman suggested lol gary
 

SubRosa

AC Members
Jul 3, 2009
5,643
1
62
Consult your local municipality before you start digging. Find out if back yard ponds are legal in your neighborhood. Next, call your insurance agent and find out how much your insurance is going to go up. As to the depth, consult your county extension agent. They are there to help.
A liner of some kind is usually necessary. That can be a pond liner or a clay. Pool liners are quite often tainted with alga-cides, so skip the free leaker from the guy down the block.

Also, before you start digging, figure out how you're going to pay for the filtration.

And, yes, I've been there. I hand dug for a 32,000 gallon pool. I was younger then and working (shoveling and sweeping) at a steel mill at the time so I was in good shape for the task. If anyone wants to compare shoveling stories, lets start with a 30' x 50' room six inches deep in sinter dust. That didn't stop building up as I cleaned it up.
How about working in an above ground storage tank in SC in August. Inside temp of the tank was 120 F+. Tank was knee deep in a purplish black sludge that tested out at 200,000 ppm arsenic, so level B protection, supplied air, full plastic with taped seams, etc. We worked 20 mins on 2 hours off filling buckets to be hauled out.
 

mela

AC Members
May 9, 2011
174
0
16
orange park fl
Real Name
Melvin Avery
I just started my pond with a swimming pool. It is 27ft in diameter and 4.5ft deep. It has 3 sunfish and a bunch of rosey reds for food. You can use filtration that is redilly available on cregslist for a song even pools. Ya might have to go get it but will save bunches of money.
 

SubRosa

AC Members
Jul 3, 2009
5,643
1
62
If you're interested I have a nice filtration set up for a pond.
 
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